Concorde Fujairah Opens Seafood Restaurant with a Splash

Seafood Centre of the UAE
With Fujairah being a fishing village for hundreds of years one would think the city today would need to have a large seafood restaurant.

There are restaurants in town that have a seafood section on the menu but with the formal opening of the Concorde Hotel’s Samakino Restaurant, Fujairah has acquired an eating place that is intended to be the seafood centre of the UAE’s East Coast.

Cutting the Cake
On 30 September 2010, local hoteliers, hospitality representatives from the UAE and Fujairah dignitaries gathered in the new restaurant to taste the best and the freshest seafood that the Samakino has to offer.

Resident Manager of the Concorde Fujairah, Mr. Ayman Ashor, beamed with delight at seeing his guests enjoying the Samakino experience.

The cutting of a large cake iced with the words ‘Samakino’ was the only formal part of the programme, plus the inevitable photo opportunities.

What’s In a Name?
The name ‘samakino’ comes from the Arabic word ‘samak’ meaning fish. While ‘samakino’ is not an Arabic word, the ‘kino’ has been added to mean things to do with fish.

Decor
The entrance to the Samakino on the second floor of the Concorde has a fish and maritime glass feature and a presentation of fish and seafood. The pillars of the large restaurant are painted with an underwater theme.

The restaurant has full length windows through which diners can look out over the city of Fujairah to the airport and the Hajar Mountains.

Music to Set the Mood
Instead of piped music with a maritime flavour guests were treated to a live Middle Eastern experience with Maxcin playing the oud and singing Arabic songs.

Maritime Menu
Diners at the opening were served a selection from the entire seafood menu. Here’s what was sampled on the opening night to give you a foretaste of what you can enjoy when you visit.

Starter
Hummus
Babaganoush
Fattoush
Seafood salad with roasted peppers
Rocket salad with onion and garlic dressing

Soup
Seafood soup with fresh cream

Main Course
Seafood Platter (Grilled local prawn, crumbed prawn, hammour brochettes with pepper, seafood cake, mussels, stuffed squid, fried won ton and a spring roll)
Seafood biryani rice
Seafood fajitas

Dessert
Balsamic marinated strawberry
Dark and white chocolate mousse
Peach tart
Fresh sliced fruit

Not a Seafood Lover?
“But what if someone comes along in a group and doesn’t like seafood?” I asked Anurag the head chef of the Concorde.

Anurag, who has cooked in India, Oman and the UAE, says that he has another all day restaurant upstairs, the Belle View, from which a large range of international food can be ordered from the Samakino.

Variations in the Cooking
The Concorde is offering a spectrum of Arabic, Indian and international food.

Anurag said that Arabs generally don’t like their food too spicy so if you enjoy more spice you can relay this request to the chef via the waiter.

Much More to Come
While the entire hotel is yet to be officially opened, Ayman Ashor is opening various sections at different times.

Stand by for the opening of the Fitness Centre & Health Clubs (women’s and men’s), both fully equipped gyms and wellness centres with saunas, spas, steam rooms, Jacuzzis and massage rooms.

Stay posted for the official opening of the sumptuous and extensive Royal Ballroom that comfortably holds up to 900 people and is an ideal venue for large scale conferences, exhibitions or grand scale wedding receptions. This has huge parking facilities underneath.

The splash pool on the roof of the wedding hall tower has one of the most idyllic settings where people can swim, lie or look over the city of Fujairah encircled by the Hajars.

At one end on the rooftop is a shisha tent that is air conditioned in the hotter months and fitted with television monitors.

Mabrook!
One of the striking things at the opening of the Samakino was the pleasant, courteous and hard-working staff who attended to their guests and topped off a wonderful dining experience.

Congratulations to Ayman Ashor and his staff on the opening of the Samakino! Mabrook!

Taste and Sea!
It’s good for a city to have a range of eating experiences so the Samakino with its signature seafood restaurant is a welcome addition to the range.

Contact Details
Concorde Fujairah
P.O. Box 3588
Fujairah,
UAE
Tel: +971 9 2249000
Fax: +971 9 224 9990
Website: www.concordefujairah.com
Email: info@concordefujairah.com

Here It Is!

View Iberotel Concorde Fujairah in a larger map

Take a Look
Some pictures from the opening night of the Samakino are posted in this photo album.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus Facebook Page upon which many more articles and links are posted than on this site.

Image: A presentation of samak to greet guests on arrival at the Concorde’s Samakino Restaurant.