Grand Iftar Buffet :
Last week I went to sample one of the finest and by far the hugest Iftar buffets at Shangrila-Qaryat-al-Beri at Al Maqta – Abu Dhabi. As per the rising standards, hotel puts on a well sorted and well balanced iftar menu. The menu in Ramadan will keep rotating each day and offers delicacies from around the world reflecting all the delicious cuisines however oriental cuisine is in abundance being it’s major influence and strikes great taste upto perfection. It was a colorful, elegant set up at Sofra BLD, while all of the food is top quality. The buffet is held in the center of the hotel and is well decorated according to Ramadan theme.
The buffet is divided into different sections seafood, Moroccan, Indian etc. Selection of Arabic & Continental Cheeses was superb, plus the salad counter was splendid. Paella, Moroccan Tagine & Tiger Prawns were at par I can’t decide which one is better. Seafood On Ice was a great concept to oomph the International array with Mussels, King Crab & Prawns sitting on frozen slab, being ready to be grilled or made along with clear soup, in the way you preferred. To compliment assorted sushi was there too being assembled right in front of your eyes. Live cooking stations were so prompt.
We were thoroughly impressed by the well greeted gesture of whole restaurant team along with their Restaurant Manager, Executive Chef Mansour & his team, who is so interactive and reaches out to guests table with his kind gesture to ask if they are keeping well and enjoying their iftar, we have even observed the Chef been so active on Live counters. We did take few minutes to chat and ask few question to Young & Talented Emirati Chef Bader Najeeb about his inspiration behind creating those amazing menu item which we frequently see on his IG and especially the dessert customized for Shangrila Ramadan season been demonstrated that night.
With attentive service and very nice furnishings, there’s great sense of quality food at decent grand Iftar buffet at Shangrila. They kept close to core, considering modest season of Ramadan while keeping pace with great substitute items in their otherwise extraordinarily widespread menu. I may sound bias as this is one of my favorite dining spot but believe me they did not fail to impress us by all it means this Ramadan too and too be ranked amongst the top 5 Ramadan Buffets in the Capital!
Magnificient Display of Art:
Pastry chefs at the hotel have designed the largest sugar mosque emulating the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. It’s been placed at Sofra bld Grand Iftar dessert area made entirely out of powdered sugar. The sculpture weighs in at 91.7 kilograms and took six days to build by a team from across the hotel. Engineering and pastry teams worked together to bring a backlit masterpiece to the restaurant.
The culinary team at Shangri-La hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi dreamt of building a sculpture of this type for Ramadan and, each year, it grows in scale and size. This year, there are two creations on either end of the famous dessert station, with three chocolate-flavoured fountains.
Event Highlight:
Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi exclusively presents Chef Bader Najeeb Al Awadhi and his new signature dessert made in collaboration with Executive Chef Mansour Memarian this Ramadan. We enjoyed tasting his one-of-a-kind creation that is also featured on the suhour menu throughout the month of Ramadan at Shangrila, but also had the opportunity to meet Chef Bader.
At only 20 years old, Chef Bader has already captured the attention of renowned food experts worldwide when he represented the United Arab Emirates at the Expo Milan in 2015, appeared on the Today Show and Good Morning America programmes in New York City and judged a baking contest next to eminent American cake designer Buddy Valastro.
A self-taught chef with natural talent, Chef Bader has a luminous personality that first mesmerised viewers his YouTube video series With Chef B. Since then, he has hosted two television cooking shows, Sukkar Zyadah on Sama Dubai TV and Ma’a Bader on Abu Dhabi TV Al Emarat.
Verdict:
All in all it was a great event and once again Shangri-La hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, set themselves as the ultimate dining destination this holy month of Ramadan. It is indeed a very special Iftar menu, designed by Mansour Memarian the Executive Head Chef which offers guests an abundant spread of sumptuous traditional Middle Eastern specialties in the Grand Iftar buffet, with chefs demonstrating their expertise at the live cooking stations.
Ramadan is a time to give thanks and celebrate unity and a great way to conclude the fast is by celebrating in an iconic location complete with great people, outstanding cuisine and exclusive creations by amazing chefs.
Essentials:
The buffet is priced at Dhs205++ per person, including Ramadan beverages, and available from sunset onwards. Sofra bld is also open for lunch daily with an a la carte menu.
Great Cause:
As part of an ongoing corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, the hotel invites guests to donate to the Make A Wish Foundation UAE to help make children’s wishes coming true. SMS to support Make-A-Wish Foundation by texting SLAD to 5555 for a donation of Dh50, 6888 for Dh100 or 7000 for Dh200.
