As we entered the Fairmont Dubai hotel on Sheikh Zayed road for their Year of Zayed Iftar, I was blown away at the magnitude of detail and elaboration that had gone into the planning. From the beautiful Sheikh Zayed artwork on the wallsentering the indoor tent, to the hundreds of mini lanterns hung around the entry of the tent.

This tent was indoors and was a most beautiful and fitting tribute to the late Sheikh Zayed. With a huge TV screen playing clips of the legacy, the Iftar starters were placed on the table with dates and included tiny platters of moutabel, hummus, and baba ganoush with delicately crispy sambusak stuffed with molokhia.

The Iftar and dinner was set up with one side that had lots of salads; including marinated prawns (my absolute favorite), grilled salmon and marinated calamari. There were also lots of Eastern and Western salads including pasta salad, fattoush, stuffed vine leaves, and kisir salad. There was also an assortment of lamb kibbeh and meat pastries.

From the mains, the traditional Arabic favorite Ouzi was filled with tender morsels of meat and spicy. There was a live cooking shawarma station to custom-make our own style of shawarmas on the freshly baked bread. There were also some North Indian favorites, including Kashmiri palao which was decadent and topped with fresh fruits revealing a lightly spiced palao underneath. Then a spicy tawa mixed vegetable dish and a really tasty chicken shimla mirch.

There were lots of other mains but some stand-outs that we really enjoyed included samak (fish) with harra sauce which went well with the seafood makbous and crispy roasted herb potatoes. There was chickpeas Fattah, vegetables moussaka, and kibbeh bil laban; all really satisfying and flavorful.

Some really decadent desserts included Asabe chocolate, chocolate almond mousse, and cinnamon mousse crumble, this is addition to fresh fruit, Um Ali, rice pudding, lots of cakes and pastries, and wonderful homemade ice-cream being dishes out with toppings.

The Verdict: The most stunning tribute to the late Sheikh Zayed I have ever seen during this Year of Zayed. This Iftar tent will lead you on a journey of delicious food, very attentive service, and a gorgeous ambiance.

Visit: www.fairmont.com