Lana Lusa — Restaurant in Dubai

As we arrived, the staff were very friendly and greeted us. Our host was Nassir and he could not do enough for us. I had a quiet word that it was our friends birthday and he suggested some ideas and then asked me to write said friends name around. He let me sit and think about what we might be able to use as the ‘birthday cake’ from the menu.

When we sat, we were offered water and drinks. None of the service was rushed and it was attentive enough for us to feel like we weren’t being left alone. With a big group and 4 kids of various sages, deciding on the food took some time but again, we weren’t rushed.

Nassir took time to explain each of the dishes to the best of his ability but I would say that maybe have a look at some of the photos on the google reviews. I have posted a few dishes below. I would also say that there is a balance and order to eating Portuguese food.

On one of the many food shows I watch, I remember Anthony Bourdain feasting on all manner of seafood in Portugal and then finishing the meal with a prego steak roll for ‘dessert’. I would recommend doing that at Lana Lisa if you are going for the seafood dishes. The portions for some of them are one the smaller side, I guess the thinking being that they are shared in a tapas style or 1-2 small dishes should be accompanied by the ‘prego roll’.

My suggestion would be a bowl of either the mussels/clams along with one of the salt cod dishes. I chose the ‘Baclhau a Ze do Pipo’ which I would liken to a British fish pie. The chunks of soft and meaty salt cod are baked in a rich creamy sauce and topped with piped mashed potatoes. My wife ordered the ‘Brazilian’ version ‘Bacalhau a Bras’ which was similar in execution but instead the cod was mixed with boiled egg and fried potato sticks that gave the dish a crunch and interesting texture.

We had ordered some dishes to share too. The clams were unavailable so we had the mussels. They were good but nothing to write home about. The quality of the seafood was good and the cooking spot on but it’s the kind of dish I can knock out for lunch at home.

We also ordered some of the ‘Frango Asado’ which was excellent. It’s a whole baby chicken that has been grilled to perfection. The skin was crispy and the meat was soft and juicy. It was served with the very delicious ‘Portuguese fries’ that are sliced potatoes that your mum would make but on another level. The host gave us both sauces and I preferred the peri peri as it had more of a pronounced flavour that complimented the chicken more. The chimichurri, while nice too, was fresher but less contrasting.

Another of our table ordered the ‘Arroz de Pato a Portuguesa, which was a paella style rice dish made with a meaty stock and chunks of duck meat. It was very unique and probably one of the most flavourful dishes on the menu.

The star of the show for me is very subtle and can only be appreciated once you’ve eaten all the other dishes - the ‘Prego’. A simple steak roll in a freshly baked bun and smothered in mustard. The steak should be cooked medium rare (anything less is a felony!) and you will be rewarded with a slightly chewy bread roll with a buttery steak. I halved mine with my son and he was suitably impressed.

The drinks were a winner too. We went for both type of sangria. Although they are a bit on the pricey side (even with no alcohol!), they were tasty, refreshing and a lovely accompaniment to an authentic Portuguese experience.

The ambience was enhanced all night by the various live musicians that performed on the balcony high up in the space. These types of touches add so much to the vibrancy and the taste of the music and should never be overlooked.

When our friends ‘birthday cake’ arrived in the form of the ‘Magic Cookie’, everyone sang Happy Birthday and the gooey, chocolatey, haze nutty cookie, topped with marshmallow, ice cream and a candle lifted the mood. We all had a big spoonful of this confection - it would be rude not to - before we ordered a box of ‘Pasteis de Nata’ for the table.

A great meal and a lovely evening at a...

This restaurant could offer a pleasant experience through the location, the welcoming receptionist, the waiters and the chefs. Instead, they have 2 managers and a head waitress roaming around without doing much, disturbing, giving orders, scolding personnel in front of the clients and overall negatively affecting the experience offered by the place.

Our dinner started under the best auspices, when a welcoming lady at the restaurant entrance welcomed and comfortably placed us in a lovely table outside. Due to the chill, a waiter promptly set on our table a heater. So far, all good.

It was a bit surprising for us to see one of the restaurant managers (thick dark hair and moustaches... occasionally without mask in the restaurant) dancing, making strange noises with his mouth and badly singing around the tables. Anyway, as long as he doesn’t bother the clients, some might even find him amusing.

When the time to order came, a page was missing from the menu and the above mentioned manager decided to act cool and scold the waiter in front of us. As if the waiter had any responsibility with the loose pages of the menu...

In the meantime, the waiters continue to offer an excellent service and the food was decent.

Once ready to pay and leave, I asked for the bill. Promptly, a waiter brought it to us but someone (a lady, probably head waitress) scolded again the waiter for bringing us the bill (which we asked) without first clearing the dishes (which we had no issues with).

This head waitress then took the lead and brought the terminal for us to pay. We clearly state the price to charge each one of us (total divided by 3), pay and leave. Probably too focused on the excellent conduct of the restaurant’s waiter, which she scolded for doing a very good job, she forgets the very simple amount we have to pay (equal for everyone) and charges one of us a lower amount.

On our way back home. We receive a call from what I believe to be the first manager (dancing awkwardly, making noises and singing) accusing us of not paying the bill in full. I had to explain the guy that there was probably an issue with the amount typed in the terminal (we figured out that two digits of one of our invoice were flipped) and that we would gladly transfer the money to the restaurant’s account.

I would not have gone back to that restaurant anyway. But this last episode was...

#portuguesefood #fjplanet (insta) Chefathome (Facebook) explores. Today is all about Food-Amor!

Lana Lusa set up in October 2020 around Jumeirah belt near Al Wasl. An all Portuguese theme based eatery is here to explore.

Well like previous encounters, I started my meal with a drink and here we have the most amazing treat to your senses with a divine meetup of roses and cucumbers extracts and sparkling water, 'Lusa Spritz'. Anything with Rose and I am already a fan, so this was really a fetch for me!

Then comes starter 'Peixinhos da Horta', Tempura inspired green beans covered in white flour with some seasoning along with mayo-cream dip. The crispy texture and very organic flavour is some rare combination to find but this offering satisfy this search.

The main - Bief a Portuguesa. Well with the progress of all these weekly visits I am literally developing some appetite for red meat in my regular meal courses.

Anyways, served in a more inclined deep bottom bowl as compared to usual steaks platter, which allows the steaks to absorb more amount of the secret recipe sauce (made up of beef stock and some selected spices) accompanied by some very Portuguese styled chips which are thick and gooey and not crispy, along with fried egg and a topping of wheel bacon make this dish a very very home-based food.

The juciness of steak with a little touch of fried egg and wheel bacon make it absolutely promising to calm your desire for healthy + tasty food. The sauce was so power-packed with beef stock that one could easily sip it without anything else. I remember how I felt like being home with my first bite.

Coming to the second drink which was Porto Sour, pineapple, cherry and lemon juices with egg foam. The concept of egg foam is to drink the juices passing through it, yes you do not require to taste it like a foam on your regular coffee. I missed the point how it distinguishes the taste, Duh!!

And after all this I was very less left for something else so for my sweet-tooth I selected Pastel de nata which does not need any introduction.

Portuguese food is all about taste, the presentation is not a big deal. The idea is to offer food that is more home styled and provides you an experience of being at home.

8 out...