Al Qasr

Consistently one of Dubai's best Lebanese 2 Reviews

1

© ITP Images

View slideshow

• 
• Picture 1 of 2
• 

From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2008

Consistently one of the best Lebanese restaurants in the city, Al Qasr earned its plaudits with a winning combination of excellent Arabic food, huge portions, great entertainment and charmingly efficient service.

Little has changed over the last 12 months, except now – perhaps in a move to boost revenue for the restaurant – there’s no à la carte selection for dinner, only a vast set menu of hot and cold mezze, salads, dips, grilled meats, fruit and desserts.

This is fine if you have an appetite the size of a brontosaurus, but if you just want a selection of your favourite dishes, you’ll have to visit for lunch, which means you’ll miss out on the live entertainment. The fresh and zesty fattoush doesn’t require the aid of a belly dancer to bring your meal to life, so temper this vibrant salad with the crumbly, herb-infused goat’s cheese of the shanklish, and the smooth-yet-spicy walnut-strewn mohamara tomato and chilli dip.

The quality of the kibbeh nayyeh, or raw lamb ground with bulgur wheat, is the measure of any Lebanese restaurant, and here it’s wonderfully fresh, elegantly presented and packed full of intense meaty flavour.

Lunch on the sun-kissed terrace, overlooking the resort’s limpid swimming pools, is a completely different proposition to the often frenetic night shows, which makes Al Qasr very much a tale of two sittings.

• Previous reviews
  • 30 March,2009- reviewed by Time Out Dubai staff
  • 12 March,2007- reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff
  • 09 August,2006- reviewed by Time Out Dubai
  • 27 April,2006- reviewed by Time Out Dubai

Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.