al liwan - marjan island resort & spa

this was my first ever visit to the marjan island resort & spa located on marjan island to attend a corporate dinner gathering at the liwan restaurant.

dinner was at 8pm on a weekday but therestaurantwasn't that full so it served our purpose. initially we were seated outside but the elements (strong winds) forced us to go back indoors although the outdoor seating had a nice view of the pool.

seating area was spacious but i can imagine therestaurantbeing a bit difficult to negotiate on a busy breakfast service when the hotel is at a decent capacity.

dinner was the usual buffet. salad bar was ok with some decent raw and cooked salads. nice range of dips and breads. main course was limited to a few dishes but well prepared ones. loved the fish dishes and there was also a live pasta cooking counter.

desserts were ok, wish they had more options. the waiting staff were excellent and very prompt. overall it was a decent experience and i enjoyed it more than a similar dinner at the hilton garden inn.

beautiful interiors, good staff service and nice ambience. seating arrangements are neat and quick service too. ordered the following from al liwan:

1. mix green salad : great in taste - 4/5
2. chicken tikka masala : average in taste, neatly presented - 3.5/5
3. paneer masala : i didn't like it all. it had a weird taste. not the usual paneer masala taste - 2/5
4. shish tawouk : good in taste - 3.5/5
5. chicken bbq: loved it - 4.5/5
6. pizza bbq : thumbs up ! 👍🏻👍🏻 - 4.5/5

we ordered for parathas, and they dont serve parathas, but the chef said he would cook it for us, but the frozen parathas was served to us. but i'm not taking this into consideration since they don't have it in the menu and prepared it for us on our request. our breakfast was also from thisrestaurantand it was buffet. the buffet ranged from fruits to baked beans, scrambled eggs etc. this was during our two nights stay at marjan island resort and spa. a one timerestaurantto try.

had a nice lunch boufet with work colleagues and we enjoyed the place
food was very good and variety was amazing as well
the hotel is very nice and the view from the swimming opposite therestaurantwas stunning
will visit again for sure

how was the food?

average. there was a wide spread of food with different cuisines but taste wise wasnt that great 

how was the ambience?

very casual as its a buffet. most guests were in flip flops

how was the staff?

still learning. mostly its self service

how was the price?

paid 150 for a promotional offer of breakfast lunch dinner as a guest at the hotel

will i recommend it?

if you are staying at the hotel, its the onlyrestaurantfor the full board option

i purchased a buffet package for thisrestaurantduring our stay at marjan resort. on a weekend, therestaurantcan be quite full at dinner time and plan some waiting time before you can get a table. the ambience is not particularly special, but the place is neat and seating is spread out with some spacing allowing for some level of privacy.

the food variety was good ranging from starters (fresh raw vegetables to variety of salads) to desserts (fresh fruits and cakes). the main dishes had a good balance of arabic and asian dishes but lacked authentic taste. beware- the buffet lunch and dinner packages usually does not include any beverages (including water).

the breakfast spread was quite impressive and even has good choices for vegetarians. the live egg station is a bonus. the service was just average. rating - 3.0

al liwan is arestaurantin marjan island resort and spa, serving european, international, regional and local experience. the breakfast they serve is very yummy and have good variation.
the shakshuka - a dish of eggs cooked sunny side up in a skillet of tomato sauce and spiced up with pepper was the best of all.
the ambience was very good with an option of poolside dinning.