Transporting guests back to a sleepier Dubai of generations ago, Al-Fanar recreates the visual experience of a Arab gathering space, complete with straight wooden tables and chairs, lanterns and even a tree sprouting up through the courtyard. That this evocative space is located in the ultra-modern Festival City Mall is merely one more of the city’s signature contradictions. Still, the food is as authentic as it gets, from all-day breakfast items such as bajella (broad beans) to mixed grill platters for four featuring jasheed (baby shark meat), robyan (caridean shrimp) and mashwi (barbecued boneless chicken breasts).
