Ramadan Iftar, Market Kitchen, Le Royal Meridien, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Last week, we were guests at an iftar gathering at Market Kitchen. It was hosted by chef Suzanne Husseini who curated the menu and placed final touches on each of the plates. For AED 200 pp, guests can indulge in a specially curated iftar menu.
What a wonderful setting for an intimate gathering! We were seated upstairs overlooking the grand restaurant right by a long sleek bar. I was familiar to this area as we had recently gone to a Craft Beer Night hosted at Market Kitchen. In this area, they set up our 20+ guest table.
Drinks
We were welcomed with Ramadan drinks for which we opted for the Amar Al Din, and a Zaatar Lemonade. I think I found my favorite go-to Ramadan drink – Amar Al Din, love that sweet nectar! Other drinks available on the Market Iftar menu are – Pomegranate Muddle, Water Virgin Mojito, Tamarind and Jallab. I found many guests ordering the pomegranate muddle which came in a beautiful pink ombre shade.
Starters
As we were seated, we were presented with an overwhelming variety of options. The Iftar has begun! The Orange Lentil Soup came with the Freshly Baked Breads. Suzanne mentioned she rolls and bakes the breads herself! It was fresh indeed. The table was covered in other delicious bites such as labheh, herbs nuts crust, roasted red pepper dip, hummus and of course, dates. This was really just the beginning.
Starters/Mains
Next came a large bowl of fattouche salad, Filo Cheese Sambousek and Grilled Aubergine, with Lamb Mint and Yogurt. I love how each dish came as a platter which encouraged the family-dining concept. For the mains, we had an amazing fall-off-the-bone braised lamb shank in okra tomato sauce. I recently had okra steamed in the Philippines and it was almost disguised in this dish, with the tomato sauce. The pan seared red mullet was a great dish to this iftar. It was so flavorful – salty, with hint of lemon zest, it was perfect with the sides of warm tahini salsa, saffron rice and the spicy roasted baby potatoes.
Desserts
Lastly, no iftar is complete without a taste of sweets to end the night. We were presented with chocolate falafels which I thought was too rich and heavy for the night after eating such a hearty meal. As well, there were crepes – cheese and nuts, made into lovely deep-fried pockets. My husband and I really both loved the Milk Pudding. It had perfect consistency and texture, not too sweet but satisfied my sweet tooth.
I really loved the company we had to enjoy the iftar together. Suzanne was so welcoming to us all and really had great passion to the menu she curated. I loved that she explained each dish to us as it is revealed. The best part of the Market Iftar is that the menu changes EACH WEEK so we can keep coming again and again each week to indulge in her creations.
