Description: The Skyview Bar:
When our name was called we were greeted by our waitress who escorted us down one of these ‘tubes’ into the skyview bar. Our table was right by the window with a view of the Jumeirah Beach hotel and then onto the city of Dubai. At the time we were there I do believe we had the best view because the sun was starting to go down and this meant people on the other side had a very hazy view of the Palm. We could just about see ‘The World’ islands but it was difficult to know which was which from here.
The bar was very modern with glass and black predominating. It was very light as all the exterior walls were glass in order to fully appreciate the splendid view. We were handed a menu and had the various courses explained to us. We could choose either Bucks Fizz or champagne which was poured out in a very unusual way with the waitresses arm extended up high.
The tea experience:
We started with a tiny bowl with a few select berries and a blob of cream. This was followed by a slice of roast lamb with a lentil and chutney sort of mix on top. A palette cleanser followed this which was strange but I am not a fan of palette cleansers they always taste a little odd to me. At this stage were each brought our pot of tea, I had a smoky one similar to Lapsang Souchong, while my husband selected a date tea. The date tea was actually delicious, not sweet but with a creamy hint of sweetness which was lovely.
The sandwiches and cakes arrived on a cake stand in the shape of the Burj al Arab. On the top level was a plate of multi coloured sandwiches, white, brown, yellow (saffron?) and a sort of orange/red ( tomato?) with different fillings from egg to crab and cucumber. The next level down had tiny brioches and mini French breads with fillings. Going down another level you find tiny squares of fruit cake and carrot cake, four fingers of shortbread and two crème brules. The very bottom plate had a selection of tiny but perfect cakes including one with gold leaf. My only gripe was that there was only one of each of these so I had to cut them all in half! Another separate plate arrived with scones, jam and cream before finally the waitress came around with a huge tray of petit fours from which you could choose only one which was disappointing.
The food was delicious, beautifully presented and there was more than enough for us. We did notice that there was a lady sitting alone next to us and she had the same amount of food as e had on our cake stand all to herself which seems a bit stupid as there was no way she would be able to eat it all and so it would be wasted.
Sadly all good things come to an end:
After we had finished there was absolutely no pressure to leave. We did get up and take some photos from other parts of the room as did other people. The staff were very pleasant and efficient but not overly friendly but that was probably because they were pretty busy.
We went out down the tube to the reception area when I decided I needed the toilet which was back down the tube and just near where we were sitting. The toilet area was luxurious, clean, and neat, smelled lovely and had nice soap, real tiny towels and hand cream too. It was well worth the visit to experience.
Down to earth again:
So down we went in the left with the golden doors and as we went down we enjoyed our last views of the palm island. We walked back through the main hotel down the escalator beside the giant aquarium and into the lobby.
Back to reality:
Once we were back outside we took the opportunity to take a few more photos around the outside and then we just started to walk across the causeway when we noticed a taxi leaving the hotel so we hailed it and that was the end of our Birj al Arab experience.
Would I recommend this afternoon tea experience? Yes, whole heartedly it was quite expensive but as it is the kind of thing you only do once in your life. This was our anniversary and Valentine treat to each other so a nice romantic tea for two and well worth every dirham.
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