Cedar Lounge at the Fairmont hotel is a Lebanese eaterie with a large indoor dining section, as well as an outdoor area. Since it was a sunny and cool day when we headed there for lunch we asked to be seated outside on the deck where there are a number of areas screened from each other with curtains and that can seat up to ten people. Although the venue was empty, there was a very annoying CD blaring out horrible hits from the ’90s, but our waitress was extremely friendly, helpful and immediately tended to us.
The menu seemed interesting, with fresh takes on well-known dishes such as avocado hummus. We confidently ordered and tried to ignore the immensely irritating music still blasting in the background. Once our appetisers arrived and we dug in, we were immediately taken aback. We had ordered two salads; rocca and tabbouleh. Each was doused with so much lemon that our teeth began to hurt. We reached for the hummus dip which tasted nothing like avocado and was served with bread so hard, breaking it was like a gym workout.
After this letdown, our makanek arrived. While this dish was decidedly better than the other appetisers, the makanek were too spicy and left a horrid aftertaste. Since we were still hungry and waiting for our mains, we reached for the olive and bread platter that was sitting on the table. The bread was edible however the olives were easily the worst we had ever eaten.
We sat gripping and shaking our heads until our friendly waitress brought our main dish to us. We had ordered the Cedar Lounge mixed grill and after our experience with the rest of the dishes we were apprehensive about even trying this but we were brave and reached for the platter. The chicken bits were stringy, while the meat pieces and kafta were over spiced and over salted. Sadly, nothing in the platter was pleasant, although we did finish the chicken because we were famished. The experience was akin to swallowing bitter medicine to remedy a nasty cold.
Once the, largely untouched, dish was cleared, we decided to try out their desserts. We ordered one mouhalabieh to share. While we were waiting, two other customers arrived and sat down in the outdoor section. We noted that neither one ordered any food, just shisha. Our dessert arrived with two spoons and one bite was enough. The large portion of the milk-based dessert was barely passable but not enough to warrant a second spoonful.
To sum up, eating at this restaurant is a bit of a no-no. While the venue itself is very nice, it seems better suited for a group gathering to catch up and have some shisha. Our experience taught us that even popping in for a quick snack is out of the question; however the food in the evening might be prepared by a different chef. Hopefully. It is really sad that such an interesting menu is executed so appallingly, as we really had high hopes for this venue. A cool place to hang out but skip the food.
The bill (for two)
Hummus avocado Dhs35
Makanek pomegranate Dhs40
Mixed grill Dhs120
Tabbouleh Dhs40
Rocca salad Dhs40
Mouhalabieh Dhs45
Total (excluding service) Dhs320
