Spectrum On One, The Fairmont Dubai

The hotel’s Ramadan iftar is part of their Mama in the Kitchen promotion, which has Lebanese Amne Kraike-Fakih presiding the menu. Wife to a chef, cooking runs in the family, and Kraike-Fakih has passed on her skills to her daughter Heba too from an early age.

Like all mums, she personally serves soup to guests at the table, answering questions regarding tradition, culture and food.

“Food has always been a cornerstone in my family. My husband is a professional chef of many years now, working in our home country of Lebanon and Dubai. I’ve raised my four children into adulthood with home-style dishes, and Ramadan is no exception, as time-honoured family traditions come to the surface more so now than any other time of the year,” she said.

The hearty lentil soup was light and creamy. We followed this up with the ubiquitous green salads fattoush and tabouleh, and hummous and baba ganoush.

Though the spread is not as lavish as many others, the dishes are truly home-style and not too heavy on the stomach. Kraike-Fakih prepares a rotating menu. On the day visited, the tender chicken with parsley, garlic and lemon, kabsa rice, fattah lamb with yoghurt sauce, stewed artichoke, carrot, green peas was on the buffet. The chicken was tender and lightly flavoured and an excellent combination with kabsa rice. Potatoes are always a favourite, and the potato harra didn’t disappoint. Of course, the ouzi and mixed grills couldn’t be missed either.

A variety of Arabic sweets awaited us, including molekhiya and umm ali with an assortment of baklava. However, Eish Al Saraya took the cake. We washed it all down with mint tea and kehva.

The service is flawless, and you can see Mama Amne having her dinner quietly on a corner table after making sure the guests have been served.

And don’t forget to nominate a friend, colleague or someone truly deserving for an Umrah on the form the staff will present to you at the end of your meal.