Who would have thought that fish and rice would be a staple for Emiratis in Sharjah? Sharjah, one of the seven emirates that comprise the United Arab Emirates, surprises visitors with the innumerable varieties of fish it has to offer—from sea bream to sea bass and beyond. Freshly caught and auctioned fish are put up for sale at the city’s Souk Al Jubail, Sharjah’s largest fresh produce market, in neatly arranged rows to be sold in hygienic conditions.
At Fatima’s house in Alrahmanyah, fish is one of the highlights of the home-cooked meal she spreads out for visitors. Roasted sea bream can be had with plain Basmati rice and a flavoured oil. Fatima, who has entertained thousands of guests to food cooked at her home over the years, is also the epitome of Emirati hospitality. She invites guests to her palatial home with Arabic coffee and dates, with the cup being refilled every time it is emptied. Food is to be had sitting on thick cushions on the floor, laid out around the spread, the way Emirati families eat when they gather for lunch or dinner. There is a dish of chicken and spiced rice with chickpeas, somewhat similar to the Indian pulao, only it is a whole chicken that sits on the rice and has to be carved when eating. But the star of the spread is the goat meat dish served with similar rice. A whole goat is spiced, wrapped in banana and lemon leaves, packed in an aluminium foil, placed in a bag and cooked in a covered firepit below ground for 24 hours before it is brought out for serving. The slow cooked meat gets its flavour from the spices and leaves, and melts in the mouth, offering a heavenly experience. A variety of salads offered adds a dash of crunch and freshness to the palate.
Another place that left a mark with its spread of local cuisine was in Kalba, at the Bent Al Nokhetha seafront restaurant.
However, Sharjah also offers a contemporary choice of food and two restaurants are a must visit for this. One of them is Shababeek, in the restaurant district on Sharjah waterfront. It offers contemporary Lebanese, including delicacies like stuffed vine leaves in oil, served with sumac sauce; baba ganoush; mini kebbeh sajieh, served with cheeses and walnuts; baked rakat rolls stuffed with cheese and dry figs; kibbet riz stuffed with meat and pine nuts; and grilled lamb chops. The braised lamb shank and pilaf in a puff pastry dough, served in an oriental sauce is one of the highlights of the Shababeek experience.
The second restaurant that offers some outstanding food is the one at Chedi al Bait at the Heart of Sharjah, the restored heritage art district. The cold platter they offer as starter includes known Lebanese favourites such as hummus, stuffed vine leaves, tabbouleh, baba ganoush and labneh with garlic and muhammara, which is a dip made from walnuts and roasted red pepper. While the non vegetarian variety has kibbeh (fried wheat and ground meat balls), cheese roll, spinach fatayer (a pie), lamb sambousek (made from minced lamb) and the commonly known falafel. They also have honey-roasted beets served with grilled halloumi cheese.
As part of the main course, Chedi has Sayadieh, which is sea bass served with sticky shallots and spiced rice. They also have the lamb, chicken and vegetarian variations of the Moroccan tajine. The dish derives its name from the tajine, a conical pot in which food is cooked and every guest is served the dish in a tajine. There is also a delectable dish of baked eggplant, which is served with harra sauce, feta cheese, macerated cherry and mixed leaves.
As for Chedi’s dessert platter—it is heavenly, including the melt in your mouth fluffy pastries that are a tad sweet, and not more.
Even Bushveld Cafe, the restaurant at the heart of Sharjah Safari—Sharjah’s wildlife park—is a food lover’s delight, with its more western offering of pizzas, pastas and prawn cocktails, among others.
The Mysk Kingfisher retreat at Kalba too has a decent spread of western and Lebanese cuisines.
All these places are definitely worth a try.
Disclaimer: The visit to Sharjah was on invitation from Sharjah Tourism and Commerce Development Authority (SCTDA), #VisitSharjah