No room for improvement — or another bite — at Emirati feast

By the time we got to the dessert course, I was almost too stuffed to eat.

Almost, but not quite.

So, as I sat on a backless, cushioned seat in front of a thick but simple wooden table that was planted in the sand, I forced myself to try a bite-size Arabian-style doughnut drizzled with date syrup, called a luqaimat, because I didn’t want to miss out on any part of the feast I was engaging in on this June night.

Then, satiated, I lay down on one of the many floor sofas that adorned the large, torch-lit Bedouin camp run by tour operator Platinum Heritage Dubai to digest and take in the night sky.

The Platinum Heritage safari excursion is actually much more than just an indulgent introduction to traditional Emirati cuisine. Earlier that evening, I’d taken a guided Land Rover tour of the 85-square-mile desert preserve on which the company makes its base, photographing oryxes and gazelles. A sunset falconry demonstration followed.

And just before I began the serious business of overeating, I took a short camel ride behind Platinum Heritage’s open-air dining camp, where I was touched by the animal’s gentle nature.

All of those experiences served to build my appetite for what lay ahead.

The meal began simply enough with offerings of coffee and dates as I entered the camp.

The appetizer course was an entirely different matter. Together with the three travelers with whom I’d been paired on the Land Rover tour, I sampled from kibbeh, baba ganoush, a savory Middle Eastern pastry called sambousek and two salad offerings. There was also traditional Bedouin flatbread and hummus so creamy I had trouble holding back.

I probably should have showed more restraint, though, because much more food was to come.

The main course featured a selection of six dishes, all of which I sampled, buffet style. The marquee item was lamb ouzi, a spiced dish that is buried in a pit and slow-cooked six hours for tenderness, then served over a bed of rice.

Among the other offerings were a Moroccan vegetable tagine stew as well as harees, a traditional Arabian wheat recipe with the consistency of porridge that was augmented with pieces of slow-cooked chicken.

Most debated among my new companions and me, however, was whether to try the spiced camel meat and camel milk.

For me, the camel milk was a no-brainer. After all, this was the Arabian Desert. The meat was a more difficult choice, since I had just taken a liking to the kind camel that had allowed me to ride on its back and pet its mane.

But the carnivore in me ultimately decided yes, and i found the meat to be tender and tasty — pangs of guilt aside.

Platinum Heritage, which works with advisors and pays commission, bills this outdoor dining experience as “a delicious Emirati dinner with shared starters and hearty mains.”

They are modest.