Abyat – Club Vista Mare – Palm Jumeirah

A beautiful restaurant serving authentic Lebanese cuisine as well as as offering other Levantine specialty dishes. Located at Club Vista Mare you can eat at Abyat facing the shores of Palm Jumeirah with the view of million dollar villas stretched on top of a man made island. Their menu was different, appetizers/mains that came on our table were impressive and worth recommending this restaurant to anyone wanting to try authentic Eastern Mediterranean cuisine.

The view of Palm Jumeirah beach from Abyat

The interiors were colorful. Lights and wall art are pretty. You could sit inside the restaurant with glass views of the beach. You had different types of seatings from wooden chairs to cushioned sofas with different tables. Wall arts had a reflection of their culture and style.

Their plates and glasses are worth a mention. They looked simple, yet elegant. Something about their glass I couldn’t stop touching it. By the way, they also had a smoking and non smoking area.

As we waited first came in their wonderful treat of Hot breads and dippers. They had different kinds of breads and all of them were just too good to be eaten by itself. You really didn’t even need a dipper. We tried their mocktails of different variants from yoghurt to fruits. I’d say they look pretty but wouldn’t give it a high mark for it’s taste.

Signature Abyat Soup – 35 AED – Clear soup with lamb meatballs, potato cubes, chickpeas and onions garnished with parsley

From our lunch at Abyat, I’d say the only item that I didn’t really enjoy was their soup. It felt healthy but not a soup that is designed to impress my taste buds.

Kishkeh – AED 29 – Yoghurt base mixed with fine burghul (crushed wheat), walnut, onions, mint and olive oil

Olive Salad – AED 28 – Halloumi Cheese, stuffed olives, onions, walnut and pomegranate molasses

The KishKeh was a new one for us. It was amazing and different in taste. One of the best yoghurt based dippers you could find. Beware when you order the Olive salad, it’s plenty of olives. It felt like 80% olives and 20% rest of everything else. But you’ll enjoy it if you are an Olives fan.

Kibbeh Sajieh – AED 30 – Deep fried Kibbeh stuffed with minced lamb, special spices, mixed nuts, onions and pomegranate molasses dressing

Yalangi – AED 39 – A selection of vine leaves, baby Zucchini and baby eggplants stuffed with rice and vegetables, slow cooked with garlic and olive oil (served cold)

Soujouk Rolls – AED 42 – Arabic bread rolls stuffed with soujouk meat and mixed spices, served with ranch sauce

The two items that I would like to highlight from their hot mezze would be the Soujouk Rolls and Kibbeh Sajieh. These were one of a kind. Arabic bread rolls never tasted so good. The Soujouk came hot, crispy and unbelievably addictive. The kibbeh was another magnificent treat which was different from the typical kibbeh that you’d expect and they were lip smacking good.

Shakrieh – AED 59 – Tender Lamb chunks slow cooked in yoghurt and served with white rice

Fattet Hummus and beef – AED 48 – Boiled chickpeas with fried beef meat served with toasted bread, tahina-yogurt sauce garnished with mixed nuts, parsley and pomegranate seeds

Fattet Hummus was my favourite from the list of mains we tried, but mind you there is lots of bread that you will be eating in this dish. But it’s a great dish packed with meat, nuts and loads of Tahina!

Kabab Karaz – AED 75 – Char-grilled lamb meatballs slow cooked with cherry sauce and cinnamon, topped with parsley and fried pine nuts

Zayd posing with Kabab Karaz – AED 75 – Char-grilled lamb meatballs slow cooked with cherry sauce and cinnamon, topped with parsley and fried pine nuts

From the mains, Most what we ordered was not Lebanese but rather dishes from Syria etc. The Kabab Karaz that came with cherry sauce and cinnamon looked and tasted very different. It was a unique experience eating it. Something that we never expected to be eating. These kind of dishes really make it worth visiting places like Abyat that truly reflects their unique offering.

Labanieh Bil Kachta – AED 43 – Crispy Kunafa balls stuffed with pistachios, served on a bed of Arabic cream

You don’t want to skip a traditional kunafa at a Lebanese restaurant. Although I wouldn’t call it the best I’ve had but it does the job fairly well. The crispy kunafa balls was actually disappointing. I would recommend to try something else. Click here to visit the official website of Abyat where you can also find their entire menu. Click pictures to see them in full screen view: