Going to a great restaurant should be a sexy experience. For me, it's the combination of a serene atmosphere, surroundings that should look sultry but not like they are trying too hard, food that is light and scrumptious at once, and an attentive staff, hospitable in a way that makes me feel like I am the only one there.
When I stepped into the urban oasis that is Morah in Dubai, I felt like I'd hit the restaurant jackpot.
From my first instance inside this magnificently delicious haven perched 71 (and going up to 72) floors up in the beautiful skyline of Downtown Dubai, I felt tended to, nourished and spoiled. The kinds of feelings that everyone should try to experience, at least once in a while.
Morah is a great combination of Mediterranean cuisine blended with Middle Eastern spices. For a woman who makes even her scrambled eggs with chili and zaatar, this proved a winning combination. And it doesn't hurt that the setting feels a bit like being surrounded by a giant aquarium, with Dubai buildings and far away sand dunes substituting the exotic fish as attractions.
Lets see where to begin... The food perhaps?
Beets nestled in labneh, a soft creamy cheese, dotted with pistachios and drizzled in extra virgin olive oil, tuna tartare in a jalapeño dressing, served with fresh avocado and squid ink chips, crispy artichokes highlighted by fennel seeds and honey, in a bed of labneh, and all served with a delicious Persian barbari-style bread were just the beginning. The succulent meal continued with light, delicate lamb chops nestled on a bed of muhammara -- a sauce of tomatoes and chillies -- Turkish manti dumplings of smoked eggplant in a yogurt sauce and all served with two divine wood fired pide "pizzas", one with creamed spinach and the other with basturma, a cured beef infused with hot peppers. I was in heaven, even if only for the night. Oh, and I must not forget "The Railway Switchman" a Morah take on the Old Fashioned with anise flavored Arak thrown in to sweeten the pot.
Morah is the UAE sister restaurant of Toronto and Miami favorites Byblos and I find the name change appropriate because, as Executive Chef Stuart Cameron -- who is responsible for the menus at all three of the restaurants -- gently corrected me, Morah is not a "Lebanese restaurant". Byblos had me thinking southern shores of Lebanon but putting Morah in that box was a gross underestimation of the wonderful blend of cuisines that Chef Cameron has brought together. To my defense, I did make the statement before tasting his soulful meal.
Chef Cameron was the icing on the proverbial cake for me, interviewing him added flavor to his already incredible food. Like his meal, Chef Cameron comes on looking like a rockstar, conquers your heart with his distinctive brand of deliciousness and leaves you wanting for more.
Following are the highlights of a fun, thoughtful talk I had with Chef Cameron, during which he talked about cinema, his ideal soul food meal and what he would have been doing had he not been a chef. The latter, an inside joke on what a teacher once told him he would amount to if he didn't stay in school.
I read in your bio that you moved to Canada because your "tenacious passion for discovering original culinary style and technique" led you to North America. So what was the actual push?
Stuart Cameron: Cameron: Canadian women. Woman! So I moved to Canada for a lady... and I stayed there for ten years. First restaurant to open was Weslodge I worked for that brand for four years, then I opened Patria, a Spanish restaurant and then Byblos was the first version of Morah. Morah has three versions, Byblos Toronto, Byblos Miami and now Morah, in Dubai.
What do you find the difference to be between what you are inspired to cook for example in Toronto and Miami, as opposed to what you are doing here in Dubai?
Cameron: I keep the same concept for sure, and obviously the ingredients change from place to place, but if I can't find an ingredient, I'm going to get it somehow and bring it in, and try my hardest to replicate what we do in both places. All places are very similar in style, and taste and flavor. If you go to Byblos in Miami, you'll have the same experience as Morah in a way, ingredients may change, with fish and what's local, but the main flavors will stay the same.
If you weren't a chef what would you be?
Cameron: A shopping trolley collector. I don't know, I've been cooking for twenty five years.
So what are your hobbies?
Cameron: I DJ, I play records that's my relaxing kind of thing. I ride bikes. I have a bicycle here, I brought it from Canada. So on weekends I get out into the desert and ride my bike. I like to go fast. I've always been a chef since I was fourteen, I left school at fourteen and this is what I do. This is all I know at the moment. Maybe one day it would be good to know something else.
Is there a meal that you go to when your soul needs healing?
Cameron: I'm really simple, I really like a pasta. I started to cook Italian when I was a kid, it was my first job. I mean, my first job was with a German chef but my first real job was at an Italian restaurant. So that's my comfort food. I don't share that. That's like my "I'm going to eat my bowl of pasta by myself" thing.
Since you mentioned being a DJ, what's on your iPod now?
Cameron: I've been listening to a lot of music while I'm here. I'm an old school Hip Hop kind of guy so I've been playing this DJ mix from Krafty Kuts. He's been around for a long time. And he plays this old school Hip Hop kind of mix so it's really easy for me. I get to listen to Biggie, Tupac and zone out a little. It's a little aggressive sometimes but that's OK.
Do you watch films?
Cameron: I watch movies, I don't know about films. Movies and films are different. A movie would be something Hollywood for me. And then a film would be something more like a documentary. That's how I think of it. A movie is no commitment, I'd zone out but a film is something more.
What was the last film you watched?
Cameron: I watched a couple, one called Sneakerheads, that was my last one. It was a documentary about guys who collect sneakers. That and The Internet's Own Boy. It was great! I love films like that.
Finally, how would you describe yourself to someone who doesn't know you?
Cameron: Sarcastic, I know what I want and I'll do it myself if I need to. I usually do it myself.
All images used with permission.