Al Qasr in Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa, Jumeirah, Dubai - Restaurant Reviews

Al Qasr

The supremely tasty kibbeh is crammed with paunchy minced lamb and dotted with juicy vegetables 2 Reviews

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From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2007

It is abundantly clear that Al Qasr – Dubai Marine Beach Resort’s lively Lebanese restaurant – doesn’t do things by halves. In fact, mezze at Al Qasr on a Thursday night – when the à la carte menu is replaced by a choice of two set menus – can only be described as a fully-fledged, in your face, no-holds-barred banquet. A verdant tabbouleh combining chopped parsley with vibrant mint, sweet tomato and tangy onion is the perfect place to start.

The kibbeh nayeh – pulverised raw lamb mixed with ground bulgur wheat, garlic and spices – has the appearance of strawberry mousse, yet delivers a creamy, savoury hit. The supremely tasty kibbeh is crammed with paunchy minced lamb and dotted with juicy vegetables. Also among the crowd are moist chicken livers, spicy chicken wings and lamb sausages, and sambusak filled with melted cheese. By the time you abort your lame attempt to make a dent in the excellent mixed grill, there’ll be so much crockery on the table it’ll be reminiscent of a lazy student’s kitchen sink, but it’ll soon be cleared and a mountainous stack of ripe, fresh fruit will appear before you – all bulbous black grapes, juicy apple segments and saturated slabs of watermelon.

And when you’ve had a bellyful, the bellydancer will saunter in… If you’re unable to join the dancer on stage for a spot of gyrating fun, then sit back with a bubbling shisha pipe and reflect on the evening – the maelstrom of mezze, the swift service and the vast variety of vegetables. Everything at Al Qasr, even the shisha, is of epic proportions.

By Time Out Dubai Staff