Located at the historical Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Deira Creek, the city’s first five-star hotel, Shabestan was built in 1984 and has since been a favourite of many royal families, including Dubai’s very own ruling family. This month of March, the local legend is celebrating its 37-year anniversary in the UAE and Nowruz, the Iranian New Year.

Chef Abol Fazl Shirazi, who heads the culinary team at this local legend, has been the rightful guardian of Shabestan’s secret recipe. These family recipes are legacies passed on by his father, chef Haider Shirazi, who led the restaurant team from its inception. The consistency in taste and quality of ingredients are reasons why patrons have been coming to this iconic restaurant all these years.

To celebrate Shabestan’s 37-year anniversary and the upcoming Iranian New Year on March 20, chef Abol has curated a special menu with the restaurant’s most popular and best-selling dishes of all time. What made this extra luxurious indeed is that each dish from the menu has been infused with 23-carat gold.

Chef Abol starts off the Golden Menu with an appetizing duo of Nargesi and Kashke Bademjan.

Both traditional Persian dishes are garnished with gold leaves and high-quality, premium saffron threads. Tip: make sure you dip the warm soft bread, freshly baked from the wood-fired oven into the rich and flavourful Kashke Bademjan. This traditional dish is essentially a delicious dip made of roasted eggplant with caramelised onions, roasted nuts, herbs and spices.

For the main event, what’s more lavish than a massive platter of sizzling premium meats? A feast truly fit for a king, Shabestan takes the famous Chelo Kebab E Soltani to a whole different level by brushing the entire dish in pure gold. Imagine sinking your teeth into these tender juicy meats marinated with special flavours and ingredients including none other than 23-carat gold?

As for the final act, chef Abol combines French elegance with Persian opulence. The saffron crème brûlée with pistachio powdered with gold is Instagram-worthy indeed. This incredibly luscious dessert makes the perfect sweet ending to a spectacular meal.

“This menu is dedicated to my father, my mentor, who has taught me everything I know,” says chef Abol. “Each dish from the Golden Menu is also devoted to all Shabestan’s patrons, who have been loyal to us throughout these years. I have seen so many restaurants in Dubai close, and a trendy new restaurant open. This pandemic has especially shown us and made us appreciate how this city actually still has some longstanding restaurants like Shabestan. We have certainly survived the highs and lows of the local restaurant scene, by working hard to maintain the quality of our food and service.”

The Golden Menu is a three-course menu priced at Dh1,000 per person. It is available in Shabestan every day of the week from March 28 to the end of June.

Celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year at Shabestan

This heritage restaurant is also offering a delicious four-course menu to celebrate the beginning of spring. It includes a selection of Shabestan favourites like the Mirza Ghasemi, a delicious puree of baked aubergine, tomato and fried eggs, the Tikkeh-Khodmoni, a dish originating from the southern regions of Bandar Abbas, which is essentially either veal or chicken beautifully marinated in kashk, and the Faloodeh with saffron bastani dessert. Nowruz falls on March 20 but this menu is available for diners to enjoy from March 17-27. Prices start at Dh249 per person.