Masterful Asian at Mamafri
Don’t you just love it when you stumble upon a place that’s you all over?
How it is that I’ve not been to Mamafri earlier I really don’t know. Located on Jumeriah Beach Road - and now in Gate village in DIFC, Mamafri apparently pronounced ma-mu-frayh is small in size but knocks out some seriously big South East Asian flavors.
Straight away I noticed and appreciated the effort that has gone into the minimalist interiors. The soft color palette, the use of wood and the sleek walls that elegantly wrap their way around the small dining area. Small touches like the Aesop hand wash and Solomon water along with the quality materials inside and out add a luxe feel to the place that is quite unusual for this style of food at this scale.
Offering a simple yet quirky menu of dishes inspired by Asian classics, we jumped straight in and ordered the Umami Fries (AED 43) which were awesomely addictive with lashings of their house made truffle Kewpie mayo. This pile of goodness also includes braised shiitakes, and a heap of pickled daikon on top which takes it to a whole other dimension.
When the Malaysian Prawn Curry (AED 58) landed on the table it looked stunning and I had to drag myself away from the fries but I’m glad I’m did. This creamy shrimp curry is of course cooked with coconut milk and a blend of their secret spices to easily deliver the best version I’ve had of this dish outside of Asia. I was left slightly speechless at how good it was but moved on to the Mie Goreng (AED 48) which was absolutely bang on the money and another authentically flavored dish.
The plating and the crockery are gorgeous. Someone knows what their doing!
As if this wasn’t enough, by now incredibly impressed we lashed out and ordered the Wagyu Sando which comes in a whopping 148 Dirhams, but hey it had to be done. The four square pieces come with decent portions of wagyu topped with an onion cabbage marmalade and truffle kewpie. While the version that hit our table was clearly overdone, it was still tasty if not a little one dimensional. To be honest it was screaming out for the picked daikon to give it a bit of a lift and for something to cut through the heaviness of the truffle. It was still great but at this price point it simply has to be prefect. (Like everything else was).
Bottom Line:
Mamafri’s impeccably presented dishes, beautifully styled space and amazing flavors knocks it out of the park. If only the sando wasn’t over it would have got a perfect score. Still, if you’re into Asian flavors this is definitely a spot worth checking out.
