Lose Yourself in Mom's Spaghetti: How many Eminem song references can you spot?

While it won’t make you sing for the moment, Eminem's pop-up venue doesn’t hurt the rapper's legacy either

Mom's Spaghetti's pop-up at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit. Saeed Saeed / The National

Lunching at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix pop-up of his Mom’s Spaghetti restaurant, I wonder just how Eminem stays so slim?

To describe the meals on offer here as calorific is an understatement. A couple of bites into the decadent spaghetti sandwich – yes, this is what it is called – felt enough to erase the 10,000 steps I had already accumulated working around the Yas Marina Circuit that day.

In addition to its appearance at the Abu Dhabi races, the pop-up will also appear at Riyadh’s Soundstorm Festival set to take place from December 12 to 14, and where Eminem will headline the opening night.

But will the restaurant, which has a Detroit brick-and-mortar destination and is named after a line in the hit single Lose Yourself, create a new legion of foodie stans? Perhaps only if one is prepared to temporarily suspend their reason and erase the indulgence from their guilty conscience the day after.

Spaghetti Sandwich at Mom's Spaghetti. Saeed Saeed / The National

While the spaghetti sandwich I feasted on didn't exactly make me sing for the moment, I am not afraid to say it looked quite beautiful. Presented on toasted garlic bread and topped with a seemingly infinite amount of mozzarella cheese, it is a proposition that definitely demands guts over fear.

The pasta, al dente enough to make it not so bad, comes with a berserk marinara sauce that is definitely the business. The spaghetti with meatballs also proves that kings never die – staying true to its rustic roots, the meatballs are well seasoned – it feels like home.

The Eminem photo station at Mom's Spaghetti. Saeed Saeed / The National

Before bidding farewell to this culinary spot, make sure to visit the picture station located a stepping stone away from the food truck. There, you can snap yourself alongside a sour-looking Eminem cut-out, standing in front of a number of his albums.

Mom's Spaghetti won’t cause many Italian restaurants to clean out their closets and is not exactly a role model for healthy eating, but it is plenty of brainless fun. As for how Eminem keeps the slim in Slim Shady, it will remain a question that will certainly make me stay wide awake.