Last weekend I ventured to the stunning setting of Souk Al Bahar to sample the Mango Tree and their Thai Ifftar Offering.
Over looking the Dubai Fountains with amazing Views of the Burj Tower, it didnt take too much convincing!
Mango tree is tucked up on the first floor of the souk and has an outdoor balcony area for the cooler months. Its a restaurant which many are chatting about and recommending all over town, yet it took me this long to try it out!
We were greeted in traditional Thai fashion and seated at our table only to be met with another very friendly member of staff who ran through their options for the ifftar menu. There was a huge choice and whilst we pondered over which to try we were served with fresh juice, dates & mini, melt in the mouth shrimp crackers with sweet dipping sauce! Yum!
To Start, (like we hadn't already demolished the shrimp cracker bowl!!) we had thai soups, one with prawn and the other with chicken dumplings and to share; a platter of phad thai, beef satay with peanut dipping sauce, prawn balls in light batter and spring rolls. This wasnt your average platter with bland food which has to be dunked into dipping sauce in any attempt to get flavour...no no!! this was an explosion of divine delicate finger food, each bursting with flavour. I am a huge fan of Thai food and this meal had started out the best yet!
A little more Juice and water and it was time to have a gander at the wine list! By 7pm-ish they do serve alcohol at the ifftar meal. One large glass of white each and we were ready for the next course! The wine was rather reasonably priced with a 17% discount also added to bottles purchased. Not bad!
Main course was a sampling delight, we couldn't decide between 3 dishes so they brought all 3 instead! Each item on the menu is served almost like a mini main dish (there wasn't anything mini about it!) and you could sample as many as you wish. We were promted for last food orders around 8pm so if you could fit more in then they were willing to cook it! I tried the Thai green Curry, an old favourite and I have to say and it paid off! Wow, what more can I say, I ate the very same dish in Thailand earlier this year and this beats it hands down! Who said you have to travel to experience food in its home land to really appreciate it was talking rubbish! I think Dubai has some of the finest restaurants in the world and this was certainly up there with the best of them! Mango tree do have a restaurant in Bangkok & London too! Lets hope it meets the standard set in Duabi.
Stir fried mud crab in yellow curry & minced beef, holy basil & red chillies all served with steamed jasmine rice were the other dishes we sampled and we couldnt bear the thought of the next course. I'm am sure my dining partner losened his trousers at this point but I'm not sure he'd want to admit that!!
Desert was Vanilla cheese cake with mango ice cream! How could we resist! Just a little hey since its included!! I dont think a word was spoken from the minute the spoon was lifted from the table. Needless to say we didnt have to make appologies for any left overs! There were none!
125AED for ifftar dinner excluding alcohol, what a bargain and what a treat! Chaining myself to the Treadmill now!
