Day 8 - Tea at the Burj Al Arab

We began our day with a seminar at the American University in the Emirates. Our speaker, H.E. Jamal Saif Al Jarwan, was unlike any of our previous presenters. He had no formal structure or even a presentation at all. We spent 2 hours firing questions at him regarding leadership, investments, and more. I don’t know if we lived up to our reputation as a “tough group” (his words not mine), but I did find everyone’s ability to rally and ask pertinent questions impressive especially considering the night before was Tim’s birthday celebration.

Following the lecture, we went back to the hotel for a quick break then off to the Burj Al Arab. On our many nighttime excursions, we were able to see the hotel from afar, but up close the hotel truly lived up to it’s seven-star reputation. 

Prior to entering, the only warning we received from Dr. Sohail was “the water does stuff, you’ll see.” Well, it did and it was awesome. We walked around the main lobby taking pictures of the “water shows”, for lack of a

better word, and went into some of the high-end stores. The staff was kind enough to let some people try on expensive watches and jewelry that none of us could possible afford now, but fingers-crossed maybe someday. Someone in our group did make a bold purchase, a gold-encrusted dagger, sorry to call you out Chris…

Finally, we ventured up to the 27^th floor (really the 54^th since every hotel room is a duplex) for tea in the Suha Boardroom. During our time there, we were gifted with a tour of one of these rooms. In my opinion, it was one of the most lavish rooms I have ever seen and obviously we had some fun there.

We then returned for tea, well, I feel like I am misleading you here with the word tea because I, in fact, never drank any tea. Really it was multiple courses of absolutely the best food I’ve ever had in my life. Since it was so good, I don’t feel like I would be able to do it justice. Actually I know I wouldn’t, so I’m handing this blog post over to our trip’s resident food critic, someone who truly missed his calling in life (no pressure), Tim Herrman. All you Tim!

Tim's Flog (Food Blog):
The place settings were like something out of a British polishing school. As I struggled to remember which way you should work your utensils (outside to in? Inside to out?), the loud pop of champagne bursting caught my attention. As our server delicately filled each of our flutes with an unwavering hand, my mind in conjunction with my stomach, began to fantasize about the journey my pallet was about to embark on. The first course was a pouched green apple sorbet with a white chocolate webbing to cleanse the flavor profile. This aesthetically delightful provided a complex sweetness which was complemented expertly by the tartness of the green apple. 

The next course was a beautiful contradiction to the first. As an elegant array of miniature sandwiches was placed in front of me, a battle ensued in my mind over which to try first. The cucumber and cream cheese on a white bread won the fight. The green of the cucumber cut through the soft tones of the bread and cheese like a sharp sail through angry winds. The cucumber also provided a refreshing crunch, through the dampness created by the coalition of the other two ingredients. The next petite sandwich that caught my eye was a salmon concoction on a circular croissant. The croissant donned a playful hat of some pink landing topped by what appeared to be caviar and golden shavings. The flakiness of the breading paired well with the richness of the fish and allowed for a breathable dish. There were several other parcels on the plate that seemed uninspired, but expertly prepared. 

The third course was the paramount of the entire meal. When the crescent shaped bread with a healthy topping of salmon and cheese was bequeathed upon me, I could tell that my mouth was about to partake in something special. The gooey cheese formed a partnership with the salmon and sat on the cheese almost akin to brie. The porous nature of the bread provided the perfect vessel for such a savory topping. The rich and robust taste danced in my mouth leaving nothing to be desired. By the time my plate was cleared, even of crumbs, I began to lament how fleetingness of the encounter and longed for more.

The final course was a choice of several different deserts. I chose a chocolate torte to accompany through the sadness of finishing the previous, tantalizing treat. The only criticism that I had about the entire experience is that I was actually never offered any tea. At one point, our server came about and offered us coffee- but that was it. Overall- the time spent in that beautiful room, surrounded by an even more breathtaking view, far surpassed the high expectations that I had for that afternoon.