A Meze Tour Of The Levant At Café Arabesque
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Cuisine Style: Levant and Arabic Buffet
Average Price: $$
Overall Rating: 3/5
Article updated: November 8, 2018
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
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Restaurant Name Zomato rating:
Café Arabesque is now permantly closed, and the Park Hyatt has replaced the space with The Thai Kitchen restaurant
Executive Chef:
Maher Al Hayek
Tucked away in a park along the Dubai Creek Yacht club is the Hyatt Park Hotel, and inside amongst all the restaurants is Café Arabesque, influenced by the flavors of Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria in a fine dining setting, with a fantastic view of the Dubai Creek. The Café is a Meze of culinary influences of the Levant region (المشرق العربي al-Mashrīq al-‘Arabiyy).
Menu:
- Starters / Appetizers
- Soups
- Main Course
- Desserts
More menus:
- Set Menu 1
- Set Menu 2
Thursday Evenings is one of two days that the Café does a Greek Meze style buffet on top of the normal Levant menu, and even though I skipped lunch and was very hungry, I could not finish the food they offered. There was a massive variety of close to one hundred options from starters main course portions and desserts.
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| Café Arabesque / Dining Room |
Starting with salad’s they had a Shanklish which is a Syrian blue cheese made from cows milk, that was a combination of radishes, chicory, and cucumber. Other salad and started options included chilled mash potatoes with mint, eggplant with tomatoes, assorted hummus, yogurt with cucumbers (a.k.a. tarator), Mhammara, which is a hot pepper dip originally from Aleppo, Syria, and found in Levantine and Turkish cuisines.
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| Café Arabesque / Bread Selections |
Fattoush Salad which is the Levantine take on a classic Greek salad with feta cheese, pepperoncini and tomato served with pita bread. Next to this dish was an assortment of cheeses, couscous salad, and vegetables. With the meal, I had a few glasses of a Lebanese wine from the Bekaa Valley called Chateau-Musar, a nice crisp white wine, with hints of fruit and minerality which went perfectly with this meze selection.
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| Café Arabesque / Salad Selections |
For the second buffet, the course came the main entrée’s. The fantastic display consisted of minced lamb stew with green peppers, kebab’s with yogurt, and a very nice pan-seared salmon topped with sautéed spinach and accompanied by skewered shrimp sitting on a bed of a basil lemon-butter sauce.
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| Café Arabesque / Sautéed Salmon with Spinach |
The assorted Kabobs, stuffed chick and peppers, and fried garbanzo beans with vegetables were other examples of offerings. I went up to the buffet two times to fit to try the many items. The one item that did not fit into the meze, in my opinion, was the vegetable lasagna, and honestly, it was not that good, the taste and texture were a little off and maybe it was the combination of vegetables. The cheese also appeared crusted over as if it may have been overcooked.
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| Café Arabesque / Chicken and Pickled Vegetables on Pita Bread |
If you are not staying at the hotel then you can take a taxi from wherever you are versus walking from the Deira City Center Metro station. Let me tell you, on the map, the restaurant and hotel look like a very short distance, but it was a good thirty-minute walk, and depending on what time of year you visit Dubai, the weather will kill you before you get to enjoy the food.
The only downside to the restaurant was that the bathroom was a long distance away from the restaurant near the lobby of the hotel, versus either being in the restaurant or near the entrance, but that is not the fault of the restaurant, you can blame the architect on that one.
Dessert:
A dessert meze…
Options included a house made Syrian style baklava, with sweet phyllo dough, mixed nuts mainly pistachio, and my god it was the best. Other assorted baklava style desserts included Istanboulyah which is similar to Turkish delights and are sold throughout the Middle East, with a large storefront that makes them in Kuwait. They had Hallawa bil jaben (also spelled Halawa bi jibn) which is a Levantine dessert made of Semolina, cheese sugar and water rolled into a cigar shape. A milk pudding and cream filled pastry phyllo made into triangles are stuffed with kashta cream also called kishta bundled together for a wonderful tasting desert known as Warbat Bil Kashta. Then moving on from the baklava style came to a Syrian sesame cookie called Baraziq, and last but not least a Kunafah also called Kanafah (Arabic: كنافة kunāfah), which is Levant classical cheese dish that is placed inside a sweet pastry dough and soaked in a sweet syrup. You can consider it the Middle Eastern version of a cheese danish on steroids. All of this went nicely with a hot cup of coffee.
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| Café Arabesque / Dessert Selections |
They had an international crew of people working at the restaurant from servers and cooks that were Indian and Arabic to the Maître D’ from Vietnam who not only handled the quests at the door, but also he helped pour wine, bus tables, and attend to all guests’ needs. Once I found out where he was from, I mentioned that my father was turning 70 years old this year and that he was in Vietnam 50 years ago. It led to an interesting conversation about how the country is now, compared to his father and grandfathers time, during the war. He recommended a visit, maybe one day.
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Wine regulatory’s for the tastings in this article:
“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is the strength, in the water there are bacteria.” - David Auerbach
Other noteworthy Levant and Arabic articles similar to Café Arabesque:
Country cuisines from this region include Bahrain, Emirati, Iraqi, Iran aka Persian, Jordanian, Kuwaiti, Lebanese, Omani, Palestinian, Qatari, Saudi, Turkish, and Yemeni.
Israeli cuisine is separate from Arab and Middle Eastern as it follows stricter Kosher guidelines.
Levantine cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Levant, known in Arabic as the Bilad ash-Sham and Mashriq. This region shared many culinary traditions with Ottoman cuisine before and during the Turkish-Ottoman Empire, and it continues to carry an influentially mainstream character in a majority of the dishes today. It is found in the modern states of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Syria, and parts of southern Turkey.
Bourj Al Hamam Restaurant Levant, Jordanian, and Lebanese cuisines with a buffet in Amman, Jordan
Enigma Restaurant Turkish culinary journey with a European twist In Dubai, UAE
Sufra Restaurant Traditional and authentic Jordanian cuisine in Amman, Jordan
Arab Cuisine outside of the Levant:
This cuisine is defined by the various regional cuisines spanning the Arab world, from the Bedouin, the Maghreb to the Mashriq or Levant, the Khaleeji, and the Persian Gulf. The cuisines are often centuries old and resemble a culture of great trading in spices, herbs, and other unique foods.
Al Fanar Restaurant and Café Authentic Emirati cuisine, Festival City, Dubai, UAE
Asail AlSham Sweets “Mastic” ice-cream in Deira Dubai, UAE
Aseelah A Modern Twist on Emirati Cuisine, at the Radisson Blu, Dubai Creek, Dubai, UAE
Safar Restaurant Arabic and Emirati blended buffet at the Dubai International Airport (DXB), UAE
Seven Sands Fresh, traditional, cultural; 7 regions for Seven Sands near the Dubai Marina, Dubai, UAE
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other Dubai restaurants and articles on Wine, Dine, and Play:
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Traditional British seafood spot
DFIC, Dubai, UAE
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A walk into the Piemonte with a contemporary twist
DFIC, Dubai, UAE
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Upscale fine dining global cuisine
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A Top 20 on Wine Dine and Play
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See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
Final notes, review basics, and observations:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Overall from this experience, and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give Café Arabesque a 3 out of 5 stars, meaning that they were not only far above the average dining experience, but they also exceeded all my expectations and were very close pointwise to being a 4-star, meaning that they would have been at the level of outstanding.
Scores are detailed in the chart below
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings Café Arabesque
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Max Points Possible:
|
Total Points Awarded:
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Total Points deducted:
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Ambiance
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9.5
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8.5
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1
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Food quality
|
10
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7.5
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2.5
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Plate presentation
|
8
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7
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1
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Customer service
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7
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6
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1
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Alcohol and other beverages
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9
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7
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2
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Total regular points awarded
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43.5
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36
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7.5
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Total percentage — less the Bonus
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0.827586206896552
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“Wow” factor BONUS
|
5
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2
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0
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Total bonus percentage
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0.039770114942529
| ||
Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
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0.863563218390805
| ||
Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
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3
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
Overall Star Rating:
|
3 of 5 Stars:
86% Rating with a 2 point “wow” bonus
Café Arabesque Exceeded All My Expectations
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Wine List:
| |
Wine rating:
|
4 of 10
Old World selections:
France, Italy
New World selections:
Australia, New Zealand, Lebanon
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Corkage fee’s:
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This Restaurant does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge $25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Café Arabesque is a casual dining to conservative dining style
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Cuisine Style:
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Arabic, Greek, Lebanese, Levant, Syrian, Jordanian, Mediterranean, Meze, Middle Eastern
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Gluten-Free, Halal, Low Carb, Organic, Pescatarian, Sustainable, Vegan Options, Vegetarian
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Reservations:
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Not Required, But Recommended
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Dress code:
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Business casual or Smart casual attire
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Child policy:
|
The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
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Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Contemporary, Great outdoor dining, Good for special occasions, Beautiful décor, Scenic views, Classy, Upscale, and a Neighborhood Gem.
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Valet or a Private lot
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Low to Medium
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Smoking:
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Café Arabesque is a non-smoking restaurant, but a smoking patio
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Patio or terrace:
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Yes
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricy)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
|
Price
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$$
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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££
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
|
$$
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥
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European Union (EUR)
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€€
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Café Arabesque:
Park Hyatt Dubai
Sheikh Rashid Rd and
Dubai Creek Club Street
PO Box 2822
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+971 4 602 1234
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Online reservations
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Serving hours:
UAE standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - BST Offset + 4:00)
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Dinner: Mon-Sun
6:00 pm - 11:59 pm
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Social Media
and
Accolades for Café Arabesque:
| |
****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
|
Medieval-style British cuisine banquet plus 2-hour dinner show
London, England, UK
|
California cuisine & fine dining chain
Orlando, Florida, USA
|
French & Canadian cuisine
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada
|
Other Pictures:
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| Café Arabesque / Fried Garbanzo Beans with Vegetables |
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| Café Arabesque / Syrian, Lebanese, and Jordanian Buffet |
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| Café Arabesque / The traditional Levant |
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| Café Arabesque / Greek Meze |
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| Café Arabesque / Chef's |
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| Café Arabesque / Couscous and Arab cheese |
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| Café Arabesque / Hummus selections |
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
