The latest offering from this contemporary favourite is an all-round winner.
An iconic culinary institution, Maki has wowed fans, gourmands and critics alike with its inventive and innovative nature over the past 17 years. Bringing gourmet cuisine lovers a brand of contemporary Japanese cuisine which would change the gastronomic terrain in the Gulf region for years to come.
Inspired by global and Mediterranean effects, Maki’s founders M. Oliver and Amer Zeitoun opened the doors to their 35-seater restaurant in old Salmiya in Kuwait to wide acclaim from the scores of intrigued guests. People would line up to get a seat and a taste of this new gem of a ‘hotspot’.
“On any given day, I would struggle to find space for awaiting guests, and would have to make ‘deals’ with seated guests on how long they could keep a table for,” commented Toufic Salloom, Group Operations Manager, and previous waiter at the first ever Maki.
One of the staple dishes which Maki’s owners introduced was a new take on what is known as temaki. Temaki is ‘handroll’ in Japanese and is traditionally a seaweed roll that is filled with sushi rice, seafood and some basic veggies. It’s rolled into a cone-shaped ‘handheld’ roll and eaten. Maki’s co-founder M. Oliver Zeitoun was not satisfied with ‘basic’, however. For the first time ever, he introduced some modifications to this staple dish which would see guests pull up to the restaurant’s entrance and ‘plead’ with the manager to deliver it to their cars when there was not available seating space inside. We’re talking of ‘Fusion Temaki’!
So what is the big deal about the ‘Fusion Temaki’? Well, Oliver replaced the traditional seaweed with soy bean (mame) wraps and the rice with fresh veggies like assorted lettuce, avocado, carrots, and cucumbers. He also replaced the raw seafood with tempura prawn which was a very smart move that was appreciated by the regional palate. Add to that crabsticks, tobiko (flying fish roe), and some of Maki’s special, secret sweet and spicy sauce, and you have yourself an ‘addictive’ meal.
Later on came the Oliver Temaki which reverted to the traditional seaweed, but included exotic ingredients such as salmon, bizri (baby anchovies), avocado, rocket, ikura (salmon roe), chili oil, shiso, Caviaroli (extra virgin olive oil capsules) and togarashi spices. Then came the Ebi Ceviche Temaki which boasted chopped prawns, avocado, tobiko, white onion, coriander, cherry tomatoes, lemon, crispy beetroot, crispy potato, shiso and a drizzle of Maki’s special zesty sauce.
Speaking of ‘handhelds’, you can now enjoy Maki’s latest dessert creation after a ‘medley’ of temakis with another ‘handheld’. This is none other than Maki’s new Kone-afa dessert which is also shaped like a cone made from rolled filo pastry which is drizlled with yuzu zest and orange blossom water, filled with housemade vanilla bean ice cream and topped with a ball of the same vanilla ice cream encased in dark chocolate and pistachios.
Maki Bahrain is found at the World Trade Center West Tower and you can enjoy all these wonderful exclusive Maki ‘handhelds’ this summer by visiting www.olivermaki.com to make your reservation.
Call 17 522-733.
