With dozens of Ramadan tents offering scrumptious iftars, diners are spoilt for choice and the decision to pick a place to break your fast may not be the easiest. However, upon entering the Ramadan tent at Yas Viceroy’s Mediterranean restaurant, Atayeb, we were certain we made the right choice.
With red and green chairs and cosy sofas, the tent has an Ottoman hint and the lanterns dangling down along with those on each table, are the perfect arabesque touch.
To start off, we had some Ramadan staples; dates, dried apricots, and dried plums, alongside laban, tamarind, and qamar al din — a drink made from dried apricots. While the qamar al din was a bit too watery, all eyes were on the buffet.
As per a typical Ramadan iftar, there was lentil soup, as well as chicken consommé — a more refined chicken broth. The lentil soup was by far the best I have tried in years. It was the perfect thickness and so rich with flavour that it brought back childhood memories of home-made lentil soup.
The starters were enough to make a meal on their own. The buffet offered Lebanese delicacies such as tabouleh, spinach samoosa, stuffed vine leaves, and kibbeh, as well as western dishes such as niçoise salad, pasta salad, and a selection of cold sea food. The marinated mussels and clams, and the mixed sea food were cooked to perfection and very well seasoned. Though I do not particularly enjoy sea food, I found myself going back to the mixed sea food dish, and also scooping a second serving of clams.
Serenaded by a duo that started playing the tabla and oud, we got up to get the main course. There were mostly Middle Eastern dishes such as mixed grill, veal tagine, fish with tahina sauce, dajaj freekeh — chicken with green wheat — along with shrimp biryani, vegetable ratatouille, and fish with saffron butter sauce.
While the mixed grill was a bit disappointing for a Mediterranean restaurant, it was made up for by the other dishes especially the fish with saffron butter sauce, and the shrimp biryani.
There were also a live falafel station, and a pasta station. The falafels were perfectly light and crispy. At the pasta station, a chef offered diners to pick their favourite macaroni and top if off with their choice of ingredients — there were red sauce, white sauce, minced meat, broccoli, mushroom, cheese, butter, among others.
Though we were already full, we had to sample the desserts. Heading off to the dessert station, we could see others already ordering their shisha. The desserts included freshly sliced fruits, cheese kunafa, baklava, and umm ali – bread pudding.
If you are too full, skip everything and have the umm ali. The layers of pastry and sweet sauce balanced out each other perfectly and with a drizzle of coconut and nut shavings, it was a perfect dish to end our iftar. Nay, it was just a perfect dish.
Price: Dh185 per person (including Ramadan drinks; subject to additional charges)
Hours: from sunset to 9pm
Reservations: call 02-6560600
Don’t miss: sea food starters, and Umm Ali
Sarah Diaa is a trainee at Gulf News
