Programmes and venue information checked 9 November 2026.
Choose Daraj Al Yasmin in Oud Metha if you want a named Arabic singer with live accompaniment and a Syrian dinner. The restaurant publishes who sings on each date and names Maestro Abu Samra and percussionist Sobhi alongside the rotating vocalists. Choose Soul Kitchen’s Monday Tarab Jazz if you’d rather hear familiar Arabic melodies through jazz arrangements. The Business Bay restaurant advertises the programme for Mondays, starting 9 November. Its announcement says live from 20:00, while launch coverage gives 21:00 for the music, so confirm when the band starts. Daraj live programme · Soul Kitchen’s Tarab Jazz announcement · Launch reporting
Pick the performance by what you want to recognise. If someone in the group knows a particular singer and wants to follow the lyrics, the date-by-date Daraj roster is the better starting point. If your friends are interested in hearing how musicians reshape a melody they already know, start with Soul Kitchen. Both are dinner settings. The reasons to choose the music are different, even when both programmes use the word tarab.
| Choose this for | Programme | When to look | Confirm before booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| A specific Arabic singer and percussionist | Daraj Al Yasmin family tarab night | Listed nights except Wednesday, with date-specific exceptions | Actual first set, table view and terms |
| Arabic classics with jazz improvisation | Soul Kitchen Tarab Jazz | Mondays from 9 November | Whether 20:00 is arrival or the first performance |
Daraj Al Yasmin for a named singer at dinner
Daraj Al Yasmin describes its regular evening programme as family tarab nights. They normally run every day except Wednesday, with changes shown on the date-specific schedule. The dated roster pairs different singers with Maestro Abu Samra and percussionist Sobhi. If your group cares who sings, open the roster before choosing a date. A recurring night gives you more chances to go, while the dated listing tells you whose performance you are arranging the evening around. Daraj live nights in English · Daraj’s Arabic roster
Daraj's November roster by singer
The restaurant's roster on 9 November listed the following dates. Daraj says its regular programme repeats weekly and the dated roster shows exceptions. Use the current roster for your exact night, especially if the singer is the main reason for booking. Official dated roster
| Date in the 9 November roster | Singer |
|---|---|
| Monday 9 November | Ahmad Nashed |
| Tuesday 10 November | Ziad Murad |
| Thursday 12 November | Maher Suliman |
| Friday 13 November | Osama Mdalal |
| Saturday 14 November | Nael Hazwani |
| Sunday 15 November | Hazem Shareef |
If you’re choosing between Thursday and Saturday, the venue’s earlier posts give you two ways to preview the bill. The Thursday reel shows Maher Suliman singing into a microphone. The Saturday portrait names Nael Hazwani. Both captions name Maestro Abu Samra and Sobhi. Use those posts to get a sense of the programme and the current roster to confirm the date. Ask about the first song and the price of the live-night table when you reserve. Daraj’s Thursday performance reel · Daraj’s Saturday artist post
Choose the singer first if the words matter
If someone is going for a particular singer, ask what kind of repertoire they’re planning. A table that wants to hear familiar Arabic songs can make a better choice from a brief description of the set than from the genre label alone. Ask whether the opening set is led by the named vocalist and whether there are instrumental passages or breaks. The page names the percussionist, but leaves the rest of the instrument list open. If someone in the group is coming to hear an oud or another instrument, ask which players are booked before you reserve. Daraj official programme
During the performance, give a singer time to develop a phrase. You can follow how a line changes on repetition and listen for the moment when the accompaniment comes back in. This is a useful way into the music if one person at the table follows every word and another is listening for melody and rhythm. If the goal is to hear that exchange clearly, ask for a position with a view of the singer and enough distance to take in the group sound.
Keep the show booking separate from the menu
Daraj is in Metha Plaza, 18th Street, Oud Metha. The website publishes general opening hours of 09:00–02:00 and separate reservation routes for live nights, buffets and events. Use the live-night route when you want a table for a singer. The published opening hours leave the music time open. The restaurant also lists daytime buffet offers separately, so ask for the evening minimum, package or cover for the performance you want. The à la carte menu can help you estimate dinner once you know what the booking includes. Daraj location and booking · Daraj menu
The main roster describes a family format. If younger guests are coming, confirm the age conditions and how late they can stay for the specific session. Ask when you can order dinner, when the vocalist starts and how long the table is held if someone arrives late. Wednesday is listed separately as a private women-only programme with its own booking route. Use that specific listing if it’s the evening you intend to attend. Daraj live-night and Wednesday information
Price a meal separately from a performance table
For a simple menu estimate, Daraj lists hummus at AED33, fattoush at AED35 and fried kibbeh at AED45. Those three dishes total AED113 before any mains, drinks or applicable booking charges. Use the estimate to decide whether you want to order plates to share before the music. Then ask which menu is available in the performance area and whether food orders count toward any minimum. If a reservation has a package price, compare what it includes with what the group would actually order. That is more useful than comparing the menu subtotal with a package for a different part of the day. Daraj restaurant menu · Daraj live-night reservations
Soul Kitchen for Arabic melodies reworked as jazz
Tarab Jazz is Soul Kitchen’s Monday programme, advertised from 9 November at the Business Bay restaurant on Marasi Drive. The venue announcement describes Arabic classics reworked in a jazz setting. Launch coverage describes live reinterpretations with improvisation and names Wassim Bou Melham on wattar. Treat that as reported launch personnel and confirm the players for later Mondays. Pick this if hearing what the musicians do with a known melody matters more to you than hearing a particular singer deliver it in a familiar arrangement. Soul Kitchen’s Tarab Jazz reel · Launch coverage and player billing
This is a useful choice for friends who come from different musical starting points. Someone familiar with Arabic classics can listen for the point where the melody comes into focus. A jazz listener can follow what changes when the players take a passage in another direction and then return to the tune. Ask whether the set is mainly instrumental or includes sung verses if language is a deciding factor. The programme establishes the source repertoire, while the exact balance of vocals and instruments is a date-specific question.
Confirm what starts at 20:00
The official reel advertises the programme from 20:00. Launch coverage separates a 20:00 arrival from a 21:00 live start. Ask the venue which time applies to seating and which applies to the first song. If you have to leave after an hour, that answer could determine whether you hear a full opening set or only sit down for dinner. Until the venue confirms the distinction, plan for the earlier time if missing the opening would spoil the visit. Venue announcement · Launch reporting
Soul Kitchen publishes an à la carte dinner menu and describes music as part of its restaurant programme. Ask whether the live area is the same room as your table, which seating gives you a clear view and whether you can keep it through the performance. The sources checked here leave the cover, minimum, dress and age rules for the Monday programme to confirm. The restaurant has other music formats during the week. Use the name Tarab Jazz when making the request so you get the Monday terms. Soul Kitchen venue and menus
How to choose between the two Monday programmes
Check Daraj’s Monday roster for the singer, then compare it with Soul Kitchen’s Tarab Jazz programme. The 9 November roster listed Ahmad Nashed with Maestro Abu Samra and Sobhi. At Soul Kitchen, the hook is the arrangement. If your friends want a singer they can look up before booking, start at Daraj. If they want a tune they already know to open up into improvisation, start at Soul Kitchen. Daraj’s Monday roster · Soul Kitchen’s Monday programme
Tell the restaurant when the last person in the group can arrive. For a singer-led evening, ask whether the advertised vocalist appears in the first set or later. For Tarab Jazz, ask whether the time on the announcement refers to seating or the first piece, and whether your table stays available through the set. A group finishing work at different times may want to meet for dinner before the music. If some people are only coming for the performance, ask whether they can be added to the same booking later and whether the restaurant counts them toward a per-person minimum.
Match the table to the listeners
You want to hear Arabic lyrics clearly
Ask who sings and how much of the set is vocal. Daraj’s named roster gives you a place to start, especially if someone follows one of the singers. Choose a table where the singer can be heard clearly and ask whether the room uses speakers close to the seats you have been offered. If the conversation around the table is the main reason for meeting, reserve early enough to talk before the vocalist begins. You can then give the performance more attention once it starts. Daraj programme
The group has mixed familiarity with the music
Choose a format everyone can follow for at least part of the evening. With a vocal-led night, ask if the singer usually builds the set around familiar songs. For a jazz crossover, listen for the central tune and how the players bring it back. It can help to agree ahead of time that you’ll listen through the first song together and use breaks for conversation. The same group can enjoy either room if it knows whether to expect a singer-led evening or an arrangement-led one.
You need the evening to work for several ages
Start with Daraj’s family tarab description and confirm the rules for the actual date, seating area and youngest guest. Check whether an earlier table gives enough time to eat before the performance and how much of the live programme you can catch before leaving. If you prefer Soul Kitchen’s Monday arrangements, ask its reservation team about the specific programme and whether younger guests can stay in the performance area. Make the age and timing decision before comparing food prices or planning the ride home. Daraj live nights · Soul Kitchen venue information
You’re organising dinner for a group
Send the number of guests and ask whether everyone can see the stage from the offered table. A long table can leave people at one end closer to a speaker and people at the other end facing away from the performance. Ask when you can order, how much time you have at the table and which costs are per guest or shared. If someone is coming only for music, check whether they can join later and whether they’re included in the table commitment. Get that answer before collecting money or promising a place.
You have time for one set before leaving
Tell the reservations team the latest time you can stay and ask which performance block fits. At Daraj, a late closing hour says little about when the singer first takes the stage. At Soul Kitchen, the published times differ by an hour, which can be the difference between hearing the first number and leaving before it. Ask how long the opening set is likely to last and whether there is a break before the musician you want to hear. If the timing can’t be confirmed, reserve only if the group would still be happy with dinner and a shorter stretch of music. Daraj live-night listing · Soul Kitchen’s launch reel
You’re choosing for someone who wants to watch the players
Ask whether the stage is raised and where the vocalist, percussionist and other musicians are positioned. A table directly in front of the microphone may be good for watching the singer, while a wider angle can help you see the musicians signal to one another. For an instrumental crossover, leave room to follow the melody and watch who takes it up after a solo. If the table is assigned on arrival, ask which section to request and arrive early enough to discuss it before the room fills.
Share the artist, room and first set
Confirm the name of the performance, the date, the exact address and the start of the music before sending the plan to friends. Include the reservation time separately if you’re eating first. Add the table conditions and the expected total, especially if a minimum or package is involved. For Daraj, link the dated artist roster as well as the official post if there is one. For Soul Kitchen, link the Tarab Jazz announcement and share the first set time the venue gives you. That lets everyone plan for the performance they came to hear.
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first!