Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Whenever I get a whiff of fire-kissed, smoky-flavoured meats, my inner carnivore comes out to play, or in this case, to indulge. Last week I went to Taybat Restaurant at Grand Millennium Muscat and broke my fast amid the aromas of barbecued proteins. It was a much needed meaty escapade that gave me that Iftar fix with an added touch of just-grilled goodness on a platter.
My friend and I reached the place at about 6.45pm. The interior looked beautiful and spacious with a ton of tables but we got ourselves a table outside on a strategic corner next to the grilling station as we knew that we are there to experience the thrill of the grills. As the call for prayer took place, we had our dates, nuts, and dried fruits that were placed on our table, and we washed it down with a glass of cold water before heading to the buffet.
The buffet at Taybat is quite extensive, with a number of cuisines ranging from Arabian to Indian, with a bit of Italian. Oven-cooked rice with meat, Dawood Basha (Lebanese meatballs), dal makhani, biryani, and slow-cooked meat with mushroom sauce were some of the items on offer, and they all looked appetising. As for beverages, they have juices such as tamarind and hibiscus, and also serve five varieties of fresh in-house laban drinks that include laban with garlic, laban with cardamom, and laban with rose, which ended up becoming the star of the show for the night.
We kicked off our Iftar with cold mezze and a bunch of Lebanese flat breads. As usual, I eyed their olive-oil sprinkled hummus and labneh for starters.
After tickling our stomachs with mezze and bread, we walked straight to the alfresco barbecue station, grabbed a couple of plates and dived right into everything. They had Irani and Egyptian kebabs, Irani-style chicken, Lebanese shish tawook, Omani prawns, spicy hamour (grouper), as well as a shawarma section with condiments and Jordanian flat breads, and a selection of naans along with a variety of baked goods to accompany your choice of protein.
The grills were to die for. They had that perfect crunch but retained all the moist inside, and it was, without a doubt, one of our favourite Iftar adventures.
Before we left, I asked my friend if we could have a few glasses of that rose-laban goodness. It was literally the best thing I’ve tasted this Ramadan. We chugged in a couple of glasses each and headed out. Am I going to come back here? No question about it, especially for their Irani-style chicken. Perhaps I’ll bring my jug and fill it with that heavenly laban for Suhoor. — [email protected]
Photography: Salim Al Afifi
Taybat Restaurant at Grand Millennium Muscat
+968 2234 2222
Iftar buffet price: OMR14 per person
