This week’s Foodie Chap features the good people behind Amara, an exquisite dining oasis on the Peninsula, by husband and wife team Ajay Walia and Reena Miglani. Their creative forces combined brought us the Indian restaurants Saffron in San Carlos and Rasa in Burlingame.
Amara, their newest culinary venture, boasts inviting indoor and unparalleled al fresco dining in Belmont. On a warm Bay Area evening, there is no better place to be than Amara’s massive, luscious garden to enjoy pondside dining in cozy lounge chairs and day beds. You feel like you are in a billionaire’s garden. Journey through time and place via a menu that shifts between cultures and countries from Mykonos to Marakech, illuminating the commonalities and shared narratives between these raw and romantic locations.
Let’s talk about the food. The Amara menu offers so many tantalizing dishes. A few of the standouts are below.
BRANZINO - with roasted lemon chermoula
ROASTED LAMB RACK - with herb salad and green zhoug
SAFFRON-MARINATED ROAST CHICKEN - with charred Persian cucumber and tzatziki
BBQ LAMB SHORT RIBS- with garlic tahini “come back” sauce
This saucy, tasty, yummy dish is worth the drive from anywhere in the Bay Area. It’s a generous appetizer with enough lamb to share.
Everything on the Mediterranean inspired menu hit all the right notes. Along with the cocktails, every dish sings and evokes sunshine at Amara. Enjoy my interview with restaurant leaders Ajay and Reena and Amara’s Executive Chef, Bret Tullis.
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