Grill Thrills

With the weather changing faster than a Winehouse hair-do in these parts, there are certain things we all must do before the heat becomes unbearable. Over here at Ahlan Live, we happen to think that a night time stroll along the sands around that glowing cockroach on its hunches....er... Burj Al Arab, is one way to make the muggy climes ahead worthwhile. We take visiting friends and family there all the time. We smile proudly and knowingly at them as their eyes light up as brightly as the hotel itself. We still love the colour show as much as them - only we're far too cool to let on.

"Yeah, see it all the time", we say, as a helicopter flies in over the Madinat. "Yeah, happened last week when I was here, too", we tell them, from our seat outside at Jumeirah Beach Hotel's Uptown Bar. "It's alright, I suppose," we sigh in mock boredom, as we lean on the railings at 360, watching them squeal in excitement at every wave that crashes over the rocks.

If you really want to impress them, though, might we suggest Layali? We heard a rumour that they're serving up the most amazing seafood grills, nightly, practically on the beach. It's not the cheapest of affairs, but with the Burj Al Arab so close that you can squint your eyes and do that little "squeezing it between your fingers" thing, you can pretty much fill up on child-like happiness before you fill your face. One thing you have to try (trust us) is the Muhammara - a sweet orange paste, a bit like hommous but with a sort of nutty flavour. Amazing! The gulf prawns too, as part of the grill, were massive and as juicy as the gossip flying round.

You might think it sounds like a romantic venue... it could be, we suppose. There seemed to be all manner of people lapping up the night lights from Dubai's trademark hotel. Children played in the sand, business men talked shop, friends giggled and lovers looked gooey-eyed as they ignored everyone else and tried not to let on that actually, they BOTH wanted the last omani lobster tail.

If you haven't eaten outside at Layali yet, the new menu is definitely worth a detour from the regular booze-swilling routes. Oh, and don't leave without sipping some hot, sweet and minty tea - who needs alcohol when your buzz comes from sugar and a pot of steaming herby water?

Walk down the stairs to the right when you enter Mina A Salam, out the door, round the corner towards the water, and hit a right. You can't miss it. Or the Burj, for that matter. Hurry though - when it's hotter than a Johnny Depp moviethon out there - we don't want to have to say "we told you so".

Layali, Mina A Salam, Jumeirah Madinat
Dinner is seved from 7pm-11.30pm, 7 days a week.
Call 04 3666 730