Al Khayal in Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Jumeirah, Dubai - Restaurant Reviews

Al Khayal

This palace of Arabian splendour may be tucked incongruously between a Tex-Mex restaurant and a German beer cellar Discuss this article

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This palace of Arabian splendour may be tucked incongruously between a Tex-Mex restaurant and a German beer cellar, but it doesn’t deter the hordes of punters who arrive nightly to sample Al Khayal’s comprehensive Lebanese cultural package of food and entertainment.

Fervently attentive waiters ushered us into the Aladdin’s cave-style interior, its glittering pillars reverberating to the twanging of the resident oud player; a multi-talented individual who nearly gave my friend a coronary by bursting into a frenzied Pop Idol audition-piece – complete with cheesy karaoke backing tape – late in our meal.

We began with the mixed mezze. The cold dishes were overshadowed by a tabouleh of mouth-puckering sharpness, which rendered the subtleties of the moutabel and hommus unintelligible. We were also amused, but not particularly impressed, by a gigantic pink heart constructed from feta cheese and beetroot (we suspected that someone had severely misjudged our relationship). The hot starters, however, were gutsy and generously-filled; a pleasing pile included rich flaky sambousek and some superb meaty kebbe. Things improved further with the main course, an excellently-rendered mixed grill; the exquisitely tender, smoky chicken offset beautifully by juicy, dark cubes of peppery lamb and a particularly good kofta kebab. These were devoured with a selection of soft, warm breads flavoured variously with minced meat, tomato and cheese. However, it was the final course that had us moaning with delight. A great pile of fresh fruit, including dragon fruit and lychees, cleanly offset the sweetness of sugared pumpkin, Turkish delight, and dates to devastating effect.

We were succumbing to this pile of sugary charms when the pièce de resistance sashayed onto the dance floor and proceeded to wiggle provocatively round the room. Formidably talented and fearsomely sensual, the belly dancer had the male population of the restaurant blushing and coughing like schoolboys, and the females seething with jealousy, before her routine was half-over. It was about midway through this spectacle that the frighteningly large bill arrived, but how could we complain? Largely good food, Lebanese pop and expert dancing is a rare combination indeed. If you can ignore the steep mark-up on wine, Al Khayal provides an enjoyable romp of a night out.

By Matthew Lee