Zaitouna

Set on the water at Al Marjan Island, Zaitouna is a Lebanese kitchen at heart, flanked by a wider Mediterranean repertoire that reaches into Italian and Greek territory. The setting is its calling card: an open, airy dining room that flows onto a terrace directly over the bay, glowing in the evening and cooled by the breeze once the sun drops behind the headland. The strength of the menu is the mezze and charcoal grill. Hot and cold meze arrive generously portioned and precisely made, followed by kebabs, mixed grills and whole fish from the coals. Pizzas and pastas on the Mediterranean side of the menu are competent rather than the reason to book. Save room for the chocolate lava cake, which regulars return for. Service is warm and attentive in the old Levantine style, with a long-serving front-of-house team that recognises returning guests and looks after larger parties smoothly - it works particularly well for family dinners, iftars and groups celebrating. Arrive in time to watch the light change over the water; that's the full Zaitouna experience.