Looking for a non-hummous iftar in the heart of Downtown led me to this sparkling, brightly coloured restaurant in the Claren building on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Boulevard. I’d also been told that the lamb chops at this Pakistani-Afghan grill spot were must-tries So what better why to discover what a restaurant can do than through its Dh80 all-you-can-eat iftar buffet?
Before I tell you how good the food was, let’s talk atmosphere. Buffets and tents — pricey, glam ones — are a dime a dozen at this time of year, yet groups of friends, families and couples were packing into this good-value, colourful spot, joyfully piling their plates with kebabs, bread and chutneys. It’s busy but not overwhelmingly so — you might wait a minute or two in a line for a kebab, but you can watch as they it is being grilled over coals in front of you.
So what’s on offer? This is essentially a Pakistani iftar, which I have learned kicks off with fruit chaat and pakoras — check. I love a tangy chaat, and piled a plate with fruit, two kinds of chickpeas, and some slightly sweet lentil dumplings in yoghurt. It made a great change from standard starters and as I’m trying not to go overboard with fatty dishes this Ramadan, meant there were plenty of options.
The main attraction here, of course, are those kebabs, and I counted around half a dozen — but sadly, no lamb chops. In fact, there wasn’t really any lamb at all, a surprise considering it’s a staple of other grill offerings for iftar. But I had no complaints about what was on offer — especially a creamy malai tikka chicken kebab; a minced chicken reshmi kebab, and a pile of smoky, spicy grilled beef chunks.
The fish tikka was another winner (a two trip dish), juicy and spicy. Sadly, I can’t name all the chutneys, but a slathered some of the four I found; if you like more spice, this section is your friend. Dodging the piles of fresh, sesame flecked naan (ok, I had a couple) I filled the other side of my plate with a zingy fresh chopped salad and the banjan bori, eggplant in tomato sauce topped with garlicky yoghurt.
If you’re in need of a saucy dish, there’s dal and chicken karahi to pour over rice, and in the name of tradition, you’ll find haleem, a thick stew of meat, lentils and wheat similar to the UAE’s harees, with bowls of lemon, fresh shredded ginger and herbs to top it off.
BBQ Delights’ iftar is a place of smoky and sweet — very sweet. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, try rooh afza, a bright pink cordial drink that’s heavily rose-scented. I, however, aimed my sweet tooth at the crispy jalebis that I’d clocked as soon as we entered, and sat the exotic (for me!) syrupy fritters on a plate with cubes of red jelly, a childhood favourite now for me as rare and exotic as the south Asian sweets.
Call 04-4343443 (Also at JBR, 04-4230632; and Lamcy Square, 04-3359868/69.
Price: Dh80 including water, traditional drinks and tea
Timing: Iftar-8.30pm
