Food at the Shangri-La Al Husn

Death by overfeeding…………

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Maria’s view

For all of you who do not have the pleasure of knowing Alex, she is an excellent cook. Yes, great, BUT this is a real issue because every time you pop around to her house, she really tries to kill you with food.
She must be scared of people dying of hunger. Alex, darling, luckily we live in a developed country where food is not a problem, at least for now, fingers crossed.
I am mentioning this, because every time I am on a getaway with her, even when she is not in charge of the kitchen, she has an special ability to choose restaurants, pubs, etc…where, if you didn’t die with a food overdose at her house, you could do it in one of these places.

Food in Oman is excellent, I have a special predilection for Eastern cuisine which made it even easier to be completely happy tasting the new flavours and dishes this country offers.

The great selection of food served at the Shangri-La was exceptional.
For breakfast there was a buffet with endless choices of salty, sweet, sour and spicy goods. OMG these buffets have more variety that my diet for the whole year.

So, I was always keen on trying every single thing that was new for my palate. Then, without even realising my plate was overloaded everyday for an exquisite feast…and this was only for breakfast, you can imagine at this point how lunch and dinner would be. These places are designed for animals with more than one stomach, not for humans (unless you have more than one stomach) I swear.

Who can even move after breakfasts like this? Not me. Full belly and the heat hitting my whole body, how useful was my sun-bed for my stomach to have a rest.

One night, we decided to go to the Omani restaurant, which sounded fabulous. After making our minds up, we agreed to try one of the recommendations which was lamb wrapped in banana leaves. This spiced lamb is cooked in an earth oven over charcoal, which makes it tender, with a unique flavour, very delicious.

We were in this quiet and peaceful Omani restaurant, with nice music in the background. We were both, Alex and I, tasting and enjoying every single dish that was brought to the table, until the special dish arrived “The Lamb”.

Staff in the hotel are well trained so they are always offering you exceptional treatment.
The waiter approached us with “The Lamb” and carefully he unwrapped the meat from the banana leaves, very delicate. Kindly he served some of it to me, meticulously he continued serving Alex. I was distracted by the delicious smell of the dish when I looked at Alex who was staring at me and without a word spitting from her mouth, I knew that something has happened.

Alex, she didn’t even move, but the face and the eyes were talking for themselves.
As soon as the very professional waiter left, Alex said to me “Maria, he has dropped lamb on my shoe” , I replied “Oh well, poor guy, I didn’t eve notice it, I am sure it is nothing”. Immediately, Alex stretched herself to reach her feet and her face was changing when she brought to the table the “small piece” of lamb which was resting on her shoe. JEEESSSUUUUSSS CHRIIIISSTTT someone else could join us for dinner, because a third portion was brought straight from Alex’s shoes to the table.

This was the best lamb I have ever tried in my life (not sure about the one rescued from Alex’s shoe).

Alex’s view

Maria is, as ever, too kind. I dabble with cooking, but am no expert. In addition, I refute the allegation that I might be attempting to murder people, all I do is prepare food which I politely present. If people choose to eat it, then surely it is suicide and not murder we are talking of. There are few pleasures in life which equal seeing people, and especially Maria, enjoy something you have cooked. Her very expressive nature makes it a real joy to observe, so as you see, it is really her own doing. My kitchen has yielded no death toll as yet, just a few near misses.
I have many secrets for the selection of a good restaurant which, I may disclose at some point in this blog, the key is to judge with your eyes, but not the décor; and with your nose.

The Shangri-La’ has a good selection of restaurants which range from the ever present Italian, to an Omani restaurant, to the buffet and more. I am very suspicious of buffets in general, but on this trip, they have proven rather good. The buffet had areas which specialised in varying cuisines ranging from Italian, Indian and most poignantly, grilled and local, which were truly delicious. The grilled chicken was some of the most succulent I have tasted and the local mezze table included so many delicacies as one was truly spoiled for choice. It catered for all.

The fish restaurant Bait al Bahr has a relaxed beachside atmosphere with fresh grilled fish, some of which I am certain I had met earlier in the day in the sea. Delicious. However, as it is open air, it is not for the faint hearted as it can prove to be a tad humid. At least I suspected as much, as I recall Maria’s exclamations, gradual sinking in her chair like a melted ice cream and progressively increasing inability to function coherently. Although, this may also have been driven by the lack of Cabrales (an Asturian “cheese” allegedly). Personally I suspect it is either paint stripper, or a new culture of nuclear antibiotics. Seriously, nothing can prepare your for this “food” but Maria seems to be unable to live without it. We had none, mercifully, on the trip. I searched her luggage prior to departure.

On the other hand, the Omani restaurant Al Tandoor was quite simply superb. Although you do need to build an appetite and wear protective foot ware, possibly a steel cap shoe. This is to account for the eventuality when an entire lamb is deposited unceremoniously on your foot. In the waiter’s defence, it was dark and he was elaborately carving the beast in front of us, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt. The lamb, as Maria eloquently put it was an utterly sublime, melt-in-the-mouth explosion of flavours. The bruise was gone in a week.

The hotel also featured free afternoon tea and free pre-dinner drinks with our room. To be honest, after the colossal breakfast, there is little incentive to eat anything else prior to dinner, but we pushed for one afternoon tea, which I would define as acceptable. The drinks we simply never managed to attend, as to galvanise Maria sufficiently from her beach and humidity induced relaxation, would be beyond my skill set. I picked my battles and focused my efforts on awakening her for snorkelling instead.

Lastly, on our last day, we decided upon a beach lunch. There are few pleasures in life which beat being catered for, while you are reading a book by the beach (or while running in and out of the water every 15 minutes in my case). To return to what can only be described as a beach double bed, and find a salad staring at you next to some grilled fish, is a thing of beauty. Balancing a tray on a precarious perch positioned on sand, is another matter.

All in all, I think the catering cost us a few kilos and we were able to roll out of the hotel at the end of our stay like fattened ducks ready for the table.

(P.S. I did not eat the lamb which landed on my shoe… obviously).

Near action shot of the lamb being deposited……. brutally