RESTAURANT REVIEW: SOFRA

RATING

*****

Sofra at the Shangri-la Hotel, Abu Dhabi is probably one of the most popular buffet destinations. I remember when we went for Iftar one time during Ramadan, the place was so packed, people would literally be rubbing shoulders and elbows as they passed each other carrying multiple plates of food. 

If you’ve never tried their buffets, you really must go. The buffet is extremely elaborate, with a vast range of food that makes you at a loss on where to start. They have about every popular cuisine and type of food available: Asian, Italian, Indian, Middle Eastern, grills, seafood, salads and much more. Their dessert table consisted of a live crepe and waffle station, ice cream, not one, not two, but three chocolate fountains, Arabic sweets, cakes, custards, mousses and the list goes on!

Although I really can’t eat too much during Ramadan and I get full quite quickly, but I couldn’t resist trying a bit of everything. My husband’s first stop is always straight to the grills. He filled his plate with grilled pieces of chicken, meat and freshly cooked shrimp, mussels and calamari. He had a second helping of mussels and shrimps because they were so good. My favorite part of any buffet is the appetizers, and those small appetizer plates don’t do it for me. I always end up grabbing one of the big plates and filling it up with hot and cold appetizers and salads as well as a bowl of lentil soup, which was so good! I tried their pasta, which was really good, although a bit cold, and their biryani was also superb!

I ended it with a cup of coffee and huge pile of desserts. I was not a huge fan of their Arabic sweets, but everything else was great. Of course, I couldn’t actually leave without having a chocolate filled crepe with a side of strawberries and bananas. It was to die for!

Definitely one of the best buffets in Abu Dhabi, and is good all year round.