Along with some other food bloggers in Dubai, we enjoyed the feast prepared by the restaurant. I love meat. I love kebabs. I love shawarma. I love anything with hummus but to be honest, I cant really distinguish which is Persian and which is Arabic ( and Lebanese, I am not sure if I have to add this in the category).
The Al Ghurair Rayhaan is a new hotel built adjacent the Al Ghurair Mall operated by Rotana. I found this hotel very spacious and grand. I once visited this place before and went to their terrace lounge over looking the fish round about (you’ll definitely appreciate the view of this busy rotunda from several floors high).
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MODERN PERSIAN INTERIORS[/caption]As I entered Shayan, I was welcomed with a modern Persian interior decor. Aside from their normal dining set-up, there are also small dining lounges for a more private dining experience.
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DINING AREA AND LOUNGE BOOTH[/caption]As I sat down, I saw that our table were served with several Sabzi Platters which is a traditional bowl of cucumber, radish, mint leaves, feta cheese and lettuce. Our table was full of bloggers whom I only knew online (before).
CHECK OUT THESE BLOGGERS
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BLOGGERS IN ACTION[/caption]Funny thing about being in a table full with bloggers, I think we took photos longer that we finished eating our food. It was nice, because I don’t need to explain to them that I need to take photos for my blog as everyone was doing it as well…sometimes they are taking more photos than me.
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ASH E RESHTEH[/caption]Okay, back to the food….. Next, we were served with a soup called Ash E Reshteh (mint onion soup). I was a bit not sold out with this. Well, I think with the food in this region it will be like this. It can be a hit or be a missed depending on your taste preferences. Other bloggers in our table like it though.
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SALAD SHIRAZI[/caption]For appetizers, we were served with 2 types of eggplant dishes:
Kashk E Bademjan
Fried eggplant mixed with special aged curd, seasoned with traditional spices
Mirza Ghasemi
Grilled eggplant mixed with friend egg and tomato
I liked the Mirza Ghasemi more than the other one. I am not an eggplant eater, but this one didn’t taste like eggplant and I was surprised that I enjoyed it. Aside from these two, we were also served with a Salad Shirazi ( traditional salad, mixed with cucumber, onion, virgin olive oil and lime juice).
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MIRZA GHASEMI[/caption]Now with the main course! I was hoping that it will be a meat platter…but lo and behold..TADA! We were served the following:
Gheymeh Bademjan
Lamb stew prepared with lentils, tomatoes and friend eggplant
Joojeh Kabab Bedone Ostokhan
Skewer of marinated chicken on the bone with saffron sauce ( I LOVE SAFFRON)
Tikke Masti
Cuts of beef tenderloin marinated with yoghurt, saffron and Persian spices (this will go on MY FAVORITE list)
Chelo Kabab Kudideh
Skewers of minced lamb with Persian spices and grated onions
Kabab Meygoo
Skewers of marinated grilled tiger prawn
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OUR GRILLED PLATTER[/caption]Aside from the over flowing meat, we were also served with two different kinds of rice. The Baghali Polo (steamed rice with fava beans and dill) and Saffron Rice (well, rice with saffron^^).
We all went meat overload. I love how juicy and tasty the meat were especially two of my new favorite Persian dishes which are the Joojeh Kabab Bedone Ostokhan and the Tikke Masti (if I can take-away some, I would have but I need to act as a professional food blogger. AHA ^^).
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SHOLEH ZARD[/caption]Last but not the least, we were given the Sholeh Zard for dessert. It is a rice pudding flavored with fine saffron, pistachios, almonds and cinnamon. Like the soup (mentioned above), you will hate it or love it. For this one, I liked it, while some of the bloggers didn’t share the same sentiment.
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SAFFRON JUICE[/caption]For drinks, I requested for a Saffron Juice. I LOVED IT! It was refreshing and did I say that I love saffron?
It was a wonderful experience. Aside for enjoying our food, we also learned a lot about Persian dishes as with every dish served, they explained how each was prepared and the spices the goes with it (of course I am not reliable in relaying them because some of the words I cant even pronounce ---so meaning I cant remember most of them.)… So the greatest lesson I learned was to bring a recorder next time.
So if you will ask me if I will come back again in Shayan? The answer is a big Y E S.
TO KNOW MORE CHECK THESE OUT:
Opening hours
12:30 pm - 3:00 pm. (Lunch)
6:30 pm - 12:00 midnight (Dinner)
Contacts
T: (+971) 4 293 3000
F: (+971) 4 293 3555
Website and Social Media
www.rotana.com/rayhaanhotelandresorts
fb.alghurair@rotana.com
www.instagram.com/alghurairrotana
For the latest promotion at Shayan Persian restaurant, you may visit this link (http://roho.it/qefys )
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