Being at the Burj al Arab is great-the hotel is so luxurious, relaxing and comfortable that you don’t feel like leaving. Even when you must eat, the Burj makes it easy because it has 3 great restaurants, Bab al Yam, Junsui and Al Iwan. They all serve both ala carte and buffet. Bab al Yam is the poolside mediterranean style cafe which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is a great salad bar and appetizer section, many vegetable,meat and seafood selections and a grill where the chef will grill you chicken, beef, vegetables, fish or shrimp. A great dessert selection with the perfect assortment of sorbets to clean your palate.
Al Iwan is the Middle Eastern restaurant. With delicious mezze, pita, hummus, olives and stuffed grape leaves as starters, you definitely need discipline to leave some space for the roasted whole lamb over saffron rice and the Moroccan styled chicken and shrimp cooked in a tagine clay pot. There are also numerous and delicious selections for the vegetarians, with curries and steamed, seasoned eggplant. Dessert is a dizzying array of fresh dates, cookies, baklava, turkish delights and mint and green teas.
Junsui is the Burj’s “pan Asian” restaurant. Pretty much, you name the Asian food and they have it or will make it. Japanese tempura, Chinese roast duck, Korean barbecue, Indonesian fried rice. This is one of my favorite restaurants due to the sheer variety of foods and flavors. My favorite meal-crispy Japanese fried chicken cracklings for starters, with the Sweet and sour lobster (incredible mix of fruity flavors and spice seasoning). And usually while many Asian restaurants are a let down in the dessert department, Junsui has its delicious tempura ice cream (think of a fried zeppole with vanilla ice cream inside) as well as an assortment of fresh fruit and tropical sorbets and ice cream and the ubiquitous Burj chocolate fountain for dipping!
All of this great food makes it all the more difficult to ever leave the Burj al Arab hotel. But what about not leaving your room? The Burj has that covered too as their afternoon amenities as well as room service dining are top notch!
