Iftar Recommendation: Ramadan Nights at Al Nasr

Since the first of Ramadan, Al Nasr has put up a large banner promoting its Ramadan Nights. When I went by to ask, they explained that these nights are only Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, so there are only two more nights left this Ramadan.

So this recommendation is a bit late: Al Nasr has the best under-€10 iftar buffet I’ve seen this Ramadan in Dubai.

I was there with two other tables of diners. At one was a Muslim family, and at the other were four English women.

About 10 minutes before sunset, the oldest boy from the Muslim family went and got a plate of dates and set it in the middle of their table. Each member of the family also had a glass of water in waiting.

The PA system started playing a recitation of the Quran. I’d made this mistake before, since I can’t tell the difference between the recitation and the azan, and one iftar I started eating too early. This time, I knew to watch the Muslim family, who knew the difference. As soon as the azan sounded, the family all took a few dates from the common plate, and drank their water, and so did I. Then the family went to the prayer rooms.

This is not advisable in most of the under-€10 iftar buffets, since, after praying, there won’t be any food left, but, at Al Nasr, there was no problem. The buffet had enough food for about 100 people, and there were only 12 of us. So, after the family had finished praying, they were able to enjoy a very nice dinner.

The English ladies waited until they were certain the azan had sounded, then went to fill their plates, breaking their fast five or ten minutes after sunset. This does not seem to be allowed for Muslims, but the English ladies, like my companion last week, didn't see what difference a few minutes would make.

The buffet included all the usual salads (or mezzes):, fish, chicken, and goat dishes, vegetables, rice, a full complement of desserts, and a cheese tray, all for less than €6.

And nothing ran out before I could try it, as happened to me last week.