I have been rambling off for the past few days on iftar outlets that unfortunately do not meet customer service expectations; yet today's restaurant proved to be not within this category. I arrived at around 6.40pm to the Mediterraneo Restaurant at Armani Hotel, Dubai. As it is customary during Ramadan for the restaurant to open its doors around 15 minutes before Maghreb timing, I was asked to have a seat at the waiting area just outside Mediterraneo.
The first impression I had of the staff is that they are both extremely attentive and professional in what they are doing. They address you firmly, yet with utmost courtesy. Once the doors were open, the receptionist was considerate enough to walk up to me and offer me to enter, should I wish so. I couldn't hide it, I started loving the attention to detail!
Iftar time was, pleasantly so, announced by the sound of a traditional "midfa" followed by the call of prayer. By so, guests quietly and calmly queued up for food. Before starting to feed my day-long deprived stomach, I decided to conduct my prayers first. I was surprised to learn that the prayer room was located on a level different than the to the restaurant's but with the design of the elevator being conveniently next to the door of the restaurant and that of the floor of the prayer room being more or less the same, it didn't seem too bad at all.
As I walked into the prayer room, I got bedazzled by the spa-like ablution area Armani had designed. At first glance, you literally feel like you are about to enter a massage therapy room! Once I got into the prayer area itself, I found it amusing that the hotel in-synced the colors of the praying carpets to that of the theme of the hotel itself (i.e. black with off-white).
The food at the buffet was international with a predominant focus on Arabian/Mediterranean dishes. Off the top of my head, they served 2 kinds of soups (lentil being one of them), your usual hommous, baba ghanooj, warak enab, labneh, fattoush, etc., cold cuts, sea-food entrees, hot mezzas, oozi, lamb, mixed grills, fish, pasta, pizza and a nice variety of desserts. The quality of the food was good although I think most of us expected more diversity and servings away from traditional Arabic food, although really, that was not a major issue. Upon the chef's recommendation, I indulged myself with a chocolate fondant topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
All throughout the evening, the waiters in the restaurant were always smiling, asked us if we needed anything in a manner that was not too annoying and not too ignoring (it was just about right). Our plates were always cleared off the tables no more than 1 minute right after we were done with them and the best part was, it was 9.00pm and nobody rushed us to leave the restaurant because Suhoor, or anything else, is about to commence.
In terms of customer service, the restaurant surely nailed it; I would give them a 10 out of 10. Food quality, I would say, 9 out of 10; food diversity, 8 out of 10; and location, 11 out of 10 (simple because its in Burj Khalifa and the restaurant offers a breath-taking view of the Dubai Fountains). The catch is, as you can probably guess, the price! Relatively speaking, the cost per person for iftar at Mediterraneo out-prices other outlets but not with an outrageous difference. The cost is around AED 250 (+/-) per individual; so here comes the question of my post: does excellent customer service and good food quality justify a higher price tag? To me, it surely did @ Mediterraneo as I am definitely considering going back!
What do you think?
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| Mediterraneo at Armani Hotel, Dubai |
Iftar time was, pleasantly so, announced by the sound of a traditional "midfa" followed by the call of prayer. By so, guests quietly and calmly queued up for food. Before starting to feed my day-long deprived stomach, I decided to conduct my prayers first. I was surprised to learn that the prayer room was located on a level different than the to the restaurant's but with the design of the elevator being conveniently next to the door of the restaurant and that of the floor of the prayer room being more or less the same, it didn't seem too bad at all.
As I walked into the prayer room, I got bedazzled by the spa-like ablution area Armani had designed. At first glance, you literally feel like you are about to enter a massage therapy room! Once I got into the prayer area itself, I found it amusing that the hotel in-synced the colors of the praying carpets to that of the theme of the hotel itself (i.e. black with off-white).
The food at the buffet was international with a predominant focus on Arabian/Mediterranean dishes. Off the top of my head, they served 2 kinds of soups (lentil being one of them), your usual hommous, baba ghanooj, warak enab, labneh, fattoush, etc., cold cuts, sea-food entrees, hot mezzas, oozi, lamb, mixed grills, fish, pasta, pizza and a nice variety of desserts. The quality of the food was good although I think most of us expected more diversity and servings away from traditional Arabic food, although really, that was not a major issue. Upon the chef's recommendation, I indulged myself with a chocolate fondant topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
All throughout the evening, the waiters in the restaurant were always smiling, asked us if we needed anything in a manner that was not too annoying and not too ignoring (it was just about right). Our plates were always cleared off the tables no more than 1 minute right after we were done with them and the best part was, it was 9.00pm and nobody rushed us to leave the restaurant because Suhoor, or anything else, is about to commence.
In terms of customer service, the restaurant surely nailed it; I would give them a 10 out of 10. Food quality, I would say, 9 out of 10; food diversity, 8 out of 10; and location, 11 out of 10 (simple because its in Burj Khalifa and the restaurant offers a breath-taking view of the Dubai Fountains). The catch is, as you can probably guess, the price! Relatively speaking, the cost per person for iftar at Mediterraneo out-prices other outlets but not with an outrageous difference. The cost is around AED 250 (+/-) per individual; so here comes the question of my post: does excellent customer service and good food quality justify a higher price tag? To me, it surely did @ Mediterraneo as I am definitely considering going back!
What do you think?
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