Park Hyatt Dubai’s cool outdoor menu
Outdoor Iftars in the summer heat and humidity can be tricky if you’re interested in keeping your make-up intact and your shirts crisp. But if a relaxed ambience with a touch of nature is what you’re after then the Palm Garden Ramadan Tent at Park Hyatt could be your new favourite spot.
Located in a lush garden on the vast Hyatt property, this glass house-style tent (yes, it’s see-through) is surrounded by flowering bushes and trees, which would make for a lovely evening stroll in better weather. Inside, the tent is cool and comfortable.
The space itself is small, but cosy. The dim lighting, rich Arabian-style decor and low seating add to the relaxed atmosphere — there are no pretensions here.
As an appetiser enthusiast, I was thoroughly impressed by the starters on offer. My favourites — cheese sambousek and kibbeh — were done to perfection. The sambousek was crisp and light with a substantial, flavourful filling. The kibbeh was moist and perfectly meaty. The hummus, labneh and baba ganoush were fresh and done very well.
On to the mains, I was excited to see one of my favourite Arabian dishes, bamia (okra and lamb stew), in the buffet. I quickly spooned myself a portion of the dish and it was as good as I expected it to be. The meat was juicy and tender and okra was cooked just right in the rich, hearty tomato sauce.
Another simple dish that was done well was the lamb biryani. The meat was fall-apart soft and rice perfectly spiced and fragrant. I wish I had space for a second serving. But after filling up on other dishes including slightly dry chicken kebabs, a chicken tagine and some more cheese sambousek (I couldn’t help myself), I was ready to move on to desserts.
The best dish for me was the Umm Ali. The warm, creamy sauce layered with puff pastry, nuts and dry fruit is what a dessert-lover’s dreams are made of. There was also a very good creme caramel, creamy and not sickly sweet, and tiny pieces of baklava.
The Palm Garden Tent puts the focus on simple, fantastic food. And for someone just looking for a good Iftar meal, that’s a very good thing.