RESTAURANTS IN OMAN: Zad, in the Bank Muscat Headquarters Building near the airport

 Zad was one little restaurant that I had been meaning to check out for a while, ever since my husband and I wound up in the Bank Muscat headquarters building to use the CDM machine since every other CDM machine in Oman appeared to be broken, and my husband had consequently snacked on a falafel from Zad and had said to me that it was decent. So we wound back up at zad one afternoon of late, and decided to sample the buffet.

 From the decor one would guess that Zad is a generic Arabic restaurant and one would be right. The menu consisted of side dishes like salad, moutabel, houmous ect....

Before moving on to describe the food I can say, I actually do love the atmosphere of Zad. As it tends to be a place for brunch and lunch, and has primarily a business crowd, it is a calm place for a ladies lunch, sipping back a fresh lime and mint cocktail and having maybe, you know, an Arabic twist on a panini. The day we were in we had a beautiful view of the courtyard outside, and the modern Arabic decor and bright colours seemed quite chic. Generic chic but chic, and relaxed. Service was relaxed but as required. Unto the food...

For two persons, our meal which consisted of mixed salad, a vegetable side, rice, and meat main along with drinks, cost 8 OMR. Not bad at all right, but to me, buffet food never looks pretty, and it isn't REALLY a buffet. It is more like a cafeteria line up where you get a tray, wait for your food, and pay for each item seperately. I liked my lamb rogan josh, and we were both full at the end of our meals, but really, I've had Arabic starters and Indian dishes of the same appeal and taste for a lot less. Our lime and mint cocktails though, were beyond delish, and better than a lot of places I have tried in Oman. I think this place is worth one more try out for this OPNO, next time for a try at the sandwich menu + a cocktail.

After the lunch, we had a stroll along the edges of the fountain of the covered courtyard. Probably, if we had more time, we would have stopped for an espresso and lounged out here a while. It wasn't too hot, even at 12 at noon...Alas, we had no time, so we'll save that coffee date for another post on another day.