Al Hadheerah - Desert restaurant - Bab Al Shams - Meydan Hotels

[caption id="attachment_1275" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Grilled meat[/caption]

This is my second buffet mentioned on my blog. One good part about writing buffet is that I don't need to spend that extra time finding and writing pricing on individual items since it's pay and eat all you can . But then the downside is there are too many items that I need to show you.

[caption id="attachment_1288" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Hot breads getting ready and served for everyone on their table[/caption]

Hadeerah restaurant is more about the experience u get with your dinner. Its the journey to the desert, the unique ambience of the desert, the stage program using camels, horses and goats. Thundering private fireworks just for you. Horse/Camel riding and henna painting. A good collection of meat to choose and eat.

[caption id="attachment_1299" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fireworks (3-4 minutes)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1294" align="aligncenter" width="705"] horse show - men fighting with their horses[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1293" align="aligncenter" width="705"] camel show[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1297" align="aligncenter" width="705"] part of the show - goats running[/caption]

Your buffet is also inclusive of free camel rides, horse rides, henna painting. If you've not visited the burdubai museum then need not worry. They have a similar heritage setup here as well so u get an understanding about the national traditions. At the end u speak more about the experience than the food to your friends.

[caption id="attachment_1303" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Heritage show [/caption]

The drive to Bab Al Shams in the desert is very special. It's just you, your car and sign boards that say beware of animals(such as camels, deers crossing the road). Very lonely and infact after a while you get a little scared of might come out of the trees. No buildings and no humans on your way. Probably this is the road when your girlfriend will hold on to you tight!

[caption id="attachment_1261" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Meet and greet service at the entrance[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1262" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Sand art - Dhs 100 to have your name in it and take souvenir home[/caption]

At the entrance of Hadheerah restaurant you are invited by lantern, horsemen and stretch of shops where you can buy souvenirs for you to remember. The first place I got stuck was at the sand art shop. He was trying to convince me to buy his sand art. He could have my name written in a bottle using only sand for 100 Dhs. So in this photo he demonstrates his skill by drawing a camel using sand.

[caption id="attachment_1263" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Rotisserie chicken - they'll cut you the portion you need[/caption]

Once you reach at the door of Hadheerah you are guided and taken to your seat. Ofcourse you get to choose your seat. But right at the entrance starts the grand buffet as well so you start looking at the food than your seat. So above is the first scene of my sight when i entered Hadheerah. It's the rotating fat chicken.

[caption id="attachment_1278" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Hadheerah singer[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1271" align="aligncenter" width="705"] special arabic dance - In this his costume is lit[/caption]

You are seated facing the stage. The stage program goes in this order: singing, dancing, stage show and then comes late, the erotic belly dancer :p.

[caption id="attachment_1270" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Mocktails - Dhs 32[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1272" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Mango mint Lassi - Dhs 32[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1266" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fruit juice bar[/caption]

My drinks were a combination of mocktails and a mango mint lassi. It was a new type of Lassi so I thought i'd order and see. It was a pretty looking lassi but I enjoyed the mocktails more.

[caption id="attachment_1264" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Soups[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1265" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Appetizers - manakish[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1269" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Appetizers - Falafel[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1307" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Appetizers[/caption]

I was very careful when I was choosing the appetizers. I wanted to ensure there was enough space for the meats at Hadheerah.

[caption id="attachment_1274" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Grilled meats[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1290" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Grilled Lamb chops[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1281" align="aligncenter" width="705"] My plate of meat - mutton kebab in focus[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1280" align="aligncenter" width="705"] my plate of meat - lamb chop in focus[/caption]

One good part about their buffet is everything is made fresh. Say if you wanted any of the meat then you would choose the piece and qty you like and then they grill in front of you while you anxiously wait seeing your meat sizzle on that grill. They had a big variety of grilled meat to offer too. So one of the best part of eating at Hadheera for me was I could see my food getting cooked right in front of me. I guess this is one of the advantages having buffet in open space. You can enjoy LIVE barbeque.

[caption id="attachment_1277" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Grilled Fish - red snapper[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1291" align="aligncenter" width="705"] My plate of meat[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1292" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Crabs getting ready[/caption]

One tip I can give you is among this grill, fish takes the most time to get ready. If you plan to have fish then i'd recommend you to go to the fish section first so while your fish gets ready you can go around other tables and start collecting. For a well done fish it should take atleast 10 mins minimum. It's good you don't hurry else you will get half cooked fish :p They have different types of fish as well like hammour, red snapper, sea bass etc. I ate the red snapper. I had only one issue with this fish, there were too many thorns interrupting me :(. So you need to be a little careful when you eat red snapper.

[caption id="attachment_1287" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Ouzi - rice and lamb[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1286" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Chicken Biriyani[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1268" align="aligncenter" width="705"] chicken scrambled with vegetables[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1289" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Chicken and Mutton Shawarma[/caption]

I ate less rice too but ensured i tried the meat in the rice. I very much enjoyed the Ouzi. I had to skip the shawarma, I was running out of space already.

Pricing for buffet at Hadheerah restaurant:

Friday
Buffet rate will be AED 495 per person (inc. of water, soft drinks and Arabic coffee)

Saturday to Thursday
Buffet rate will be AED 425 per person (inc. of water, soft drinks and Arabic coffee)

Children from 5 to 12 years will get a 50% discount.
Children under 4 years dine with our compliments.

website: http://www.meydanhotels.com/babalshams/dining.htm

[caption id="attachment_1285" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Desserts - mahalabia[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1284" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Desserts - Date cake[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_1300" align="aligncenter" width="705"] My plate of Dessert[/caption]

Honestly in the desserts nothing enticed me well enough until i tried this combination of mahalabia and their fresh ice creams. I must admit their ice creams were really nice. I really enjoyed the chocolate ice cream. I normally don't have ice creams at this time but since my son wanted one I just tried from his plate and wow it was lovely. So i combined mine with mahalabia and it was fun eating.

[caption id="attachment_1308" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Hadheerah washroom[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1302" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Camel and horse riding area[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1301" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Falcon and me[/caption]

Don't forget to try their camel riding, horse riding, Henna painting and stroll through their heritage village. Also make sure you get a good camera ;) Birds are not that light as you think they are, you should try holding this falcon in their restaurant.

[caption id="attachment_1305" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Souvenir from Hadheerah[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1298" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fireworks (3- 4 minutes)[/caption]

Click on a photo below to enjoy them in full screen view.

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Lebaneesh - Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai

[caption id="attachment_1239" align="aligncenter" width="705"] LAHME B3AJEEN - 15 AED - getting ready[/caption]

National day celebrations happening everywhere. I thought this year I must watch firecrackers happening at Burj Al arab. We planned to have our dinner from one of the restaurants lined up on Jumeirah beach road on our way. So here I am driving, enjoying the lovely weather along with the national day celebrations. We wanted to eat arabic that day and decided to eat from Lebaneesh(closer to Jumeirah Beach Hotel). By the name I could tell it was Arabic and fortunately there was one free parking spot just next to the restaurant.

[caption id="attachment_1237" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Him on his fancy chair[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1238" align="aligncenter" width="705"] My baby never wants to sit in his chair[/caption]

The interiors of this restaurant was very inviting. Colorful, young and vibrant. Seat covers had different colors on them. Wooden art walls. They probably were using the same colors found in the latest IOS 7. Even the baby chair was different from what you'd expect. As soon as I noticed the hot furnace, I got tuned for dinner :D

[caption id="attachment_1220" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fresh juices - Dhs 14 - lemon with mint, carrot and orange[/caption]

To begin with we ordered some fresh juices(Dhs 14):

1. Carrot
2. Orange
3. Mint and Lemon

My favorite was mint and lemon among them.

[caption id="attachment_1222" align="aligncenter" width="705"] HUMOUS - 16 AED with meat(Dhs 6)[/caption]

For appetizers we had Hummous with meat:

HUMOUS - 16 AED
Classic ground chickpea puree mixed with tahini,extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice

Add toasted pine nuts - 3 AED
Add tender pieces of subtly sesoned meat - 6 AED

This was the best part of my dinner. Infact I think I could have just had this for my dinner. It was excellent. I just wished I had tried their LEBANEESH LABNEH(Traditional cream cheese with roasted bell peppers, caramelized onions and dried mint) as well.

[caption id="attachment_1240" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Hot bread coming out of the furnace[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1232" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fadi Jibril(Managing Director) and Me[/caption]

To my luck Fadi(Managing Director of Labneesh) was present at the restaurant. So he gave some insight about his views on lebaneesh. He wants to be serving only quality food with true ingredients in it. He doesn't compromise quality on price. He is a pure vegan and is planning to introduce more vegan options in the upcoming menu. He tries to keep himself fit by living a healthy lifestyle and wants to be serving food for his customers as if they were served for him.

[caption id="attachment_1227" align="aligncenter" width="705"] CHICKEN SHAWARMA - 23 AED - Sliced chicken breast cooked in ablend of traditional spices,with pickes,lettuce,garlic sauce and our very own fries[/caption]

Some of the hot selling items are their sandwiches like the chicken shawarma as well as FALAFEL sandwiches. When it comes to meat they try their best to remove all kinds of fat in it. So the chicken that get's served to you at lebaneesh is 0% fat. They trim all that unhealthy fat for you.

[caption id="attachment_1228" align="aligncenter" width="705"] FALAFEL - 15 AED - Authentic chickpea patties served with parsley,tomato,pickled turnips & tahini sauce[/caption]

If you are falafel freak then you should love this sandwich. It is loaded with all sorts of pickles and vegetables that makes this falafel sandwich special. Normally if you try to order falafel sandwich they tend to boring and soggy after a bit. This one stood fresh. The reason why i know this is my son didn't finish his falafel sandwich so we took the remaining home and it was still tasting fresh and great to eat.

[caption id="attachment_1231" align="aligncenter" width="705"] CHICKEN FAJITA - 25 AED - Tenderised chicken breast served with mushrooms,peppers,onions,melted Cheddar,lettuce,sour cream and our mouth-watering homemade avocade relish[/caption]

Also noticed their sandwiches were quite big. Feels great when you hold it and can fill you up easily.

[caption id="attachment_1229" align="aligncenter" width="705"] LEBANEESH FILLET STEAK - 35 AED - Marinated Australian fillet streak served with mushrooms,melted Cheddar,green,red & yellow peppers and our special sweet chilli sauce[/caption]

Their signature lebaneesh steak sandwich was awesome. Infact me and my wife were bidding more for that one steak sandwich on our table. It was delicious, no doubt. Fadi was making a point to me here that other restaurants might serve you a tenderloin with fat and they add that fat weight of gm to your bill but they don't do that here even though it would cost them a little bit more. They want to do justice to their customers so they try to cook their meat to be more fun and less harm.

[caption id="attachment_1226" align="aligncenter" width="705"] LAHME B3AJEEN - 15 AED - The orginal Lebanese mined meat Mana2eesh mixed with tomato, green peppers and seven spices[/caption]

My children enjoyed Lahme B3ajeen the most. I guess the pictures speak for itself.
More details on their website: http://www.lebaneesh.com/

Click on any picture to enjoy them in full screen view.

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Al Dawaar - Revolving Restaurant - Hyatt, Deira

[caption id="attachment_1150" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Al Dawaar restaurant - proudly on top of Hyatt Regency Dubai[/caption]

Living in Dubai for more than 30 years and I've been seeing this building for a long time now. Since childhood I've been hearing that restaurant on top of Hyatt rotates but I could never see it moving from ground below so I used to think maybe it rotates carefully and slowly that it takes a day to complete a full rotation but that doesn't seem to be the case.

website: http://www.restaurants.dubai.hyatt.com/restaurants/al-dawaar/

[caption id="attachment_1149" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Shk Zayed buildings visible from left window, fish market visible from right[/caption]

You can't miss this building if you've been in Dubai for a long time. You either come this side to buy some fresh fish from the Fish market or to buy gold from the Gold Souq. Either ways you will notice this legendary building which has been a landmark in this corner of Deira for a long time.

[caption id="attachment_1114" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Our Table - initially facing the sea[/caption]

So here I am now inside this restaurant. The first thing I wanted to figure was how this restaurant calls it revolving. Finally i realized it's not the building and it's we who rotate around the building. The side walls are stationary. We move clock wise. I've taken the next 2 photos specifically for you to understand the motion of the floor.

[caption id="attachment_1115" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Scene 1: pepper is now right of table[/caption]

Scene1: Notice the pepper and pillar on the right side.
Scene2: Notice the same pepper and pillar now on the left of the table. The table and chairs have now moved to the right side. This happened in a minute. so you now you know the speed at which we are revolving.

[caption id="attachment_1116" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Scene 2: pepper is now left of table[/caption]

The whole restaurant is covered by glass windows on its side so you can definitely find a seat to enjoy the wide beauty of Dubai and gobble your food. When u are in this restaurant for lunch, it would be funny if you spend too much time looking for a table without sunlight cause you are revolving and surely you will have to meet the sun in the next turn.

[caption id="attachment_1118" align="aligncenter" width="705"] bread and butter - on the house[/caption]

It would be a joke if somebody ate this entire bread and filled his stomach. He'll regret as soon as he enters the buffet zone. Even though i've got a healthy appetite, it would look impossible for me to complete the buffet even if i took only one of each item.

The buffet for lunch is priced at Dhs 175 per head and kids between age 6 and 12 pay half the price. 5 and below go in for free. By the way, this is without any drink. So you will need to pay extra for the drinks you order. A small bottle of water should cost you around Dhs 18.

[caption id="attachment_1146" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Dubai hospital and shj buildings visible[/caption]

I opted to go for lunch so I could see Dubai landscape rather than just lights in the night. My seat was facing the ocean when I just got seated. While i was having my lunch my view covered the densely populated Deira city, Sheikh Zayed road buildings, Fish Market. By the time I ended my dinner and packed to go, I was back in my first view which is the ocean again.

I really enjoyed the experience in here. Felt rejuvenated. Maybe it's the ever moving views, sunlight, excellent collection of food and great service. I noticed whenever i finished a plate, it would be picked up by the time I come back with my next filled plate :) You would also find them at the buffet who would serve and explain you if needed.

[caption id="attachment_1117" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Mocktails - Dhs 32 - Tropical breeze(left), caribbean fruit punch(middle), Amigo(right)[/caption]

We started our lunch with Mocktails.

Mocktails

• Amigo - water melon syrup, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice and peach nector with peach syrup.


• Tropical breeze - grandine, passion fruit syrup, lime, orange juice, pineapple juice & cranberry juice.


• Carabbean fruit punch - blue caracoa, almond syrup, lemon juice, grape fruit juice and orange juice.

Amigo Mocktail was a clear winner to me out of the three. I just couldn't stop enjoying it.

[caption id="attachment_1119" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fresh garden greens[/caption]

Fresh garden greens

• Mix leaves, carrots, cucumber, cherry tomato, sweet corn, beetroot


• Tomato salsa, avocado, Thai salsa, Chiltomate sauce, roasted almond and sunflower seeds


• Dressing


• Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, italian vinaigrette, french dressing.

[caption id="attachment_1120" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fresh garden greens[/caption]

Appetizer

• Smoked salmon


• Marinated sardine


• Roasted chicken


• Roasted beef

[caption id="attachment_1124" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Mezzah - Mezzah - Humus, stuffed vine leaves, Spicy eggplant walnut salad, Cucumber yogurt tzatziki and more...[/caption]

Mezzah

• Humus, stuffed vine leaves


• Peanut chat, sprouted moong salad


• Salad shirazi, cuscus vegetable salad


• Tomato pistachio salad


• Spicy eggplant walnut salad


• Cucumber yogurt tzatziki, spicy potato salad

So when I stepped into their buffet section I just go lost. Didn't know where to start from, what to take and how to end it. There were too many options to eat and quality items. I mean it wasn't like those buffet where you see a lot of items for the heck of it and you couldn't really enjoy any of them. These were really made, positioned beautifully and it would entice you from a distance. Most importantly you had a wide range of selection so if you were not totally satisfied with one, there were plenty of other items that can keep you happy.

[caption id="attachment_1194" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Part of salad bar[/caption]

Salads

• Spicy seafood salad


• Thai chili beef salad


• Grilled tuna loin salad


• Sundry tomato chicken salad


• Som tam-green papaya salad


• Roasted pumpkin salad

[caption id="attachment_1142" align="aligncenter" width="705"] pickles[/caption]

They had lot of add-ons to super charge your meal. What I most liked about this restaurant was that it was clean, neat, and you felt like the buffet was happening at your place with a few private guests. You never even had to wait in queue for the buffet. It was a healthy atmosphere.

[caption id="attachment_1135" align="aligncenter" width="705"] prawns (left) and smoked salmon[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1125" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Kabab-e- kubideh(left) and chicken kebab(right)[/caption]

Arabic

• Shish kebab-Lebanese grilled beef kebab coriander tomato garlic


• Lebanese chicken kebab with smoked paprika and garlic


• Samkeh harrah traboulseyeh


• Sheikh el mahshi-batinjaan-eggplant stuffed with meat

[caption id="attachment_1126" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Stir fried beef(left) and Shish kebab(right)[/caption]

It's difficult to mention all that was available but here's a little of the main dishes:

Iranian

• Esfenaj sorkh kardeh- fried spinach with crispy onions


• Bamiah bil lahm


• Kabab-e- kubideh - minced lamb kabab

I must stop here to say that there kabab-e-kubideh is very good. My wife loved it too.

[caption id="attachment_1133" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Jhiga biryani[/caption]

Indian

• Jhiga biryani


• Kadai mix sabzi


• Dal saag tadka

[caption id="attachment_1134" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Dal saag tadka(left) and Rad nar rice noddle (right)[/caption]

Asian

• Stir fried beef


• Stir fried shrimps with cashnuts


• Teriyaki salmon steak with pak choi


• Rad nar -rice noodle

[caption id="attachment_1166" align="aligncenter" width="705"] veal shank stew[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1128" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Braised stuffed squid[/caption]

Continental

• Crispy duck confit with glazed apple sauce


• Ossobuco, veal shank stew


• Braised stuffed squid

[caption id="attachment_1127" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Crispy duck confit with glazed apple sauce[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1129" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Brine rib-eye roll herb crust[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1130" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fish - Sea bass[/caption]

Carving

• Brine rib-eye roll herb crust, mushroom spinach


• Sea bass, sun dry tomato salsa

The fish was really nice. I had quite bit of this one and the prawns were fresh as ever. Couldn't complain.

[caption id="attachment_1122" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fresh marinated green lip mussel[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1123" align="aligncenter" width="705"] court bouillon boiled prawns[/caption]

Seafood bar

• Lunch - Fresh marinated green lip mussel, court bouillon boiled prawns


• Three kind of sushi, California and assorted roll, soya sauce, ginger pickle and wasabi

[caption id="attachment_1121" align="aligncenter" width="705"] California and assorted roll, soya sauce, ginger pickle and wasabi[/caption]

 I tried their complete collection of sushi but one mistake i made was, I thought the green dipper as equivalent to chutney but actually you are supposed to have only a pint of it, so in my first dip my mouth was on fire and i finished my mocktail completely in that one sip.

[caption id="attachment_1144" align="aligncenter" width="705"] my plate of appetizers[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1147" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Me caught lost in the dessert section[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1137" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Desserts - Mango pavalova, Pecan nut chocolate brownie, white forest cake[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1138" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Dessert - chocolate fudge brownie(right) and meringue(left)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1139" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Desserts - Fruit cake, Mango passion fruit cheese cake, Coconut raspberry tartlet, Apple tart slice, Apricot sacher, Chocolatine cake[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1145" align="aligncenter" width="705"] my plate of desserts[/caption]

You see that Pecan nut chocolate brownie(left) on my plate that's what i admired the most from the desserts. I just couldn't stop eating it. Love pecans and ate them like crazy. Surely others were a joy to my mouth but somehow the pecan nut chocolate brownie got me excited.

[caption id="attachment_1141" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Ice creams with vanilla sauce, raspberry sauce, chocolate sauce Berry compote[/caption]

From above you can select your ice cream, mix and match your toppings and make the best out of it. It's been interesting eating here and its worth Dhs 175 they charge for that good experience especially the ever changing views and tons of quality selections you are offered at their buffet. To see the full collections of photos in full screen view, please click on the photos below.

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