Yas Hotel - Origins:
So my annual office iftar was at this place and at AED 175 per head, this was def
initely one of the more expensive iftar buffets I had been to this year. But yet again, a 5-star hotel failed to deliver. The buffet spread was large, but not extensive. The food was not different from any of the 'regular' places I've been to. I don't know if the 5-star tag inflates one's expectations to the point that even the slightly above average fare seems downright dowdy, but I don't remember anything about the buffet that I liked. Even the roast potatoes th
at I normally devour were on the sweet side, making them hard to enjoy. They had a live shwarma station, but the one I was handed was soggy from all the tomatoes stuffed inside, and the chicken was smelly. One thing hotels do well is desserts. I suppose that's the only part of the buffet spread that makes an attempt to justify the price tag. The variety of desserts and the attention to detail given to all the individual servings is commendable. I did take away a wonderful memory from this experience: coffee at the balcony overlooking the F1 race track and the yachts harbored at the marina.
initely one of the more expensive iftar buffets I had been to this year. But yet again, a 5-star hotel failed to deliver. The buffet spread was large, but not extensive. The food was not different from any of the 'regular' places I've been to. I don't know if the 5-star tag inflates one's expectations to the point that even the slightly above average fare seems downright dowdy, but I don't remember anything about the buffet that I liked. Even the roast potatoes that I normally devour were on the sweet side, making them hard to enjoy. They had a live shwarma station, but the one I was handed was soggy from all the tomatoes stuffed inside, and the chicken was smelly. One thing hotels do well is desserts. I suppose that's the only part of the buffet spread that makes an attempt to justify the price tag. The variety of desserts and the attention to detail given to all the individual servings is commendable. I did take away a wonderful memory from this experience: coffee at the balcony overlooking the F1 race track and the yachts harbored at the marina.Royal Orchid:
This iftar was unsatisfactory on several levels. Thai for iftar is just something that my palate and stomach juices are not used to, so the first few bites did feel a little strange. Besides that, we could not hear the azaan at all inside and had to rely on a waiter to tell us when we could commence. Some of the appetizers were edible such as the vegetable spring roll, raw mango salad and chicken drumsticks, but the mains were a huge letdown. There were only a couple of options (4-5) and that would've been okay if the taste made up for it. But unfortunately, most of it was either under-salted or the quality of the ingredients was just not good enough. I had to fill up on the appetizers as a result. If the mains were a letdown, the desserts were worse. The 'exotic fruit selection' had been ploughed through by the time we got to it, and they did not refill the serving plate. The other dessert options included something that resembled sesame seed dusted fried wantons with honey/syrup, and a pink, coconut flavored milk with tasteless jelly beans swimming in it. At first, I was excited at the prospect of enjoying a buffet for AED 69 at a place where I usually end up spending more, but my visit confirmed that their offerings are getting progressively worse. If my second last visit was average, my last visit won't make me go back.
P.s. The only good thing about my meal was the strawberry mojito that I ordered (not included in the buffet), but that didn't come without its share of drama as it was embarrassingly titled 'Hot Lips'. Sigh.
This iftar was unsatisfactory on several levels. Thai for iftar is just something that my palate and stomach juices are not used to, so the first few bites did feel a little strange. Besides that, we could not hear the azaan at all inside and had to rely on a waiter to tell us when we could commence. Some of the appetizers were edible such as the vegetable spring roll, raw mango salad and chicken drumsticks, but the mains were a huge letdown. There were only a couple of options (4-5) and that would've been okay if the taste made up for it. But unfortunately, most of it was either under-salted or the quality of the ingredients was just not good enough. I had to fill up on the appetizers as a result. If the mains were a letdown, the desserts were worse. The 'exotic fruit selection' had been ploughed through by the time we got to it, and they did not refill the serving plate. The other dessert options included something that resembled sesame seed dusted fried wantons with honey/syrup, and a pink, coconut flavored milk with tasteless jelly beans swimming in it. At first, I was excited at the prospect of enjoying a buffet for AED 69 at a place where I usually end up spending more, but my visit confirmed that their offerings are getting progressively worse. If my second last visit was average, my last visit won't make me go back.
P.s. The only good thing about my meal was the strawberry mojito that I ordered (not included in the buffet), but that didn't come without its share of drama as it was embarrassingly titled 'Hot Lips'. Sigh.
I've tried other iftar spreads like Le Boulanger, Kingsgate Hotel, Moti Mahal and Ibrahimi, but I have come to the conclusion that I don't really have an appetite large enough to enjoy a buffet even after an entire day's fasting. My most enjoyable Iftar was actually at Chili's, where the larger than average individual portions filled me up considerably without making sleeping at night uncomfortable.
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