THE Lemon Tree restaurant is fast becoming one of my favourite dining destinations and it comes as little surprise that this fairly new-on-the-scene establishment is receiving rave reviews and being shortlisted in several contests concocted by local listings magazines.
Ramee Grand Hotel & Spa, located in the bustling corner of Seef opposite to the mall, recently celebrated its first anniversary and it’s surprising how well-established its seven specialty dining outlets have become, none more so than the Lemon Tree.
It has a warm and welcoming feel about it, a problem many of the island’s hotel restaurants struggle to accomplish, and the delightful ambience is backed up by superb fare and unbeatable value.
I’ve already raved about the Friday family brunch experience and my taste buds still recall the perfect portions of Wagyu rib-eye on offer tempting diners to try out its sister Ruka restaurant-lounge (note to myself: must review this acclaimed restaurant on the 24th floor) and the Thursday evening Seafood Night spread at the Lemon Tree is proving just as popular.
Using a similar trick, some of the starters come with a little inspiration from the chefs upstairs, a successful ploy used by the ever affable and canny Executive Chef Jason Lynn.
With sous chef Joel Datu, who takes responsibility for the Lemon Tree kitchens, by his side, the dynamic duo has excelled with the choice of seafood available under an awe-inspiring ice carving making it the plaice (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun) to be for fish fanatics.
A world of sumptuous fruits of the sea such as mouthwatering lobsters, sensational shrimps and appetising octopuses are waiting to reel them in.
On display were 10 different varieties, namely sea bream, king fish, sea bass, hammour, sheri, mackerel, red snapper, safi, red mullet and parrot fish and my taste buds were soon tingling as I gathered a plate full and handed them over to the chefs to prepare in a slightly spicy sauce.
As that was being taken care of the good lady Kathryn and I sampled bowls full of seafood soup which left a tasty after-burn in the back of the throat.
We also had time to select some salad side dishes and tempting Japanese restaurant-inspired maki rolls.
Although it’s a seafood night there was also a large selection of cold meat cuts available such as beef mortadella, turkey ham and pastrami but our sights were clearly focused on everything ocean-set.
Clams, mussels and blue crabs were available and hotpots were the theme of the side show with a classic seafood pie and shrimp curry calling me alongside a helping of seafood fried rice and the large roasted fish was also tempting but there was just no room left in my shrunken stomach now that I’ve started an intensive health fit regime in a bid to return to my svelte former self.
Our dish of fish arrived on our table steaming hot and I wish I had marked out their names so I could divulge to readers the tastiest samples. All I can report is that they were all pretty amazing, although I can confidently suggest the sea bass is the most outstanding as it’s always been one of my favourite dishes, and the chefs informed me that it was freshly supplied as it was farmed locally.
At BD14++ a head, and half-price for kids, this is one turf I’ll be surfing again in the very near future.