Disclosure - following a very disappointing meal we had during the soft opening of Noor, I submitted a critical review (below). Quickly the management contacted me to understand better my concerns and offered to make it up with a complimentary meal. Due to my schedule, the follow up took a couple of months to happen, but last Sunday we finally returned to Noor.
We were welcomed by Cam, the very friendly Marketing Manager who explained that the menu was totally revamped since our previous visit, and that they actively seek feedback from their diners to make sure that they remain on track. She offered to have prepared for us their most popular dishes so we left all in her hands.
We started with a nice glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, fruity and easy to drink, if not too complex. Shortly after the waiter delivered our food. Unfortunately I don't know the exact names of each dish but I will try to describe them.
A cauliflower dish which Cam told us was one of their best sellers. The cauliflower had been fried, I believe, then coated in a sharp, creamy dressing. For me it was pleasant if not wow, but my partner was very impressed by it.
A lamb in filo pastry with baklava dish that, from its description really confused me, but despite the incongruous sounding ingredients, worked well. The lamb was meaty without being overpowering, and the flaky pastry and creamy, sweet baklava complimented it nicely.
Baked shrimp with egg plant - a generous serving of plump, juicy shrimp on a creamy bed of roasted aubergine.
Beef carpaccio - tender slices of beef with a fresh pesto dressing and whole roasted garlic cloves.
Dessert was rich, sweet fried concoction of filo pastry with rose water, topped with ice cream, very filling and good for 2 hungry diners.
So, having been offered by Noor to give them another chance, I am glad we accepted the offer. If we had left it as before we would definitely never have returned, but now we can say with surety that we will definitely be back.
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I feel a little conflicted in my review - barely open a week, small errors could be expected in any new restaurant, and my inclination8 would be to cut them some slack, but I feel that with Noor, my complaint is less about the execution and more about the concept.
Firstly, I have to say that service was faultless. We were one of two tables outside, and our waiter was very attentive and timely.
The soft opening menu was limited, but the drinks menu seemed fuller. I ordered a glass of red wine which came pretty quickly; my partner ordered a beer - imported beers only, no domestic beers available.
The wine they gave me was undrinkable - a thick, gritty consistency with a really unpleasant, funky taste, but the waiter took it away without objection and brought me a fresh glass and allowed me to try the merlot, which was in much better condition, then poured me a generous glass of it.
Very quickly after that our order came - all 3 dishes at once, as we had requested. The order consisted of what the menu described as patatas but the waiter called patatas bravas, Shrimp & Calamari, and Beef Cheek Tortellini.
The potatoes, according to the menu, were to be deep fried and served with garlic alioli, however the dish seemed more baked rather than deep fried. Each of the potatoes had been split half way through leaving a dry, dull texture throughout, there was no seasoning and the garlic alioli had absolutely no trace of garlic. It was basically a plate of baked baby potatoes with some Lady's Choice squeezed over the top.
The Shrimp and Calamari dish consisted of a total of three shrimps and maybe half a dozen small squares of calamari in a thin broth. I enjoyed the taste of the broth but I couldn't shake off my amazement at how meagre the dish was for the price of it.
The beef cheeks tortellini apparently came with cauliflower cream, butter sauce and parmesan, but I am not sure I could identify the cauliflower cream and there was definitely no hint of parmesan.
The six pieces of tortellini were relatively large, but the pasta was simply undercooked. This was no al dente, but at least two minutes of necessary cooking that was missed.
But the biggest thing to get to grips with was the filling. I have eaten beef cheeks on more than a few occasions, but I have eaten far more corned beef than beef cheeks, and the stuffing was as close to regular corned beef as any I have had before.
The total bill came up a little over 1,900 pesos - we didn't leave with greatest feeling of value for money or satisfaction.
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