A gem of the Atlantis the Palm, Ayamna serves delicious Lebanese food plated beautifully in a fine dining ambiance. This one year old eatery, set as a dine-in or al fresco style, embraces its Arabic heritage with a stunning interior aesthetic and serves up traditional Lebanese food at a higher level.

Ayamna has designated menus where they offer lots of different signature dishes, a variety of mezze, salads, sweets, and mains which simplifies ordering.

Our amuse bouche was crispy sesame bread served with hummus chili paste and olive oil with dried zaatar.

From the Ayamna Set Menu, we enjoyed the fattoush, drizzled with pomegranate syrup. We also had hummus, moutabel, Baba Ganoush, and Tabouli all served with warm freshly baked bread.

The Mouhamara, a spicy walnut and chili spread, was something new for me and a delicious take on walnuts with chili paste.

Our hot mezze dishes included their signature dishes: Kibbeh Mabroumeh which weren’t the usual kibbeh balls, but tender delicious rolls of kibbeh made of ground meat and wheat crust filled with finely minced meat, onions with roasted pine nuts, with a drizzle of the pomegranate molasses, served with a creamy yogurt sauce.

The Potato Harrah, or a sautéed potatoes with coriander, red pepper, garlic, and lemon juice was a flavorful stand-alone dish enjoyed alongside the several dips.

Then one of my favorites, the Shrimps Kunafa or marinated zaatar jumbo prawns which were encased in crispy kunafa wrapping, served with saffron tahini sauce. These were so delicious that they lasted about 5 minutes before being completely devoured.

As we nibbled, we were entertained by a very skilled Arabic belly dancer as well as a singer performing Arabic songs. Our three mains arrived; a mildly spiced tender filet of fish served with vegetables, a platter of perfectly cooked mixed grill with melt-in-the-mouth kebobs and sheesh tawook, mostly of chicken and lamb.

And then the show stopping Ouzi baked inside a puff pastry shell. When cut open, it emitted a delicious aroma and the combination of Ouzi style rice and puff pastry was packed with flavor and went well with its accompanying yogurt sauce.

We ended this memorable evening with some delicious desserts: sticky date pudding with vanilla ice cream, Mouhalabia, or Lebanese Milk Pudding served with a rich apricot sauce, and my perennial favorite: a cheesy, warm, Kunafa garnished with pistachios that was nice merging of crispy and soft with the subtle flavor of rose.

The Verdict: If you are looking for a memorable way to spend a great evening enjoying modern Lebanese food with family style entertainment, then Ayamna is the place. The service, the ambiance, and most of all the food, made this a gold star Lebanese restaurant on my list.

Contact: The Atlantis, The Palm – Dubai
Phone: 04-426 2626