Hatam Restaurant in BurJuman

Mark took me out on a dinner date one weekend after we heard an anticipated mass at St. Mary's Church in Oud Metha. And because BurJuman is just a few blocks away from our house, it instantly became the venue of our dinner dates.

Dinner Date ♥

St. Mary's Church in Oud Metha, Dubai

There are a number of restaurants and cafes in BurJuman but Hatam Restaurant was the first one that we got to try. I guess it was also a plus that it was the one nearest to the escalator where we came from. Haha! :p

The first thing that I noticed when we were nearing the restaurant was its elegance. I loved how contemporary yet traditional the restaurant looked with its wooden and marble pillars and furniture plus the dainty tile accents.

Mark and I chose the al fresco dining and settled with the table near the water fountains. It kind of added a romantic feel to the restaurant's elegance. We were so mesmerized by the water fountains that we didn't mind waiting for a while for our orders to be served.

After we placed our orders, our drinks were served first together with some complimentary appetizers.

Avocado Juice - 20.00 AED
Watermelon Juice - 20.00 AED

The complimentary appetizers include 2 huge roti and a salad plate. The roti will always be a hit for me. Oh I can eat this all day! The fresh carrots, feta cheese, and walnuts in our salad plate were also gone in no time.

Complimentary Roti

The appetizers were in huge servings and I even joked Mark that we can already cancel our orders because our tummies were already full just from the appetizers. Haha! :p

Complimentary Salad (spinach, fresh carrots, pickled carrots and cucumber, olives, walnuts, feta cheese)

We were almost done with the appetizers when the rest of our orders were served. Mark had Tikka Mix Rice while I had Chicken Biryani.

Tikka refers to a piece of meat, such as a cutlet, that is marinated and is usually grilled. Mark's order had 3 kinds of meat cutlets: beef, chicken, and lamb. All were fork tender and juicy. They had that distinct pungent taste and were mildly spicy. The dish is also served with a generous serving of basmati.

Tikka Mix Rice - 48.00 AED

Mark was the one who chose my order. I was still not familiar with Arabic, Indian, Iranian cuisines (and the like) in general so I let Mark take charge. Also in a generous serving, this Chicken Biryani wiped away my first impression with such dish. I've once tried a similar dish back in the Philippines and didn't like what I had so I never tried any other biryani dishes ever since.

Chicken Biryani - 42.00 AED

But this one was very much different. The basmati was so soft and flavorful. The green peas and diced carrots not only added color but also added texture to the dish. The roast chicken underneath was equally delicious, juicy, and fork tender too. It had that tangy taste with a hint of sweetness plus that pungent spicy taste.

For me, the serving was actually good for two people which is why I only got to finish half of my plate and just had the rest for take away. :)

Chicken Biryani - 42.00 AED

There's no doubt that the food and the place were great. I just hope they improve on their serving time. Nevertheless, Mark and I still left the restaurant with happy hearts and happy tummies. :)