Emirates Palace is something of a maze.
The sprawling luxury hotel is glitzy and glamorous so it’s easy to get lost among the hundreds of tourists that flow through the doors each day. We have to get our smartphone out and use a map to find Mezlai but when we do finally take our seats inside the stylish Arabic restaurant we find it charming.
The decor, resembling a giant majlis, could be described as Bedouin-chic, and with views out over the gardens and marina of the resort, there are some great views to take in, too.
It’s quiet on an early midweek evening, in fact there’s only one other person in the restaurant, but we’re not here to take attendance, we’re here to eat.
We decide to share the cold mezze to start and it’s delicious but a bit dainty for two. There’s smoky baba ghanoush, creamy hummus, beetroot and pumpkin purées to dip the hot Arabic bread into, but we’re left wondering where the rest of it is. Maybe we should have ordered two. Our bad.
The prawn biryani (we’ll not get into the origins of this dish) is fantastic. The seafood is plentiful and the fragrant rice, packed with coriander, mint, ginger and cardamom, is wonderful. We clear the lot. Maybe it’s a good job the starter wasn’t the biggest.
WHAT IS IT…
A grand Arabic restaurant in Emirates Palace
WHY GO…
To try that biryani
