A showcase of Arabian food
Majlis Al Safinah at Jumeirah Beach Hotel offers a wonderful meal The details
My iftar experience over the weekend brought me to Majlis Al Safinah at Jumeirah Beach Hotel. The hotel’s Safinah Ballroom has been transformed into an elegant venue decked out in Arabian designs and decorations.
The place has a seating capacity of up to 400 guests, and there are also eight majlis areas that can each occupy 10-20 guests. The staff were also very helpful. Guests are required to observe a dress code — no above-theknee skirts or dresses for women and no exposed shoulders, and no shorts for men, which made sense given that most of the guests are Emiratis.
Aside from a comfortable ambience and warm hospitality, the most important thing about an iftar is the food. Having been to different iftars as an expatriate in Dubai for almost a decade now, I always make it a point to look for Arabian cuisine when I go to one — I believe Ramadan should be a showcase of Arabian food and so I prefer to limit my choices to local or regional fare.
My visit at Majlis Al Safinah didn’t disappoint. The buffet offers a variety of hot and cold mezze, soups, salads, meat and seafood dishes and Middle Eastern desserts.
I started with the anise-infused celeriac soup, which to my surprise was a really good start to what would be a wonderful meal. I like its deliciously creamy flavour and it wasn’t too thick or sticky — Where: Majlis Al Safinah, Jumeirah Beach Hotel Timings: Sunset until 8.45pm Cost: Dh195 per person Call: 04-3480000 and this despite not being really a fan of anise (I don’t hate it, but I don’t like it either). I’m not a salad person, but I can’t resist fattoush whenever I find it in a spread. Fresh and crispy, the toasted flatbread was a refreshing departure from some of the unappetising ones I’ve tried in other buffets.
While there was a wide selection of Arabian favourites, I did not want to complicate my taste buds and filled my plate with three of the most famous Arabian dishes — harees, lamb mandi and my all-time favourite, ouzi. I loved them all, but the lamb mandi was definitely my favourite. It was flavourful and aromatic and the tenderness of the meat was perfect. In fact, I may have had too much of it, I barely had enough room left for dessert.
To wrap up, I tried two of my favourite Arabian sweets, umm Ali and mahalabia. The mahalabia stood out. Had they also prepared kunafa, it would have been a perfect finish to a gorgeous iftar.