Ramadan 2016 - Must Visit Restaurants For Iftar

Ramadan Kareem everyone! It's the Holy Month of Ramadan, a month to reflect and pay respect to our Muslim brothers and sisters' religion. Most residents and locals observe this through fasting on certain times of the day and when the sun goes down, we gather together as a family over food which they call Iftar.  For almost 3 years of living in Dubai, I've tried the best Iftar menus there are in this city and I'm sharing you the ones I loved and tested for 2016.

Fairmont Dubai Iftar Preview

I was invited for an Iftar preview before Ramadan a couple of weeks ago to sample Fairmont's Iftar menu at The Summit. Their theme this year is inspired by the voyage of many famous Arabian travelers and explorers, presenting 8 influential cuisines from The Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, former Ottoman Empire, Levant, Southeast Asia, Morocco, Persia and Mughal.

What I Love: EVERYTHING. Their Executive Chef Tuomas Heikkinen and his team created an exemplary menu that includes the traditional lamb Ouzi, Lebanese mix grill, chicken shawarma, shrimp biryani, Arabic fish with spicy sauce, and Umm Ali. Another dish that left me a good impression is their Egyptian Koushari.

Arabic art lovers will also have to watch out for Arabic Calligraphy as French calligrapher Faouzia Hilmy will be displaying her art works at the tent.

Disclaimer from the hotel: Iftar Buffet is available daily at Cascades during the holy month of Ramadan from sunset until 9.30pm, and is priced at AED170 per person, including Ramadan juices. Private Iftar venues are available at the 33rd floor. For more information or reservations, please call +971 4 311 8316 or email dbi.fbconcierge@fairmont.com or visit fairmont.com/Dubai.

Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor Iftar Preview

An invitation with a few other Zomato influencers. The room was a bit dark hence, I wasn't able to take good photos but I remembered the flavours that I loved the most. Their specialties are Indian cuisine and if you'll be opting for Iftar near Mankhool area, Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor is a go-to. 

What I Love : Their grilled starters. I particularly liked their spiked grilled fish and charcoal roast lamb chop. There's also this mango palette cleanser that I find weird in texture (jelly like that bursts inside your mouth when you swallow) but I kind of liked it. We sampled their four-course meal with the restaurant’s Indian classics such as Kabuli Channa Gosht, Lalla Mussa Dal, Chicken Biryani and a Veggie Pot. 

Disclaimer from the restaurant: Signature by Sanjeev Kappor is located inside Melia Hotel at Kuwait Street, Port Rashid.Iftar starts from sunset to 12:00am for the price of  149 AED per person. Please call 04 5509110 for table reservations.

 Tony Roma's Iftar Preview (Vita Mall)

The dinner is an invitation from one of my blogger friends Doc Gelo and we were also joined by Myla, Lady, and Jane.  If you're opting for a course set for Iftar and is running on a budget, you can opt for Tony Roma's. They have 4 locations in Dubai (as far as I'm aware of) and the one located at Vita Mall is a good location (they have an outside seating area for smokers) but they don't serve Shisha.

What I Love:  Grilled Seabass with Mashed Potatoes for mains and Potato skins for starters. We have tried a variety of starters that includes  Onion Loaf, Vegetable Bruschetta, TR Mushrooms, Boneless Bites, and House or Caesar’s Salad. All main courses are served with sides except for the pasta where you can choose from Grilled Hamour, Rump Steak, Gourmet Burger, Chicken Rosemary, Grilled Seabass, and Alfredo Pasta. 

It's quite cheap for AED 79 with soup, starters, main course and drink and comes in large portions especially the rump steak. And if you still have enough room for dessert, you can add AED 29 for a mouthwatering Chocolate Brownie Sundae.

Disclaimer from the restaurant: Tony Roma's is located at Wasl Vita, Near Emirates NBD, Al Wasl Road, Jumeirah 1, Dubai. Please call + 04 343 6227 to book a table for your Iftar dinner.

Shayan Restaurant (Al Ghurair Rotana)

Shayan's Iftar Preview happened when I was out of the country but I was still able to get the details and steal photos from them. I happened to attend to their preview last year and it's amazing.

Photo provided by Shayan

This year, they are doing a buffet of Lebanese and Iranian dishes (their specialty) with action stations for food and beverage, kebab platter on the table and live entertainment. All these for only AED 149 net per person.

Take a tour of what's inside Shayan and view them on Google Street View App:

Liwan Restaurant (Al Ghurair Rotana)

Photo provided by Liwan

Photo provided by Liwan

Photo provided by Liwan 

And of course, Liwan's Iftar buffet with a wide selection of cuisines from around the world. My favorite table is their sushi table as always.

Disclaimer from the hotel: Liwan and Shayan Restaurant at Al Ghurair Rayhaan by Rotana is located in Deira, Dubai (near Union Metro Station). Call 04 293 3000 to reserve a seat or follow below links for their Ramadan promotion:

1. 50% OFF Coupon for Iftar at Liwan and Shayan  
2. Regular Promotion Details for Iftar at Liwan and Shayan
3. Promotion Details for Corporate or Group Iftars at Al Khor Ballroom 

Biella Caffe Pizzeria Ristorante (MOE)

A nice restaurant located inside Mall Of The Emirates near the Fashion Dome, Take a tour inside and see how it looks like:

Their Iftar Menu is very reasonable for only AED 99 per person, a set including beverages, soups, main courses and desserts. If the set however does not meet your expectations, their steak specials are also worth the try starting at AED 107 up to AED 167.  Here are the options they have:

Beverages:

• Aquafina small
• Fresh Orange juice

Soups:

• Mushroom Soup
• Minestrone Soup

Main Courses:

• Pasta - with a choice of bolognese, carbonara, alfredo, and pomodora e basilico
• Risotto - with chicken and mushroom

Desserts:

• Creme bruciate al Limone
• Panna Cotta

Tea or Coffee

*  *  *  *

I was invited by the facilities mentioned above. Photos and opinion above are my own unless specified.