Ammos: slick service devoid of overt upselling
Overt upselling in a restaurant (or anywhere for that matter) is a tremendous turn off. No one likes to smell the sell. The diner has wisened up and can spot when a waiter tries to upsell a more expensive dish for instance, and frankly just prompts us to order a cheaper option. Upselling only works when it looks less like sales and more like customer service – subtle enough to avoid annoying the customer. That requires perception and discretion – something that only a handful of restaurants in Dubai command. Dubai restaurants, I urge you to revisit your approach of such an archaic sales technique, and you might even find your profits benefit.
Allow me to regale you with an example. The restaurant manager at a new Greek restaurant in Dubai (yes another one), independently operated Ammos in the Rixos Premium JBR (replacing Riveira) curtails my over-enthusiastic order of small meze plates. After all, the beauty of Greek (and Cypriot) fare is the plethora of these micro dishes. He insists we stick to fewer meze, and only order a main course should we feel we need to after we finish our appetisers. He spots an opportunity, recognising that provided we don’t fill up on starters, we would likely want a main. Subtle and clever. That’s exactly what transpires with our meal. Given the dining experience, service included, is amongst the best I have had in Dubai, I can’t wait to return.
The manager, who hails from Rhodes, he tells us, is welcoming yet authoritative. He knows his menu inside out, recommending some dishes over others (and not the pricier plates). Ammos, which translates to ‘sand’ in Greek is a month into opening at the time of dining, but the original dessert menu (from Riviera) has not been revamped with Greek sweets yet so he insists we don’t bother trying any. Little does he know I have no sweet tooth. On that note, the chef, Dimitris Lazarou is Greek and moves across from Seagrill in Fairmont Palm, which boasted many a well executed Greek-inspired dish on its menu, so I have high hopes for Ammos.
Tarama, the traditional fish roe dip, if freshly made, as it is here, should be creamy in colour not acidic pink. A dense, voluptuous mousse that we slather on oregano, garlic charred bread. Ammos’ delicious twist on a honey-drizzled feta filo pastry pie is the bed of diced watermelon it sits on, along with a kick from chilli flakes making for constrasting textures and flavours.
Prawn saganaki is one of my go-to home recipes from Tessa Kiros’ Greek cookbook, so I always relish trying out restaurant versions. At Ammos, the umami-laden mix of slow-cooked tomatoes with garlic, onions and feta has a hint of chilli and is likely one of the best versions I have tried in Dubai, my home included. So moreish, we both want to order seconds, but the manager suggests we try something else instead.
I am not that fussed about ordering the grilled octopus, because I can eat it in many non-Greek restaurants, but the manager sways me. However, it is the only slight disappointment of our lunch, where over-charring makes for a less than tender tentacle. The Greek salad is a well dressed classic interpretation with all the key ingredients of tomatoes, Kalamata olives, onions, green peppers, cucumbers, capers, feta, and the addition of crisp Cretan rusks (sans lettuce like we have in Cypriot salads back home).
At the manager’s suggestion, starters over, we wait a while before ordering our main course. Ammos boasts a fresh fish display, of which we choose a wild organic Greek sea bream to be grilled. In contrast to other fish restaurants, the pricing is per fish, not per kilo, therefore making the cost obvious. A heads up here, the menu indicates a couple of fish fillets (sea bream and sea bass) however these are farmed, so you’re better off choosing from the fresh display. The manager expertly and swiftly fillets it at the table, with a sprinkling of sea salt, lemon and extra virgin olive oil. The delicate fish falls off the fork effortlessly making for beautifully succulent meat. It arrives with grilled asparagus and cherry tomatoes, whilst the kitchen also serves us some wild greens, a traditional dish that you will either love or hate as these are bitter and served cold – superb – as is the price point of AED250 per person based on three dishes each without alcohol.
The décor mimics quintessential Santorini-like tavernas. As Mr S comments, “is there a Greek restaurant that isn’t all white and blue?”. Yes, this one in DIFC is solely white. Ammos is an al fresco-only venue so go there now with the weather at its optimum. The only issue throughout our lunch is the annoyingly loud music that emanates from the beach club that it sits next to. In all fairness, the team does tone it down, but the tunes don’t do justice to the venue. We are informed that in the evenings, more suitable lounge music prevails. By the time we leave on a Friday lunch, the place is abuzz with diners.
Ammos ticks many boxes – flavour, technique (bar the octopus), quality of ingredients and presentation of simple, Greek fare – as well as slick service, location with a view of ‘Dubai Eye’, charming décor, a relaxed taverna-style atmosphere (when the music is toned down) and value for money. For that I dish out a high 4 out of 5 FooDiva knife rating. Some new Greek restaurants in Dubai do get it right from the start. Bravo.
Do you notice when restaurants upsell to you, or are you prone to falling for their tricks of the trade? Have you got any dire upselling stories to share?
A bientôt.
FooDiva. x
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