Salero - Tapas & Bodega — Restaurant in Dubai

A charming little restaurant and a true gastronomic hidden gem set out of sight in the far most corner of Kempinski Hotel, Mall of the Emirates. Right from the entrance prepare to be transported to the fiesta-like ambience of a trendy Spanish wine cellar where delicious aromas of olive oil, roasted garlic and herbs are paired with wisely selected wines, soulful conversations and Flamenco (especially on Wednesday nights).

All tables are nicely positioned around a central bar with an open kitchen where chefs simmer delicacies on a gas stove. Up on the ceiling large wicker baskets replace ordinary lamps adding cosy warm lighting. The pops of red here and there are gingham napkins which add to the Mediterranean allure and an abstract wall mural echoing cubism screams Picasso.

While I slowly studied the menu the band walked in, immediately stealing all the attention with the never fading lyrics of “Bamboleo”. We couldn’t help but sang along: “Porque mi vida yo la prefiero vivir así”. Francesco, who looked after our table, suggested we start with a selection of tapas (small savoury dishes) and end the feast with a seafood paella prepared on the stove. I insisted that jamón was a must try as it’s mission impossible to find fine pork in Dubai (spoiler: it was the best jamón I had in a while). Francesco advised that a pitcher of fruity red Sangria would be a perfect pairing to the food we ordered.

Our feast started with a dish of traditional Spanish bread “Pan Basico”, fragrant roasted garlic, “pa amb tomaquet” (soft plum tomatoes), sea salt and olive oil. I rubbed a clove and a tomato all over my toasted slice of bread, sprinkled some salt and olive oil and only paused eating when a board of “Jamón de pata negra” aged 36 months landed on the table (AED 195). The selection of tapas, which arrived next, was extraordinary tasty: “Pimientos de Padron” (small green peppers AED 49), “Croquetas de polo y croquetas de setas” (chicken and mushroom croquets AED 49) and absolutely magical “Gambas al ajillo” (shrimps simmered in olive oil with garlic and chilies AED 69).

While I dipped the remaining pieces of bread in deliciously tangy sauce, Maria the gorgeous Flamenco dancer, walked on the stage. She moved so powerfully and gracefully that all eyes were drawn to her including mine.

A few minutes later my small seafood paella (AED 215) was served in a rather large pan with lots of simmered shrimps and mussels on the top. Size wise it was enough for four hungry eaters and we ended up packing leftovers for a takeaway. The taste generated by the broth was quite intense at first but would quickly settle into a creamy heaven. I didn’t have any room left for the dessert however churros looked truly...

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Como estas amigo? A bright sunny Friday brunch at Salero (literally means Salt Container to sprinkle).

A very warm welcoming over the top trained and well etiquettes equipped team dedicated to serve you in the shelter of renowned hotel chain Kempinski Hotels

A wide range of Spanish creations are waiting for you to drown over. From tapas to carving and then paellas to dessert.

There are many items to talk about since it was a brunch with table service but will keep it limited to what I enjoyed the most due text length limit.

Tapas or starter or appetiser or would say small portion of food to begin your meal. I really enjoyed cold and hot both tapas; among the colder ones Tortilla De Patata - Omelette & Pardon Peppers were peng on peng due to its very rich content and traditional Spanish cooking style, highly satisfying for the ones looking for some spicy start.

Among hot ones; Gambas Al Ajillo - sautéed Shrimps with Garlic & Chili is the queen of all seafood I have ever had outside, the shrimp stock sauce coupled with mentioned ingredients and spices is my piece of shrimps 🍤 .

Carving, Pierna De Cordero - marinated Lamb leg with Potatoes & roasted Vegetables, well I don't prefer lamb but just to explain the square cut piece was so well cooked that you can literally shred it into multiples easily by a fork. Not a fan of lamb so apologies here.

Paellas, originated in Valencia, a combination of Bomba Rice (founding ingredient of Paellas & it goes without saying), cooked in Saffron served with chicken or seafood, I tried both but would prefer sea one, as for the first time I was introduced to Mussels and it tastes incredibly divine.

Dessert well both Chocolate Con Churros & Crema Catalana are the winners among all above mentioned items but I have a special place for Crema Catalana as it comes with a burnt layerd glassine surface atop that is so fine and subtle, absolutely gorgeous 😍 infused with lemon and vanilla combination.

Spanish food comes with variety of options and it has a great touch of the artistic translation of regular food with cuisines coined as tapas and Crema Catalana. A big fan here.

Salero is...

Went for a business dinner later evening (Wednesday) at this hotel restaurant, not knowing it offers a Spanish cuisine, which I love esp the pa-e-ya (the authentic pronunciation). Going out in the coronavirus era is not easy, with temp check at the hotel entrance and the restaurant. The entrance to the restaurant is not marked so one is directed by a guy in the lobby as "go to the left" but there you see the Spa, then the spa lady says "right there" pointing to the wall abutting the Spa. Finally I get inside, a bit too dark, square baskets hanging from the ceiling all over. I get seated, no menu: a small card to be scanned, but my phone can't scan. My host got the paper menu which lists the items in Spanish with barely any English description!!! Luckily our mâitre was very friendly, brought us (after quite some yime) the "bread basket which has very over-roasted garlic (less than half in thickness), along a bland salsa, a thick slice across the top of a tomato and olive oil, a combo very unusual. He helped us navigate the menu and everything he suggested, we chose: the caramelized goat cheese salad (literally out of this world), the octopus tapa (singular of tapas since they're offered singly) which has broadly sliced two 6-7 cm pieces of the octopus legs over mashed potato (very delicious) and of course the Lobster Pa-e-ya. The lobsters (2) seemed whole and big but the tail meat was tinier than expected (pictured), somehow very tender (almost spreadable) and not chewy, but delicious. One drawback was that it's vein was not cleaned, and I knew it was not the chef who prepared it, the mâitre apologized about it and said the chef was off. Comes the dessert, as suggested we had the cream Catalana (made with cinnamon, totally different from the famous creme brûlée) and the icecream. A star nowhere else tasted/offered: 3 rather small choc orange (2) and almond (1) flavors, but heavenly. Except for the few missed things, it was a memorable dinner. The salla was packed by the time I...