Al Sarab
Saudi Arabia
Al Sarab takes its name from the Arabic word for mirage, an apt introduction to a restaurant overlooking the desert at Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea. Its elevated setting and open terraces make sunset across the sand a central part of dinner. Saudi and wider Middle Eastern cooking shape both the tasting menu and à la carte choices. Familiar ingredients receive contemporary treatment, with recent dishes including chicken-liver sambusa, hummus with smoked potato and dates filled with quinoa, lemon and edible flowers. More substantial courses draw on the region's rice dishes and seafood. Beef mandi has paired slow-cooked beef cheeks with fragrant rice, while Red Sea fish has appeared with saffron sauce. A kunafa cheesecake with passion fruit carries the same inventive approach into dessert. The pace encourages diners to settle in as daylight fades, with oud music adding to the atmosphere. For travellers exploring Saudi Arabia's inland desert landscapes, Al Sarab provides an evening built around regional flavours, open skies and the changing colours of the dunes.