Sunday 19 / May / 2024
The temperature is rising, but with cool evenings and pleasant ocean breezes, there’s still time to enjoy the unparalleled pleasure and romance of outdoor dining. Around the city, there are restaurants offering outdoor seating to suit every style, so grab your spouse and go spend some quality time outside before summer hits.
The Ultimate Alfresco Date
Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton Property
Bustan Village
You’ve no doubt seen the Valentine’s day promotions for Beach Pavilion’s dreamy, candle-lit, private beach cabanas at Al Bustan Palace Hotel, but what many are unaware of is the fact that this spectacular setup is available anytime with 24-hours advance notice. Dine directly on the sand under a delicate, softly-lit cabana surrounded by flickering candles at a table set with fresh roses. With the lapping of the waves and the soft sounds of music wafting through the breeze from the main restaurant, it is the most intimate dining experience in the city. The set four-course menu changes seasonally and features a nice mix of vegetable-based dishes, like creamy, chilled celeriac soup, seafood, and luscious main courses like their meltingly tender fillet of beef crusted with roasted pistachios. If there are any dietary restrictions or personal preferences, the menu can be adjusted to suit. Dessert is always a decadent affair, thanks to the property’s expert pastry chef. After dinner, take a nice long stroll around the lovely, quiet property before driving home.
Book a private beachside table: +968 2476 4000, ritzcarlton.com
A Casual Seaside Meal
Jawharat Al Shatti and Oasis by the Sea
Shatti Al Qurum
In this seaside pair of complexes there are several great options for outdoor dining, so enjoy a low key date with a long walk along Shatti Beach, window shopping in the boutiques of Oasis by the Sea and Jawharat Al Shatti, and a casual supper. You can grab a seat at Slider Station for gourmet burgers and fries overlooking the sea, or head a few doors down to the no-frills Arax restaurant for a cheaper, but no less delicious option. Order the best falafel sandwich in town and be sure to ask them to stuff some of their tender roasted cauliflower inside, then sit at one of the simple metal tables outfront and watch the crowd grow as the sun sets. Just across the parking lot, behind the Jawharat Al Shatti complex, the Qurum Beach Resort is home to Moorish Café, whose quiet garden of alfresco tables feels private and serine, even when the place is totally packed. Their fresh-baked stuffed breads are particularly good, and though it is not on their menu, you can ask for a mixed mezze plate for a great late-afternoon meal.
Slider Station: +968 2469 8990, sliderstation.com/oman
Arax: +968 2460 0935; Moorish Café: +968 9424 8888
Destination Dining in Muttrah
Muttrah Corniche
Muttrah
It always feels like an adventure visiting the old city of Muttrah, so make an afternoon of it with a stroll down the corniche and treasure-hunting through the souq followed by a playful seafood feast. At opposite ends of the Muttrah Corniche are two excellent restaurants. Just past the entrance to the souq going towards Riyam Park sits Kurkum restaurant, one of the most expensive restaurants in the city, owned by a member of the royal family. The service is first-class and the mild, Omani-style Indian fusion dishes are superb, especially the seafood coconut curries and spicy, tandoori cooked hamour. Though the interior is stylish and posh, the scattering of outdoor tables provide the perfect vantage point. At the other end of the waterfront, past the fish roundabout across the street from the fish market is a ramshackle shop called Fishers Grilled. There you can select your fresh catch from the display counter and then enjoy a massive platter at one of the four folding tables set out front for a deliciously messy, fun meal.
Kurkum restaurant: +968 2471 4114, kurkumoman.com
Fishers Grilled: +968 9946 3561 (Ashraf)
Post-shopping Supper
Avenues Mall and Muscat Grand Mall Ghubra
Turn a shopping trip into an impromptu date-night with a long, lingering meal in the cool night air. Tucked inside the two massive Ghubra malls, Aveneus and MGM, there are a few unexpected outdoor patios on which to take your supper. In Avenues, you can have an exotic meal of camel burgers at The Majlis, and across the road at Muscat Grand Mall, Semsom restaurant offers modern Lebanese dishes, like their sesame and black olive hummus, fish kibbe, and rosewater cotton candy, served alfresco on small terraces overlooking the city.
The Majlis: no phone
Semsom: +968 2439 8718, semsom.com
