Enjoy a seafood extravaganza at the Sheraton Oman

What could be more tempting than having an all-you-can-eat buffet? One that offers you a treat from the ocean? Experience the seafood night at the Sheraton Oman Hotel and indulge in a delightful treat with treasures from the deep.

The seafood night at the Sheraton Oman Hotel has always been their signature with quite a following, as they served nothing but excellence and of course fresh-out-the-water fish goodness. After the hotel reopened last year the seafood tradition was brought back, and today the seafood night is the most sought-after affair for seafood connoisseurs.

As my colleague and I arrived at the beautiful Courtyard, we were welcomed by friendly waiters who escorted us to our reserved table by the window. As I sat enjoying oceanic aromas that filled my nostril, the manager came and gave us a quick tour of what was on offer.

The core concept of the night is of course seafood, but the way they incorporated a variety of cuisines into the buffet left me in amazement. Indoors, you can find hot and cold mezze, desserts, shrimp, and sushi, and my absolute favourite paella station. Outside, there’s a grilling station where they serve a variety of sea creatures including seabass, a pasta station for Italian food lovers, a fresh lumpia for Asian food aficionados, and a one-stop-shop for everything crabs.

The hunger was kicking in, so I dived into cold mezze and shrimp salad, which tasted amazing. Then, I grabbed my plate and headed outdoors for some grilled goodness. The aroma of fire-kissed fish is just delicious. I took a bunch of shrimps and some seabass. What I love about grills is that the oceanic taste is well preserved and infused with smoky flavours. The seabass was soft and full of flavours, and the springy prawns were just the way I like them — smoky and a bit crunchy. You can ask the chef to make it crunchier if you are a fan of crunchy grills, or you can opt for the alternative and order it slightly grilled.

I was determined to fill up my plate, so I went to the crab station and took a couple of sandwiches made of crispy, deep-friend soft-shell crabs, splashed with a special in-house crab mayonnaise, topped with a bunch of lettuce and onion, and sandwiched on a fresh bun. The softness of the buns with the crispiness of crabs was quite delicious. I went back and got me third crab-on-a-bun treat, it was that good.

After finishing my sandwiches, I was already full, but voices in my head kept on telling me to suck it up and try the paella. Well, trying the paella was a given, as it is my favourite Spanish dish. I ordered a small portion of the paella with mix of seafood and a bunch of vegetables. The dish was to die for, it tasted somewhat creamy with a tomato-based sauce. The dish was the pinnacle of all dishes here. A true highlight for the night.

By the time I finished my wonderful rice dish, I was as full as one can be, but I left a tiny space on the left corner of my stomach, dedicated to the Asian fresh lumpia. I went to the station and asked for the tiniest portion possible. The chef was super friendly; she gave me a bit of history on the dish as she got crafty with it. It’s basically a delicacy made of crepe-like sweet bread, and filled with your choice of either prawns or chicken, then topped with thin-cut slices of potatoes, sweet potatoes, and some greens, then folded and slathered with thick, creamy peanut sauce. The dish wasn’t my cup of tea, but it was a great experience. I enjoyed the sweet taste of the crepe as it blended with the creamy peanuts, but the filling didn’t work for me. Still, it’s a must-try for food lovers, it may end up becoming your favourite treat.

Overall, my experience at Sheraton’s seafood night was excellent. The food was great, so was the service, the ambiance, and the live music. I had grilled fish, Spanish goodness, and taste of Asia, all in one night, what else could you ask for? I had my eye for the pasta station but shoving the food down my thought would’ve been a real struggle, so next time it will sure be the first station to savour. Till next time, Sheraton.