Iftar review: Besh Turkish Kitchen

Iftar at Besh Turkish Kitchen in Sheraton Dubai offers a wide range of Middle Eastern eats. But it's important to save room for dessert, discovers Janice Rodrigues

For the most part, I managed to avoid buffets this year and was congratulating myself on the fact. There's something about the sheer volume of food that tends to put me off, especially if it's heaped onto platters rather unimaginatively. But despite the fact that I'm not the biggest fan of buffets, the iftar at Besh called to me. It might have been the effort the restaurant put in to distinguish itself from other establishments and promote its Turkish culture, starting with their Ramadan Bazaar - a pop up market where diners can browse through and buy Turkish products like jewellery, clothing and décor.
When we got there, it wasn't the market that took pride of place - it was the live cooking stations. Which was a relief - no heaps of food. Instead almost everything is made on the spot, and can be customised to your taste like the doner kebab or the Turkish flat bread - both delicious. A kömür, traditional Turkish grill, serving charcoal-grilled meats, from lamb to fish, fared pretty well too. There are stations for hot and cold mezzes, for authentic Turkish food, and also for general favourites from the Middle East. Even my plus one, who happens to be a vegetarian, was reasonably impressed with the selection.
Dessert was another stupendous affair. Expect all the usual - Turkish delights, baklava, Umm Ali, along with a selection of bite-sized cakes, a crepe station and a chocolate fountain. My favourite, though, was the dondurma, or Turkish ice cream. My vendor made sure I fought for my cone - but it was well worth the effort.


TASTE (4/5)
As in the case of all major iftar buffets, there were some hits and some misses. The Arabic staples were all great, but some of the grilled meats seemed a bit dry. Points for the pide and the manakish (Turkish flat bread) that was baked in front of us and served piping hot. Delicious.
AMBIENCE (4/5)
The place is more than pretty with pops of turquoise, and it's decked up for Ramadan, with giant half-moon installations.  We arrived on a weekend to find the place absolutely packed, but it didn't feel too cramped. The dim gold lighting gave it a more intimate feel.
SERVICE (3/5)
The servers were friendly and prompt but the place was so packed, it was all too natural that we couldn't find a server when we needed one. That being said, I thought having a server dressed in traditional garb, only to serve tea, was a nice touch.
PRESENTATION (3/5)
When it comes to live cooking stations and buffets, presentation usually takes a back seat. There was a decent attempt to style the food served at the mezze stations though and the dessert
was easy on the eyes and
the tongue.
VALUE FOR MONEY (4 1/2 / 5)
At Dh145 per pax (with kids aged 6-12 eating at half price), and a wide variety of meats, this is definite value for money. There's everything you'd expect from a traditional Middle Eastern iftar and plenty you'd be surprised to see (like the crepe station!).
 

• Food and Dining