Aroma of Arabia starts at The Westin
On 7 November, The Westin Dhaka inaugurated an Arabian food festival, named the Aroma of Arabia, which will be housed in their Seasonal Tastes restaurant till 14 November, 2013. Westin believes that this kind of festival will give an opportunity for the guests to experience authentic Arabian cuisine.
And in pursuit of ensuring true authenticity, the restaurant has flown in two chefs from Egypt, Mohammed Ali Mahmoud Ali Mahmoud Aldawa and Alaa Mohamed Hamdi Abdel Ghani Beshir, who will preside over the kitchen of Seasonal Tastes throughout the festival.
And then there is of course The Westin Dhaka's executive chef, Peter Wicki, who is very excited about the event.
“I have myself worked in the Middle East for about seven years,” he said. “Drawing from my own experience, and more importantly from that of our guest chefs, we believe that we can indeed provide authenticity of cuisine, which is essential for our guests who have been to the Middle East and tasted real Arabian food and also for those who have not been there but now has the chance to enjoy this experience by attending this festival.”
The menu consists of a wide array of Middle Eastern cuisines, from drinks such as sobia juice to main dishes like stuffed potatoes with lamb and chicken, lamb kebab hallah, sayadieh sea food, etc. On one side of the buffet table is the cooking station, offering falafel condiments, chicken shawarma, etc. And the crown of the festival -- roasted whole lamb with kabsa rice -- the extravagant, generous and very rich platter, is the special attraction.
Among the appetisers, fattoush is one of the most popular salads in the world, with the platter being omnipresent all over the Middle East. Potato Belforno, on the other hand, is one of the main dishes which looks modest with just potatoes -- with no meat or the like -- that tastes superb with its sweet and tangy taste from tomatoes.
The desserts also boast quite a wide Middle Eastern variety. For example, you can try their balah el sham, a Middle Eastern delicacy small in size and a little elongated and brownish in colour, much like traditional sweets.
In the launching ceremony, Dr Saeed Bin Hajar Al Shehi, the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, Dhaka to Bangladesh was the chief guest and Al Mahmood Shamin, airport manager of Etihad Airways presided as the special guest.
Etihad Airways is the airplane partner and Dhaka Tribune is the media partner of this festival.
For reservations, dial 9891988 (extension: 3311).
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