Categories: FoodHappenings

Iftar at Anar

A meal at Anar is an affair for the senses. Not only are its Middle Eastern dishes—perfumed with saffron and an array of aromatic herbs—a delight to taste buds, they are served in a palatial ambience decked with chandeliers, oil lamps and decorative lanterns from Morocco, Lebanon and Syria.

If you have yet to experience the restaurant’s authentic kebabs and opulent setting, head down this month for its special iftar menu. Available daily (weekends included) from 7 to 8pm at just $40, it features fresh dates and fruit juice followed by soup, salad and mains such as Khoresht E Bamiyeh (an okra and beef stew), and Kabsa bel Lahem (a traditional, slow-simmered Saudi rice dish).

Six different menus rotate throughout August with desserts ranging from a nut-studded baked semolina to traditional Syrian and Iranian rice puddings (see below for two sample menus).

MENU 1:

Fresh Dates
Mixed Arabic Pickles
Flat Bread
Kamar El Deen (Apricot Juice)
Soup Morgh (Chicken Soup)
Creamy chicken soup served with fresh cream and chopped parsley
Tabouleh
A mélange of finely diced parsley, mint, bulgur, tomato, onion drizzled with fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil
Moutabbal
Chargrilled eggplant, mixed with sesame paste , fresh garlic & lemon juice
Hommos Bel Lahem
Chickpea puree with sesame paste , garlic, lemon & beef
Sambosek bel Lahem (Meat-filled Samosas)
Traditional rolls filled with minced beef and Arabic spices, deep fried to perfection
Steamed Saffron Rice
Bazellaa bel Roz (Green pea Stew with Beef Cubes)
Green pea stew, carrot & coriander, with beef cubes and short beef ribs
Saffron Crème Brulee

MENU 2:

Fresh Dates
Orange Juice
Moroccan Harira Soup
Hearty soup infused with ground beef on a base of spiced vermicelli with freshly ground Arabic spices
Fattoush
Romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, green pepper, radish, onion, mint and garlic dressed with fresh lemon juice and apple cider, served with toasted bread
Baba Ghanouj
Chargrilled egg plant mixed with, garden herbs, sweet capsicum, garlic, lemon and pomegranate syrup
Tabreezi Khorak Morgh
Tender chicken cooked with sweet onion and tomato gravy, served with Persian berry rice
Riz Be Halib
Traditional Syrian rice pudding with milk sugar, honey and flower blossom water