Sorry this is late – I went to the Infiniti Middle East‘s Suhoor event at the Asateer tent in Atlantis, The Palm. We often hear about “Iftar” – that evening meal Muslims partake when they break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan but we don’t hear much about Suhoor. I mean, I don’t hear much about Suhoor.

Six Ramadans in Dubai and no Suhoor experience. I feel left-out!

By definition, Suhoor is the meal eaten before dawn when the fast starts again but hotels and restaurants in Dubai offer ala-carte Suhoor from as early as 9:00 pm and onwards.

If you want to experience a lavish and grand Suhoor, Asateer is the place to be. Great food, shisha, entertainment (I saw people playing board and card games) and oud players make a delightful Arabesque scene.

I get to chat with the people from Infiniti, talking about the brand. Not really into luxury cars but I had a great time listening to them talking passionately about their brand and what sets them apart from others.

Good food, good company…my first Suhoor experience was nothing short of memorable. But another notable first: I get to try shisha! A shisha is a glass-bottomed water pipe in which fruit-flavoured tobacco is covered with foil and roasted with charcoal. The tobacco smoke passes through a water chamber and is inhaled deeply and slowly; the fruit-flavoured tobacco tastes smooth and smells sweet. I had strawberry flavored shisha.

Given that I’ve never smoked in my entire life, I found myself awkwardly choking with the smoke. I gave up after a few puffs!

Aside from all that luxury jazz, Suhoor is a great time to spend with family and friends in a laid back atmosphere and in a point in time where everything seems to slow down during the month of Ramadan.

Are you an expat in Dubai/UAE? Did you get to experience Suhoor? How was it?