Tried and tested: A ‘souper’ duper Sheraton iftar

Soup can be a prelude to be missed, something to be skipped ahead of tastier offerings.
 
During iftar, eating soup is a healthy way to adjust a growling stomach after a 15-hour fast. But when there are about 50 more substantial dishes to choose from, soup is never a priority. I prefer to call it a winter food that I could do without in the summer.

But I’ve never dined with anyone before who skips dessert to head straight back to a soup bar, as my dining companion did last week, declaring the lamb and vegetable soup so “simply amazing” that she passed up a smorgasbord of sweet treats.

We were dining at the Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel and Towers, which offers a different themed iftar each night for Dh135 per person or Dh320 for a family.
 
The hotel’s Arabian Chef, Samer Al Shriki, still provides a selection of traditional Arabian favourites but the menu is spiced up to provide a different themed cuisine every night.
 
On Sundays the Sheraton offers a Moroccan iftar, Mondays it’s Pakistani fare, then South-East Asian, Egyptian, Arabic and Iranian dishes feature as the week progresses.

We visited on a Wednesday (Egyptian night), when the menu included dishes such as roasted pigeon, rabbit with Egyptian spinach, oriental rice with chicken, and tiny plump pancakes with cream and pistachios.

The meal opened promisingly, with the choice of lamb and vegetable, or Arabic lentil soup. The lentil soup was thick and hearty but unlike my friend, I would not have skipped dessert to have more.
 
Next we headed to the Egyptian servery to try the night’s specialties. The pigeon, as gamey and fragrant as to be expected, was served in fillets in a rich gravy. I’ve had pigeon before, but this version was tastier and much more tender than that attempted in Cairo.
 
The leg of rabbit with Egyptian spinach on this particular night turned out to be braised chicken with Egyptian spinach, (which diners were advised of) but the combination tasted slow-cooked and somehow had a wild flavour that made it impossible to tell it wasn’t rabbit.
 
The kofta kebabs were perfectly spiced, sizzling and cooked to perfection. And a dish of crispy baked eggplant sprinkled with chilli and spices warranted a second helping.

The Arabic specialties, which included traditional harees, a sizzling roasted lamb, hammour fillets, biryani, and several dozen cold mezzah and salads, were appetising, well presented and couldn’t be faulted by either of us.

The desserts delivered more than promised, the mahalabiya milk custard sprinkled with pistachios was creamy and decadent, the pick of a beautifully presented selection which included about a dozen different Middle Eastern offerings, baklava, cakes and fruit salad.

The Sheraton offers its iftars in its poolside Hatta Room, which is not as special as dining in an iftar tent. But food is the focus here, and, unlike dozens of Dubai hotels, the Sheraton offers a wider selection of cuisines, rather than just dishing up the same Arabic fare every night.
 
The experience is an affordable way for families to try something different.

Where: Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel and Towers on the Dubai Creek

What: Themed iftar: Sundays, Moroccan; Mondays, Pakistani; Tuesdays, South East Asian; Wednesdays, Egyptian; Thursdays, Arabic; Fridays, Iranian; Saturdays, Turkish.

How much: Dh 135 per person, Dh320 for a family of four

Bookings: Email: dubai.creek@sheraton.com, Phone: 04 228 1111

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