Al Khaima

Arabic food down by the sea 1 Reviews

There are two Arabic restaurants at Dubai Marine Beach Resort. There’s the much-touted (not least by Time Out itself) Al Qasr, with its bountiful Lebanese food, its chuffing shisha pipes and its frantic live music and belly dancer. Then, over by the beach, there’s the infinitely more sedate Al Khaima, which presents a similar range of food from the Levant and the Arab world, in a collection of simple-yet-atmospheric majlis-style tents.

While the former has long been seen as the big hitter, with its lavish spreads and involved entertainment, the latter has often been overlooked. But ever since Al Qasr decided, in one of its less-emphatic moments of wisdom, to impose a pricey set menu upon its guests, it paved the way for Al Khaima to open its flaps to those lovers of Arabic food who don’t necessarily want a full blow-out. Having said that, 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 mohammara – 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 kibbe 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 kibbe nayeh – 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 April,2006- reviewed by TimeOut Dubai Staff
  • 01 May,2002- reviewed by Carolyn Robb

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