Ramadan Iftars 2016

My last post was about an authentic Emirati restaurant, and since it's still the month of Ramadan, what better topic to blog about than Iftar dinners, right? Right. So let me share with you the ones Hubby and I were blessed to have been invited to this year.  Unfortunately, though, I didn't get to take as many pictures as I wanted at most of them because I was either there as a corporate guest (and I was just too shy to take a lot of pictures), or I didn't know how to use my camera properly to adjust with the lighting.  Just use your imagination na lang, ok? ☺

The first one was at Le Meridien Dubai for their Iftar Preview where they unveiled Layali Zaman. Located at the hotel's Falcon Ballroom which had a substantial seating capacity for diners to sit and walk around comfortably, the set-up and ambiance of the exclusive majlis is perfect for festivities of the holy month. The wide spread of Middle Eastern food made us go back to the buffet selection every time we finished the dishes on our plates, which we topped off with servings of the various desserts (of course!). 
The Iftar buffet at Layali Zaman is priced at Dhs149 per person.

My pogi date☺

A few days later, we were at Al Ghurair Rayhaan's Pre-Ramadan Iftar, for the press and bloggers to sample what dishes would be served at Liwan and Shayan during the evenings of the holy month. If you can recall, I had attended their Iftar dinner last year, which is one of the reasons why I had no hesitations to go again. There were endless cuisine choices, all of which were as good as I remembered.

Love the bright colors of this arrangement!

Before leaving, we made sure to take a picture at the photobooth with Mauh (of Blessed Days in Dubai) and her husband Ian

The Iftar buffet with live cooking and action stations at Liwan is priced at Dhs139 per person, while diners can enjoy the Iftar buffet with Lebanese and Iranian delicacies at Shayan for Dhs149 per person. However, you can pay only 50% by availing of the special Ramadan Iftar coupon here. That's not all! Diners can join the hotel's raffle for a chance to win meal vouchers for 2 on a daily basis or airline tickets to any destination in Europe at the end of Ramadan.

The following week, Hubby and I went to Millennium Plaza Hotel along Sheikh Zayed Road. There was a wide array of salads, hot and cold mezza, ouzi, live counters, fresh fruits, desserts and traditional Ramadan juices to choose from at Metro Restaurant which satisfied our palates while we enjoyed the view of Dubai's famous highway and the neighboring skyscrapers. 
Diners can enjoy their Iftar here at Dhs150 per person

Another week later, we were at the Zabeel Ballroom of Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek. There at the Royal Iftar, Hubby and I dug into a variety of Arabic delicacies with me mainly dwelling on the assorted desserts tables that adorned the middle of the Ballroom.
This is different from the Grand Iftar Buffet at the 2nd Floor, which allows diners to enjoy a wide selection of international dishes from the hotel's restaurants Fish Market, Shabestan, Minato, and the newly opened Aseelah, all for the price of Dhs169 per person.

And to top off my roundup, we were fortunate to have enjoyed our most recent Iftar at no less than the Asateer Tent in Atlantis The Palm. Now that was amazing! Being so huge and full of fancy glittering lights hanging from the ceiling, I couldn't help but describe it as Glamorous and Elegant.

The spread was so extensive, when I took my plate, I literally didn't know where to start. As you can imagine, the food was absolutely delicious. Hubby was overjoyed when he tasted the Lamb Ouzi and my sweet tooth was thrilled at the extravagant desserts I bit into.

And I have to say that the unique trees of dates and towers of macarons were simply impressive.

You can guess which dessert was a big hit just by looking at this picture ☺

That night there was a stand near the buffet spread where a lady was giving out Patchi chocolates; and upon leaving the venue, guests were each given bags of goodies courtesy of Alokozay.
This luxurious ultimate Iftar experience can be enjoyed at Dhs205 per person.

So there you have it...Five of the reasons why Hubby and I have ballooned these past few weeks. Hahaha! But seriously though, Iftars are always nice occasions for get togethers.  Not only are the food choices unbelievable and very satisfying, the actual experience of enjoying these traditions during holy month of Ramadan with friends and family (whether you're Muslim or not) is enough to make these moments memorable.