Iftar at the Arcadia Lounge, H Hotel
I have another beautiful iftar experience to share with you today.
Based on the last couple of posts on this blog, one might assume I’ve spent the entire Ramadan eating out at different restaurants.
Rest assured that is not the case. Masood and I spend most of our time with family, eating home-cooked food.
However, there are certain invitations one can’t say no to. One such invitation is for iftar at the H Hotel.
Masood and I were guests at H Hotel two weeks ago but, quite unfortunately, I didn’t find time (and energy) to blog about this amazing place sooner.
The H Hotel, formerly The Monarch Dubai) is a 5-star hotel located conveniently at One Sheikh Zayed Road so that it’s very easy to locate.
I suppose the main reason for us to accept the invitation is to meet and experience the chef and her creations.
The Ambiance:
The theme is Arabic—lots of red and gold; you’ll feel like stepping into a sheikh’s palace. Apart from the usual dining area, there are so many seating options available.
The Chef:
A very talented woman! She’s so amazing. In the very male-dominated professional kitchen of H Hotel, she stood out beautifully, confidently, and yet was so down-to earth. Silvena Rowe has inspired me to change my profession!
She played the perfect host, making sure everyone is being taken well cared of. She went from table to table, asking everyone how the food was and suggesting items from the menu that they should try.
Silvena Rowe—chef, TV personality and author—is a blend of many different ingredients. Born in Bulgaria on the Turkish border, her father’s romantic, bohemian approach to life and cooking was a seed that planted itself firmly in her soul, and a recent journey back to her Eastern Mediterranean roots to explore the gastronomy of the Ottoman Empire was the inspiration for her best-selling book “Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume”.
The Food:
There was a generous choice of authentic and contemporary Ottoman and Arabic dishes, including unusual fresh salads and Mezze’s, live cooking stations, homemade desserts and Ramadan beverages.
There are so many other exciting items in the starters section, including fresh falafels, a shawarma station, black sesame zaatar labneh, and pistachio crusted labneh among others.
I do not have pictures of the main course, but here’s what was prepared by the chef – kofta tagine, chicken tagine, green chicken shawarma, chicken bastiya, cumin and chilly squid, shawarma marinated king prawns, ouzi, lamb with pistachio kabab, and lamb coated with dried fruits.
Everything tasted really, really delicious!
The dessert options are equally impressive! They’ve got strawberry tart, chocolate cake, exotic rice pudding, umm ali, tahini panacotta, whole chocolate cardamom mousse, cheesecake, cream brûlée pistachio, red velvet cake, and orange flour-less cake.
And there’s even a Turkish ice cream stand where you get fresh, homemade ice cream!
Ramadan Arts & Crafts Market:
Guests can also enjoy browsing our Ramadan Arts & Crafts market within the Lobby on Saturdays and Tuesdays from 7pm to 10.30pm, mingling with UAE based Artisans bringing their unique locally handmade products to showcase and sell.
Overall Impression:
Location, ambiance, valet parking facility, courteous and friendly staff, excellent food – I give them 5 stars!
Iftar at the H Hotel costs AED 180 per person from Sunset to 11.30pm. Chef Silvena and her team will be on hand to guide guests through their Iftar journey.
Prayer rooms are available for both men and women.
To book your Iftar or Sohour:
Call 04 501 8611
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Related Posts
This spread looks significantly different from the usual Iftar buffets. The attention to detail is what really stands out. You’ve captured it all beautifully. Can’t wait to try Silvena’s food.
Sally, everything that was created by Chef Rowe was indeed unusual but very delicious. Everyone was highly impressed by her creativity, presentation and flavours.
yes, indeed, everything looks so delicious. my, you’re always trying to outdo yourself in your food posts. btw, who’s getting fat more – you or Masood? hehehe. dang, the place looks smart and comfy and from what you narrated (and shown in the pics) it must have been another wonderful dining experience. i like places where they do have various seating arrangements, makes one think that the owner and staff have the guests in mind, ‘no? 🙂
btw, i like what’s on your plate, like a little bit of every goodness, hehe. and what is that on glasses, second to the last pic? naiinggit na me, whahaha. hugs and warm regards, dear. 🙂
Hello ‘San! Why, thank you so much. It’s me who’s gaining all the weight. I’m not sure how Masood manages to maintains his (I’m super jealous!).
H Hotel being a five-star establishment does take a lot of effort to ensure that guests are taken very good care of. On top of that, I am truly impressed by the very cool Chef Rowe!
Those are different types of juices. I didn’t get to try all of them, but I did sample the date milk shake, jalab (date syrup + rose water) and tamarind juice – both of which were really good.
Food looks beautiful and delicious too!
Yes, ‘liya. The spread was quite unusual (in a very good way) from what we usually get here.
I think I need to move to Dubai to taste such delicious Arabic food! 🙂
Londoneya, you most certainly must! 🙂
Wow. Dessert options are stunning. My favorites Umm Ali & Red velvet cake was also there. It’s a shame that I missed it.
wow, i love the architecture …so beautiful. and awesome food pictures!
We were all pretty impressed by the architecture too!