Puttin' on the Ritz ...

The other night we went for an Iftar buffet at the Ritz-Carlton in Abu Dhabi . It was our first visit to the hotel and I have to say it is a very impressive property. The hotel looks stunning and is in a great spot, with views to the Zayed Grand Mosque on one side.

However. The Iftar? Meh... The choice of food was ok, not outstanding and the service was actually quite poor. We had to chase every time for forgotten drinks orders and the service was generally just slow.

We won't be rushing back.

Here's a few pictures though, showing the nice views...

Grand entrance

The welcome mat

The lobby

Shisha galore

The Ramadan "Tent" 

The coffee man

Impressive date selection!

"Baby lamb"

"Baby camel" (which tasted great by the way)

Hotel views 

Iftar deliveries

The Iranian restaurant (Shiraz Nights aka Shiraz Nigits when the lights don't work) opposite our apartment seems very busy in Ramadam with preparing and delivering Iftar meals in the evenings. The picture shows them unpacking the daily delivery of disposable thermal bowls used to deliver various dishes to their customers after sunset. They fill up the back of whole trucks with food and whisk them off to various lavish Iftar meals.

A hot day with a nice ending....

It got a little warm today ......

... that's 127F in old money! Really felt the heat today, I think it must have been the hottest day of the year so far. August was not as hot as last year, but I think 53 for Sept is out of the ordinary.

This evening we went to our cultural night and Iftar with Ali Al Saloom, sponsored by The National. It was a really good night and we learnt a lot from Ali. A lot of the main editorial staff from The National came, so it was good to meet them.



We had a short opening presentation from Ali followed by a guided tour of the Heritage Village. It was good to get a personal insight into some of the traditional ways from someone who remembers it from their childhood.


We then had the Iftar meal. The meal was very traditional with local Arabic dishes, starting with dates and drinking yogurt. Then the Muslims went to pray (Isha prayers) and left us eating for 10 mins. Then when they came back we were brought more dishes, including lamb from a whole lamb on a platter with rice and vegetables. All of this took place in a traditional Majlis (which is kind of like a living room, for welcoming guests, seated around the walls on cushions).



All in all a great night. Great to meet Ali as we have read his column with interest in the M magazine and The National. And good to get some real Arabic perspective on some local traditions and culture.


If you ever you get chance to attend one sometime, I would highly recommend it......


Here's some pictures.....

Iftar with Ali al Saloom !

Well it doesn't happen very often, but I have actually won something! I entered the following competition in The National ........

"The National's cultural advisor, Ali al Saloom is hosting a Ramadan Majilis at Emirates Heritage Village in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday Sept 8, exclusively for The National staff and guests. This is a unique opportunity to experience local cuisine and learn more about the cultural codes of the Emirates. The National would like to invite 8 readers to join us for this event. Each reader will be given a pair of invitations.

For your chance to be there, simply text your answer to the following question to 3538 (Etisalat) or 9104 (du) or email your entries to contest@thenational.ae before 4pm on Sunday Sept 6.

At what time in the day does Suhour traditionally take place?"


We always read Ali's columns and it will be great to meet him. I'm also looking forward to a great traditional Arabic Iftar! For those not familiar, Iftar is the meal taken by Muslim at sunset to break their fast for the day during the holy month of Ramadam. It traditionally commences with dates and milk. Following prayers a feast will ensue! Can't wait!

Ali has a couple of websites. The ask-ali one is very interesting if you want to know about the UAE and Muslim culture....

http://www.alialsaloom.com/

http://www.ask-ali.com/


..oh and the answer is ... before sunrise