LOWE

LOCATION

There’s something enchanting about driving through the greenery of the Barari development and reaching the KOA development where LOWE is located. 

LOWE boasts modern interiors with cool concrete and warm wood details. The kitchen is partially open, exposing a beautiful coal oven that inspires the seasonal menu. 

Opening hours are 8am to 11pm. 

LOWE

LOWE is a homegrown concept with chefs Jesse Blake and Kate Christou at the helm. Their modern menu is influenced by seasonal ingredients and heat from the charcoal grill, the rotisserie or the wood-fired oven. 

LOWE is an unlicensed location with very creative mocktails.  

MENU

The menu is separated into three main sections, breakfast, lunch/dinner and dessert, and changes seasonally. A select few:

Breakfast:

• Toasted banana bread with jam & cream: AED 24

• Crumpets + whipped ricotta + burnt date honey + candied walnuts: AED 50

• Raw beef flatbread + smoked egg tartare + pickled shallot + hashed potato: AED 65

Lunch/Dinner:

• Spiced eggplant schnitzel, yoghurt, burnt scallion chermoula: AED 60

• Baby gem, crispy soft-shell crab, kimchi & pomelo salad: AED 84

• Char sui lamb neck, grilled broccolini, steamed bread: AED 135

Dessert:

• Burnt sourdough, chocolate & earl grey, macadamia caramel: AED 57

• Espresso, salted peanut butter, date & tamarind: AED 57

• Coconut ice cream, black rice, preserved rhubarb & quince: AED 57

Raw Tuna Tonnato with Fermented Chili & Daikon, Bread Crackers AED 75

I’m always for a dish that includes raw tuna. I couldn’t bare the taste of fish when I was younger, but I remember tuna being my gateway fish that blew open the world of raw fish for me. 

The fresh tuna is laid on tuna tonnato which is a mayonnaise-like sauce that has been flavored with tuna, fermented daikon (a radish) and dusted with a chili seasoning. The soft textures of the tuna are served with crunchy bread crackers. 

House Aged Beef, White Onion, Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette AED 180

The House Aged Beef is one of the more pricy items on the menu, but is also one that stayed put during LOWE’s most recent menu change (because it’s that good). 

Two words to describe this dish are deep and smoky. The tender beef is layered on a smoked tomato vinaigrette and topped with crisp white onions for contrast. This dish looks great and has flavors that play on each other; it’s a ten out of ten for me. 

PRICING

Breakfast courses range from AED 24 to AED 65, lunch/dinner courses range from AED 50 to AED 130 and desserts are priced at AED 57.

Dishes on the menu have strength in the quality of produce and the level of consideration in constructing them which drives their value for money. I would request a bigger selection of easier priced desserts to make my choice of having a dessert a no-brainer.   

CONCLUSION

I’ve gone back and forth with friends about the meaning of a restaurant vs a business (keeping in mind both need to be profitable).  

Restaurants are dynamic, there’s a chef/owner at the helm and you can fell the passion in the space. Businesses on the other hand feel stale with no owners in site. The next time you walk into an establishment ask yourself if this is a restaurant or a business? There are a few establishments in Dubai I can call a restaurant and LOWE is one of them.  

As I mentioned above, LOWE is an unlicensed location. Though this may affect their bottom line, I prefer it because it attracts a clientele I like who focus on having a great meal.  

Location: KOA, Wadi Al Safa

Price for 2: AED 350

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