From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2008

If you never know what to order at an Arabic restaurant, Al Khayal makes life easy with its set menu. And the good news is, it’s all pretty good. Make sure your order includes fattoush or tabbouleh, and maybe the sambusak or fatayer.

The grilled halloumi cheese, lightly browned, crunchy balls of falafel and potato harra are all worthy mentions, and the mixed grill with a tender combination of lamb, beef, kibbeh and chicken really hits the spot.

Portions are extremely generous, however, so you’ll definitely want to pace yourself, but with service being a little distracted and seemingly vacant at times, this is sure to help you out there. The entertainment will help to fill in the gaps when the waiters aren’t paying you attention, whether it’s the belly dancer or Arabic club singer.

Or maybe the Casio keyboardist will decide to burst into an impromptu and slightly over enthusiastic solo set. A mix of dates, Arabic sweets and fruit are enough to round the meal off.