Iftar review: Armani’s Saraya tent

If you’ve got iftar guests that you want to dazzle, the tent at the Armani hotel is one place to go.

The hotel inside the Burj Khalifa has for the first time moved its iftar out of the building and into a large tent, set up behind the hotel, overlooking the Dubai Fountains.

The location is second to none — the fountains go off every half-hour and can be seen through the windows of the tent, waving along to music with Souk Al Bahar in the background. Other distractions include the Euro 2016 football on large screens. If you’re looking to really impress, get a seat at the private-ish majlis option by the windows. They come with their own curved LED TV. (The majlis seating is Dh2,000 for seven people at iftar and Dh3,500 for suhour.)

Yes, it’s fancy, and the price is to match (Dh250 per person for the iftar buffet). You won’t go hungry, with two areas serving food, a mix of classic Arabic dishes and international offerings from the hotel’s outlets.

A large grill station offers up kebabs and seafood, while a carvery offers slices of roast chicken, beef and poached salmon, and there’s a welcome second soup option of a light but flavourful chicken vermicelli. Just the thing to healthily end a fast.

I was glad to see one of my Ramadan favourites, shish barak, meat-filled dumplings in yoghurt sauce. The pastry on the dumplings was as delicate as silk sheets, although I feel that the yoghurt sauce lacked some punch.

Lovers of Italian food are, naturally, well-served, with antipasti-style salads on offer alongside pasta (the type of pasta changes; I was there on mushroom ravioli night). I would have loved a simple pizza here, too, like a buffalo mozzarella one; iftars seem apt for something bready and cheesy, but not too heavy. Also missing for me was a solid offering from Hashi, Armani’s Japanese restaurant. There were some sushi rolls, but weren’t anything out of the ordinary. At this hotel, and this price, I expect anything but the ordinary.

Desserts is where you’ll do a little happy dance. Not only is the arrangement beautiful (in 2016 terms: Endlessly Instagrammable) but it delivers. There’s a fun “lokum doner” — literally stacks of Turkish delight on a shawarma pole, being sliced off by a burly chef. There are also nutty Indian barfis and lots of tiny little cubes of Armani-brand chocolates. Don’t miss the pot of coconut pannacotta with mango; it’s a slippery spoonful of heaven. Be aware that this very busy tent books up quickly, and they will get you to move along if you attempt to dawdle past 8.30pm over a pot of tea.

The details

Location: Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa

Price: Dh250

Timing: Iftar to 9pm

Call: 04-8883666