Zou Zou at La Mer, Dubai

After my recent visit to Gunaydin – which in my opinion is the best Turkish restaurant in Dubai, my expectations from any Turkish restaurants have risen to all time high.

When I got invited from Zou Zou – the Turkish Lebanese restaurant at La Mer, I was all in for it, to try and compare. I visited Zou Zou last week with a very dear friend who is also a big foodie like me and a lover of all things Turkish.

So needless to say, we went there with lots of expectations and a hungry tummy of course. I must mention that Zou Zou didn’t disappoint.

First off I have to remark about the service. It was pleasant, warm and quick. I was met by Latif Kural the friendly operations manager who has played a role in the setting up several reputed Turkish restaurants in the Dubai.  He is a fine guy with a very pleasant disposition who ensured we felt 'at home'. Latif assigned a waiter de table for us and made sure to drop in every now and then to check on us and see if we were enjoying our food and service. We indeed were!

The very first item to be served to us was the drinks. I had Thai iced tea while my dining partner went for fresh carrot juice. The juices are priced a little high compared to other restaurants but the quality seemed good. So no complaints.

We were then served with an assortment of fresh and flavorsome Hot and cold Mezze. In cold mezze we had Zou Zou special mixed platter which came with Hummus , Baba Ghannoug, Muhammara, Acili Ezme, Cacik  and Vine Leaves. The hot platter had Kebbeh, Chicken Liver, and Sausage. This was served along with hot and fresh Turkish bread.

Both Mezzes tasted scrumptious and went so well with the Turkish bread, which tasted good even when it got slightly cold.

We also ordered our favourite Eggplant Tarator which was a mix of eggplant, yogurt, sesame seeds, olive, pomegranate, fried onion and special pickles. It was yummy and I enjoyed it in various ways including dipping the breads in it, and at some occasions even the lamp chops and beef.

In salads we had Zouzou Salad which was a nice mélange of fresh lettuce baby spinach , tomato dry grape, walnut, pomegranate, olive oil and cheese. It was super fresh and delicious.
Now to go on to the main event as a big beef connoisseur my dining companion ordered Beef Steak and I went with my ever favourite lamb chops.

The beef steak or Zou Zou special which came with its own share of drama. Yes, the chef had brought the entire paraphernalia to where we were seated - to live prepare it in front of us. I must say we enjoyed this experience as much as we enjoyed eating the dish.

Zouzou Special Steak was a 500 gram mammoth beef tenderloin cut into thin strips and seasoned with sea salt, oregano, roca - garnished with cherry tomato,crispy bread and then grilled on blazing fire.  The steak very much lived up to our expectations. It was tender, juicy, luscious and very delicious.

Lamp chops – My lamb chops didn’t disappoint either.  It was as juicy and luscious as the beef and every bite gave an explosion of taste in the palates.

A visit to a Turkish restaurant is not complete without some Kunefe and Turkish ice cream in desserts.  So we went on and indulged in some Bakalava ice cream and Kunefee topped with ice cream and finally washed it all down with Turkish tea.

Service. Excellent service. Very fast delivery. Lots of interesting experiences for the ardent foodie. Our waiter Selcuk was a very supportive guy who also went out of his way to assist with setting up the dishes and at one point even holding the lights for our photo session. This is how we love our hospitality staff to be.

Ambiance : Spacious and cool with both indoor and outdoor dining options.

Value : Excellent value for the quality of food served.

Verdict : Highly recommended.