Anar Middle Eastern Restaurant Resorts World Sentosa

Anar Restaurant Singapore

I have always wanted to eat more Middle Eastern food, but most of my friends are not adventurous enough to try it. I don’t know about you, but to me, there’s just something appealing about a luxurious dinner fit for Arabian kings.

While there are quite a few Middle Eastern restaurants in Holland Village and Arab Street, we lack one that truly stands out, until Anar Restaurant came along.

Located by the waterfront of Resorts World Sentosa, Anar Middle Eastern Restaurant comes from an established chain of restaurants from the Middle East, namely Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is a fitting addition to the rank of restaurants in Resorts World Sentosa.

The interior is visually stunning, with high ceilings and a magnificent private room in the middle of the standalone building. The restaurant is adorned with pieces from the Middle East. From the low-hanging old lamps which give a magical feel; to the furnitures brought in from different states in United Arab Emirates; to the rugs from the East of Arabia, Iran and Turkmenistan – no details have been overlooked as Anar strives to give you the perfect Middle Eastern dining experience.

Anar

The restaurant is mysterious and seductive. It makes you wonder about the history and culture, and most importantly, it makes you feel curious about the food. Time seemed to freeze when we were there, and our journey started with a signature Anar cocktail.

It took us a long time to look through the menu. In the end, we reckoned that it would be better to consult the staff, and it proved to be a wise move as they were very knowledgeable about the menu. Since most people in Singapore are not exactly familiar with Middle Eastern food, it is good to know that the staff at Anar restaurant are well-trained to recommend and explain the dishes from the menu.

The staff serving our table, in particular, was attentive and knowledgeable. Thumbs up for the good service; we need more people like her in the Singapore Food & Beverage Industry.

Baba Ganoj

My dining companion wanted the Baba Ghanouj ($12) – traditional salad of roasted egg plant, garden herbs, fresh green pepper – simply because she lurvees to say ‘baba ghannooussshh‘ out loud. I wanted Falafel ($12) – fried dumplings of ground chick peas served in crispy Arabic bread drizzled with sesame paste syrup – because I wanted to try the popular dish (see next picture) from Middle East.

Falafel

The staff gave us some suggestions and we eventually settled for Tabouleh ($9) – a version of Arabian salad drizzled with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil; and the popular Hummus with minced beef ($14) – its exact origins remain a mystery.

Anar Middle Eastern restaurant has five variations of Arabian salad and they are available from $9-14. The Arabian cold appetisers, like the Hummus and Rayy Yoghurt & Shirazi Cucumber range from $12-14; while the Arabian hot appetisers like the Falafel, Beiruty Style Kebda (chicken liver) and Caspian Sea Prawns are $12-18.

Kebabs

After stuffing our face with falafel, hummus and baba ghannooussshh, we proceeded with kebabs for the main course. We had chicken and minced lamb on a charcoal grill, and the lamb was just as tasty as it looked. The chicken, on the other hand, was too dry and tough.

I am sure you know by now, Anar at Resorts World Sentosa is a fine dining restaurant, and food at such places doesn’t come cheap. Prices of the main course from the Charcoal grill menu range from $32 for the Shish Taouk (grilled chicken breast), to $45 for the Kebab Shishlik (grilled lamb chops) and Kebab Bagri (grilled beef fillet). They also have a separate ‘Speciality dishes’ page where you can get items like Riz Be Lahem Ala Djaij ($35) – traditional Ottoman feast of rice with minced meat, topped with chicken breast; and Shrimp Kozberieh ($32) – which originated from the seaside of North Lebanon.

For a taste of everything, go for the Anar special platter ($140) which has the signature items like shish taouk, Lebanese lamb kebab, hammour fillet kebab and saffron lamb chops.

To end off the meal, we had the Baklava ($12) – the classic Middle Eastern dessert: layers of paper-thin phyllo pastry filled with roasted nuts and honey syrup; and the Um Ali ($14), which tastes like bread and butter pudding.

Grilled Prawns
Shrimp Kozberieh

I know very little about Middle Eastern Food, so obviously there is no way I can measure the authenticity of the food. That said, we had an enjoyable dining experience at Anar Restaurant, Resorts World Sentosa. If you’ve always wanted to try Middle Eastern cuisine, come up with an excuse plan for a special occasion and make an reservation for dinner.

Singapore Food Blog
Anar Middle Eastern Restaurant
26 Sentosa Gateway
#01-291 Resorts World Sentosa
Tel: +65 6884 6989
Daily: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm
Note: This was an invited media session.