The Layali Ramadan tent at the Marriott Hotel gives an opportunity to its customers to experience the warmth of the holy month and an extravagant Arabic heritage.
Lavish feasts comprising traditional and international buffets where chefs tempt the palates with favorites allow its customers to share the spirit of Ramadan over a bountiful selection at iftar and suhoor.
Underneath the massive shimmering moon-shaped lights, Ramadan lamps, dripping with hundreds of diamond-cut crystal beads, the large tent erected at the Atrium Lobby features sprawling space that promises a magical atmosphere and the essence of Ramadan experience.
Big enough for more than 200 guests, the traditional air-conditioned Layali tent’s sumptuous iftar buffet and a tastefully crafted suhoor is served with a variety of live stations by balancing the brilliant combination of simplicity and luxury. Around eleven main course meals have been arranged at iftar while about seven main course meals are on offer at suhoor.
The tables are stylishly set with a plate of dates and Arabic coffee for the guests to break their fasts.
From various salads to desserts, Layali’s buffet offers a daily rotating menu of traditional Arabic and intercontinental dishes and delicacies. The hot and cold mezzes include hummus with a puddle of olive oil in the middle and a few whole chickpeas floating in it, tabbouleh, moutabel, chicken salad, Lebanese cheese balls, fattoush, warak einab, green salad, beetroot and goat cheese salad, cheese, meat and chicken sambousek, spinach fatayer, kibbeh in addition to a variety of oriental and international salads with selected garnish and lettuce. Diners can also make a salad with their choice of toppings and dressings.
The iftar buffet menu includes an array of traditional Ramadan juices such as laban, Qamar Al-Din, tamer Hindi in addition to fruit juices. The soup station offers lentil soup everyday along with a rotation of different kinds of soups such as tomato, mushroom and chicken. Soft milk bread rolls, slices of baguette and Arabic flatbread are also on offer. Layali’s guests are also presented with a sushi station to enjoy the Japanese tidbits.
At the many hot stations, chefs prepare specialties such as kharouf, ful, lentil curry, mixed grill (lamb kebab, shish taouk, lamb kofta), curries, pastas, stir fry, tempura, chicken shawarma, kibbeh with labnah, sautéed vegetables, chicken makloubh, fish harra sauce, steamed rice, yellow rice and biryani, especially for Indian and Pakistani customers.
Besides, the guests also get a chance to create their own pasta at one of the stations. All this shows the excellence of the Layali culinary ambitions and the great hospitality from the staff makes the visit a memorable one. Despite Marriott being so upmarket the food has not become pretentious.
Alongside all the savory options, Layali has a wide range of delicious desserts to satisfy those with a sweet tooth. The dessert bar includes a selection of Arabic and international sweet creations such as kunafah — a cream-filled pastry drenched in sugar syrup and dry fruits, Umm Ali and basbousa.
The suhoor too offers a selection of delicacies such as labnah, grilled halloumi, feta cheese, plain and continental eggs and light dishes along with the main course.
John Louie, general manager at the Jeddah Marriott Hotel, said: “During the holy month of Ramadan one of the best forms of entertainment is enjoying a relaxed setting. The Layali tent has been built to enjoy the comfort of an indoor environment. The food is prepared by balancing international, local and traditional favorites. The tent allows families and friends to gather and break their fast with a delicious iftar and suhoor meal, while socializing and enjoying the warm, friendly and efficient service”
This superb fine dining restaurant serves a luxury iftar buffet every day from sunset until 8.30 p.m. The meal is priced at a reasonable SR185 per person, including regular coffee, tea and Ramadan juices, whereas, the suhoor costs SR 130 per person.
As an added treat, the daily raffle draw offers valuable prizes sponsored by Makkaj, Pepsi, Ajmal, Royal Jordanian, Garuda Indonesia, Sadia, L’azurdi, Andalusia Dental, Sahara Net and Al-Rabie. It treats guests to extremely valuable prizes and gifts every night.
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Relish Layali Ramadan tent feast at the Marriott
Relish Layali Ramadan tent feast at the Marriott
Recipes for Success: Chef Aniket Chatterjee offers advice and a mutton curry recipe
DUBAI: Aniket Chatterjee — currently chef de cuisine at Atrangi by Ritu Dalmia in Dubai — says his cooking is shaped as much by memory and personal history as it is by technique.
Working closely with celebrity chef and restaurateur Dalmia, Chatterjee has developed a style that looks at Indian food not through trends, he says, but through stories — from home kitchens and street food to lesser-known regional traditions.
Many of his dishes at Atrangi are contemporary adaptations of familiar Indian flavors and everyday recipes. His approach reflects how Indian cuisine in Dubai, and beyond, is shifting, with more diners interested in regional cooking, comfort food and the stories behind where dishes come from, he tells Arab News.
When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?
I put a lot of stress and pressure on myself, which was leading to my passion getting depleted.
What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?
Always cook with intuition and intent. Cooking depends a lot on your mindset. Once you start cooking not because someone wants to eat, but because you want to feed them, that’s a game changer.
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?
Simple: salt. Seasoning is key. Someone once said: “The difference between good food and great food is a pinch of salt,” and I strongly believe that. And love, of course.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
Obviously it’s a mechanism, after working for so many years, that I try to analyze anything that I eat. But it’s just for understanding or inspiration purposes. I do believe in giving feedback because I genuinely want the restaurant or the cook to be better.
What’s the most common issue that you find in other restaurants?
The thing that ticks me off is anything which starts with “viral.” I’m out. I don’t like it when restaurants follow trends and don’t do what they are actually capable of doing or love to do.
What’s your favorite cuisine or dish?
I love Japanese food. It’s simple yet complex. But my favorite dish changes weekly. It is like that one song that you listen to on a loop and then you get sick of it. I do the same with food. Last week it was mandi with haneeth ribs — the fat, the freshness from the tomato, rice and laban is so beautifully balanced. This week, it’s mostly ramen.
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
I love to make a nice bowl of pasta. Usually, back home, in my pantry, we always have the ingredients, because even my mom loves it. It’s usually a nice simple tomato and basil spaghetti with some fresh mozzarella or a ragu or an aglio e olio.
What customer behavior most annoys you?
When they tell us they are allergic to something but later turns out they just don’t like the particular thing. That has happened multiple times.
What’s your favorite dish to cook and why?
A nice spicy curry — chicken or lamb. It’s therapeutic. Making curry, for me, is the most beautiful thing in the world. It’s very complex and layered, and it’s completely based on understanding, not a recipe.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?
It’s not a dish, it’s two ingredients: doodhi (bottle gourd) and karela (bitter gourd). I absolutely despised both those vegetables with all my heart, until I took on a challenge to work around it. It worked out and I have had a lot of my fellow haters end up liking both.
As a head chef, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laid back?
I don’t like shouting; I feel that’s a very weak approach to leading a team. You have to be calm and composed. I’m a firm believer in energies and that it transpires into the food, so I don’t want a stressful work environment and having fun in the kitchen is mandatory. Of course, there are some non-negotiables, and that’s where the discipline kicks in.
Chef Aniket’s lazy Sunday mutton curry
(serves 4)
Ingredients
Marination:
Mutton or lamb curry cut – 600g
Mutton or lamb fat (preferably in cubes) – 100g
Full fat yoghurt – 50g
Red onion (sliced) – 450g
Ginger and garlic paste – 80g
Coriander stems (whole) – 15g
Mustard oil – 30ml
Kashmiri red chilli powder – 16g
Turmeric powder – 8g
Coriander powder – 14g
Roasted cumin powder – 14g
Black salt – to taste
Garam masala:
Cumin – 8g
Cinnamon – 4g
Cloves – 2g
Green cardamom – 6g
Black cardamom – 2g
Bay leaf – 2 pcs
Whole dried red chilli – 1 pc
Black pepper – 3g
Fennel seeds – 6g
For the tempering:
Mustard oil – 80ml
Whole dried red chilli – 2 to 3 pcs
Bay leaf – 2 to 3 pcs
Black pepper (whole) – 6g
Cinnamon sticks – 2 to 3 pcs
Instructions:
Take a bowl and combine all the ingredients listed under marination. Let it sit for at least three hours, preferably overnight in the fridge.
For the spice mix, combine all the ingredients listed under garam masala in a cold non-stick pan and slowly bring to heat. Toss the spices as they warm so they roast evenly without burning. Once cooled, blend into a coarse powder.
Take a pressure cooker and add the mustard oil from the tempering. Once hot, add the dry spices and saute for a minute.
Add the marinated mutton or lamb directly into the oil. The marinade will have released some water, so separate it and add only the meat, onions and fat first. This helps the meat and onions sear and caramelize properly.
Once browned, add the remaining marinade liquid and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Cover and cook for two whistles plus 30 minutes for mutton, or two whistles plus 15 minutes for lamb. Let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes until the steam releases naturally.
Once the meat is tender, adjust the consistency and seasoning to taste.
Turn off the heat and add one tablespoon of the garam masala. At this point, add one tablespoon clarified butter or ghee, julienned ginger (5 g), lemon juice to taste and a pinch of sugar.
Finish with plenty of fresh chopped coriander and serve hot with rice or parathas.
