Tracing its roots back to 1960s Dubai, the Al Fanar Resturant & Cafe works to create an authentic taste of Emirati cuiusine that transports diners back to the days when Dubai was a small costal town on the shore of the Arabian Gulf.
A rustic interior greets you with a mix of stone walls and wooden furniture. Lanterns and antiques decorate the walls and sides in order to revive the old aspects of Emirati culture. The restaurant brings old-fashioned Dubai to the new generation through its musuem of decorations and flavours.
Emirati cuisine finds its inspiration in Arabic cuisine, sharing similarities with Indian and Persian flavours. On the breakfast menu are classic breakfast trays, packed full with Reqaq bread, Emirati pancakes, and various different eggs such as scrambled with tomatoes and seasoning or cheesy eggs.
Within the appetisers, you will find plenty of seafood choices and oven-baked dishes full of special spices that are typical of this cuisine. Moving onto mains, a highlight of the menu has to be the Laham Trays, serving four to five people for an intimate, communal dining experience. Other dishes include various different meats and seafood on a bed of Arabic spiced yellow rice or white rice and onions. Al-Fanar's menu is huge so you really are spoilt for choice when it comes to testing out Emirati cuisine.
If you have room, guests are welcomed to try classic Emirati desserts that often use dates, saffron and cardamom as their main ingredients. A tempting slice of chocolate and date cake, or perhaps even the whole cake...to share or not to share? Another delicious option are the golden, crispy dough balls coated in a generous helping of date syrup.
Priding themselves on great produce and fine ingredients, the restaurant extends this ethos into its drinks menu with a selection of vegan, lactose-free, freshly blended smoothies. Go green with the Green Machine or take an exotic trip with Mango Paradise.