MAMA TANI Bread is the name of the game at this new café

t’s certainly risky to specialise in one item on the menu, and one item only. However, Mama Tani, the newest local café to open in The Souk at the World Trade Center, gets it right.

The menu features a handful of salads and a few Emirati specialities such as chebab and balaleet, but it’s the khameer that takes centre stage. And for good reason. The golden yellow puffed bread is sandwiched with both sweet and savoury fillings, from the classics such as cream cheese and dibs (date syrup) to the more modern combinations, such as the PBH, a peanut butter and honey variety.

The concept of modernising traditions is also reflected in the décor. The dark brown walls and roof are painted with thick white stripes, in a re-imagination of a Bedouin tent. Then there’s the funky army green

Ichandelier made out of a sleeping bag and wooden spools used for making thread way back when.

After ordering on a tablet (another nod to the changing times), the meal started with a thick saffron pistachio milkshake. Using saffron ice cream, groundnuts and camel milk, the drink tasted exactly like a liquid version of the Indian ice cream, kulfi. And it was delicious.

For main courses, the Italiano saw khameer bread stuffed with greens, bresaola, egg white and feta cheese. Served in quarters, the dish was surprisingly flavourful considering the simple ingredients. It was tangy and salty, with a slight sweetness from the pillowy bread, resulting in an impressive range of tastes.

The meat and cheese khameer arrived ten minutes later. Served like a pizza, the bread was topped with minced meat, pomegranate molasses, sumac, onions and mozzarella cheese. The added acidity of the spices helped elevate the dish.

While disappointed that the Vimto sponge cake was not available (we would have loved to have tried it), the roseflavoured cheesecake made up for it. It looked lovely and tasted good.

Having only been open for a month, it should be easy to forgive the inconsistent service on offer. It was the only dim spot to an otherwise lovely visit.

The Souk at World Trade Center, Al Markaziyah, Abu Dhabi, daily 10am to 10pm. Tel: (02) 8848447. Taxi: World Trade Center Souk. mamatani.com