As a "born hungry" human being (reason for becoming a foodie), I joined a group called The Alphabet Dining Club and embarked on their mission. What is that? Folks, let's put all the letters in a jar and each week pick one. Then choose a cuisine starting with that letter, find a restaurant, meet and yalla, eat.



Through this group, I got introduced to Elia. At a loss of words, I would describe Elia as a cozy, comfortable, friendly, homey venue. We were welcomed by their friendly staff, who walked me and my friend (the first two out of a group of 20 hungry diners) to our table. Wow! The long table was set on their glass terrace and we had it all to ourselves. The table was elegantly set, dimly lit and quite romantic (in my opinion) for such a large group. Nevertheless, the romantic vibe was subtle, understated and could easily transform into coziness.  



While waiting for the group to arrive, I had a few minutes to walk around and take the atmosphere in. White and "olive oil colour" tables and chairs, stone walls, wooden floor, white and blue table runners. White cupboard with ready to by, homemade Greek items and oil. Elegant, yet simple. Through the glass, I saw the interior garden: private, intimate, welcoming. And greenery, a lot of it! Very Greek, very pleasant. Everything about Elia draws you in, whispers "come to Greece, sit down, relax, forgive and forget you are in Dubai, just for a while". You just relax because there is nothing else you can do.



The happy members arrive, one by one, and the table fills with giggles, laughter, conversations, introductions, appetite and excitement. Luckily enough, the restaurant (with the help of my amigo) was kind enough to spare us the dread of choosing dishes from a menu we were not familiar with (oh thank you, Elia, for saving me from my panic attack and indecision) and created a set menu, with dishes to share.



The wine started flowing, tongues got untied, appetite increased. And the food arrived. To begin with, we were presented with carrot bread (didn't know that existed until now!), black olives and eggplant dip. Excited, but still cautious, I start with the olives and watch my companions' faces, fishing for smiles (or frowns) when tasting the dip. They were all smiles so I went for it. What can I say? It tasted as comforting as the place looked, a perfect integration. Growing up with my mum's eggplant dip, I came to realize that the Greek version of it is not much different: roasted eggplant, minced with a wooden knife, mixed with homemade mayonnaise, roasted bell pepper and a hint of lemon. The smoky flavour and the subtle acid contrasted beautifully with the sweetness of the bread and I was suddenly craving for more. More dip, more food, please!



And the feast unravelled in front of our eyes and our table became heavy under the multitude of dishes. We could not eat as fast as they were serving us, we couldn't even follow the menu we received at the beginning. It was a funny sight. 20 confused people, eating first, asking questions later.



We started with a selection of cold and hot appetizers and salads, consisting of taramosalata, wild greens pie with honey and cinnamon, grilled calamari stuffed with fresh tomato and graviera cheese, tyrokafteri, spicy feta cheese, served on herbed tomato loaf, tender lamb morsels, slow cooked with eggplant puree served in a pot, fasolakia salad with tomato vinaigrette and crushed feta and traditional Greek salad. You thought I was kidding when I said feast?



Taramosalata is nothing else but a fish roe salad, a very popular cold starter in Greece, but in Romania as well. Fish roe (usually carp or pike), lemon, olive oil and sometimes bread crumbs to thicken it, and you have one of the tastiest spreads ever. I liked the taramosalata in Elia because it was well balanced (not oily, not sour, not too thick and not too runny, easy to spread) and it reminded me of my mum; I remember I tasted it curiously not identifying it only by the looks, but then I felt it melt in my mouth and I was thinking of home, straight away. 



I had to dig deep through my memory to remember the wild greens pie, meaning I wasn't very keen on it. I remember the looks of it, a slice of green cake, and its lukewarm temperature. I remember its place on my plate, the hint of cinnamon, but not all its taste layers. I'm not big on cooked greens (spinach, nettle, and other leafy greens) and, compared to the taramosalata, which I loved, this one was not at the top of my list.



Since the wild green pie was not my cup of tea (P.S.: this is only a personal choice based on personal taste; I'm sure there are plenty of you out there who love leafy greens), I focused my attention on the tyrokafteri, an elegant dish I didn't want to be the first one touching it. Tyrokafteri is a cheese spread, a cool combination between salty Feta cheese, roasted bell pepper, spicy red pepper, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. It was served on tomato bread, with cold mint sauce on the side. In terms of textures, the crispiness of the loaf and the creamy texture of the tyrokafteri balanced nicely and the cold mint sauce at the end was a nice, refreshing touch ("wake up from your dream, you fool! There's more to come", said the mint sauce).



As a principle, I never say "no" to food. And as a consequence, I can never say "no" to calamari. It's a "thing". Elia's calamari was nicely cooked (not chewy, easy to pierce) and it had an apealing colour. The stuffing was a good mix between the freshness of tomatoes and the mild sweet flavour of Gruviera hard cheese (made from sheep's milk in Crete, or a mix of sheep's, cow's and goat's milk in other regions). Unfortunately, considering the amount of food I had to go through and the speed of service, my calamari got a tad cold before I put my hands on it. Nevertheless, it tasted good even cold.



​The last of hot starters was the tender lamb. Elia promised and delivered. It was, indeed, one of the most tender pieces of lamb I've ever had and greatly seasoned. I loved the heavy and thick lamb seasoning, and the combination with the eggplant was divine. Their bitterness added another level of "oomph" to the lamb and it infused it beautifully.



The Greek salad was good - the good quality cheese made all the difference - and good balanced between the ingredients (not too much of this, not enough of that scenarios). The fasolakia salad (green beans), with crushed feta cheese was also good, although it didn't make my taste buds jump sky high. Probably because in my preference list, green beans are there, at the bottom, together with the leafy greens. 



And now it's time to move to mains: slow baked lamb in paper served with roasted potatoes and butter beans served with crunchy feta cheese. The lamb came served in a bowl wrapped in pastry; a more curious and intriguing presentation, rather than appealing. The taste was divine. The meat was tender, melting in my mouth (much like the tender lamb morsels from before) and, in combination with the gravy and the roasted potatoes (which I found a bit too salty) made an enjoyable main course. The butter beans were good as well, in a rich tomato sauce that balanced well with the crunchy and salty feta.



A girl always keeps a small, tiny space for dessert: sweet dumpling with honey and walnuts. Although I'm a devoted chocolate person, I could not say no to this dessert (I figured that, by this point, counting calories would be very time consuming and truly unnecessary). The loukoumades, their true name,  tasted like sweet doughnuts, lukewarm, bathing in honey and crushed walnuts. Delightful end to a delightful meal.

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The service at Elia is exquisite and one of the best I experienced in Dubai. Attentive, but not overbearing, polite, friendly, skilled and perfectly trained. Coming from the industry, I like to notice that yes, the food is served from the right side, the water glass is filled from the right side also, plates are cleared from the left. Like it should be, like I learned in school.

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The service at Elia clearly deserves more praise than this. What I felt comfortable with was that there was a constant presence of the manager on the premises. Evangelia, the Greek guest relations executive, is the kind of F&B person I admire. She inspires authority without losing her smile, she makes the waiters alert to guests' needs without frowning, she makes her staff feel at ease around her. It was a nice surprise to see someone like her running a restaurant. I liked her instantly.

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To whom I would recommend Elia? To guys trying to impress girls on a first date (or second or third), to couples looking for a romantic night out, to girls in need of a girls' night with good wine and juicy gossip, to groups of friends in need of a friends' night out with good wine and juicy gossip. To everyone in search for a break from the noise of Dubai.