Al Khaima

Licensed Arabic restaurant in Dubai Discuss this article

From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2008

It’s difficult not to get carried away here. It just doesn’t feel right if an Arabic feast doesn’t include mixed pickles, hummus, tabbouleh, fattoush and perhaps a splodge of spicy mohamara – all of which Al Khaima does exceedingly well.

But it’s the rest of the menu that prods and pokes at your dietary resolve, and compels you to start ordering dishes as if Armageddon were lurking around the corner. The fried kibbeh is crisp, moist and packed with meaty flavour, while the dish of chicken livers offers huge specimens that might once have belonged to a wobble of ostriches.

Meanwhile, the falafel is crunchy, but never too dry, and the grilled halloumi cheese is lightly toasted on the surface and agreeably chewy beneath.

Disappointingly, however, some delicacies such as kibbeh nayyeh – raw lamb ground with bulgur wheat and spices – are only available at Al Qasr, but Al Khaima matches its big brother by keeping you lubricated with the excellent Almaza beer from Lebanon. Crack open a couple of those and you’ll hardly know the difference.

• Previous reviews
  • 30 March,2009- reviewed by Time Out Dubai staff
  • 30 April,2006- reviewed by TimeOut Dubai Staff

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