Market at EDITION
A unique iftar by Tom Aikens in partnership with local culinary talent Mohamad Orfali
For our Muslim friends, iftar is a special moment to break their fast at sunset.
For non-Muslims, it marks a wonderful opportunity to embrace the culture here by partaking in iftar, too. And, if you like culinary surprises, the cooking collab at the Abu Dhabi Edition between Michelinstarred chef Tom Aikens and local chef Mohamad Orfali will wow you.
Other hotel buffets can leave you with a sense of deja-vu that you will not have here. This buffet is attractive and not so gauche as to pile up mountains of food that may go uneaten. The live stations prepare only what’s ordered in keeping with Market’s dedication to sustainability.
True to his Michelin stars, Aikens delivers a superstar dish in the za’atar spice rubbed chicken breast. Zesty yet juicy, the addition of za’atar can gum up the works but not with this chicken dish; it was triumphant. You can barely refer to the bulghur bed upon which the chicken rested as a ‘side dish’.
Its citrus seasoning glinted through the delicate grains, allowing this supporting dish to be so much more than the sum of its parts.
Mohamad Orfali offered what he calls a ‘Come with me to Aleppo’ beef kebabs with sour cherry ketchup alongside his ‘Roots of My Backyard Forest’ slow-roasted baby carrots served atop walnut muhammara and yoghurt sauce. He had us at the poetic names, but the carrot starter was surprisingly the stunner.
The masterstroke of this iftar is the entire dessert buffet, specifically the Edition’s Arabian ice cream and gelato selection. You may not ordinarily save room for dessert, but here you must.
Choose between flavours like toffee popcorn, smoked apple, watermelon and chilli, beetroot and rose and coconut sorbet. Standouts were the popcorn, beetroot and watermelon and chilli sorbet. If you can’t decide, you don’t have to commit to just one, they offer a platter of small bites of every flavour if you ask.
VERDICT: Leave it to the Edition to bring us iftar that we won’t soon forget. Iftar at Edition. Daily throughout Ramadan, Sunset to 8.30pm, Dhs198.
Tel: (0)2 208. @AbuDhabiEdition