Fancying a change of scenery we visit Al Raha Beach Hotel for dinner. There’s plenty of options to choose from; The Piscine, Café Mozart, Sevilla and Azur. In the mood for Mediterranean food we opt for Azur.

 

Exposed brickwork, scenic paintings, model boats, old-fashioned wooden coat stands, candles and other random odds and ends work well to create a unique, almost romantic feel. We spot the chefs busily working away in the kitchen through a large open viewing window.

 

The menu is comprehensive with separate sections of risotto, pasta, pizza, seafood, meat and dessert. We order the Seafood Pot au Feu soup to start, followed by pumpkin risotto and grilled beef tenderloin for mains.

 

We’re presented with a selection of bread, Parmesan, red pepper salsa, grapes, garlic and olive tapenade to start. The medley is so tasty that we have to remind ourselves to be patient and leave room for our ordered meals. We’re glad of this when the seafood Pot au Feu is served. The generous portion of fresh fish, shrimp and mussels swimming in a steaming sea of saffron broth makes our mouth water on sight. It tastes fantastic and definitely is the ‘something different,’ we were on the lookout for.

 

Next up is the pumpkin risotto made with organic carnaroli rice, sundried tomatoes and Parmesan. We devour forkfuls of this creamy, decadent course while our co-tester feasts on her mains – grilled Angus beef tenderloin served with peppers, hollandaise sauce, seasonal vegetables and gratin potatoes. “This is the nicest steak I’ve tasted since that one I had in Portugal,” she says – considering she visited Portugal almost two years ago, this is praise indeed.

 

We move to the outside terrace for post dinner coffee soaking up the relaxed atmosphere, we can just about see the Arabian Gulf shore as we sit among palm trees strung with fairy lights – an ideal end to the evening.

 

Catriona Doherty

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