I’ve lived away from Lebanon, my home, for three and a half years now. While I’ve settled down and built a life of my own in Abu Dhabi, missing my mama’s food has yet to get easier.
Sure, I am surrounded by Lebanese restaurants everywhere, but eventually, the cravings for mixed grill sandwiches die down. Sometimes all I need is a hearty bowl of home-made chicken and rice, or kafta and batata. That’s why I’m ecstatic to have finally found a spot in the capital that serves exactly these dishes, and so many more.
Born in Bali, Zali made its way to Abu Dhabi this year. The Lebanese restaurant tells the story of my home country’s warmth and love of food. By its nature, Mediterranean cuisine is healthy, but Zali goes above and beyond to offer wholesome, hearty dishes.
Located in Al Bateen, it’s an addition to the area’s versatile dining scene. Its home-cooked meals take me back to the happy years I spent in Beirut.
Where to sit and what to expect
Before my dining companion and I even set foot inside the restaurant, an Arabic phrase printed on the door captures my attention. “Ahla w sahla,” it reads, which means welcome. Saying it out loud transports me to summers spent in Lebanon, when my grandparents would stand at the door of their home, ushering me inside for our ritual Sunday family lunch with these very words.
The ambience inside Zali is no less warm and welcoming. We are greeted warmly by the staff and ushered inside to find a table of our liking. The interior is sleek and rustic, and sunshine pours into the restaurant through ceiling-to-floor windows. Our table of choice is one by those windows, which offers a beautiful view of the marina.
The menu
This is comfort Lebanese food done to a tee. All my favourite home-made dishes are listed, leaving me genuinely confused as to what to get without over-ordering. A typical Lebanese feast begins with hot and cold mezze, so we order spiced meat hummus (Dh53), at the recommendation of our waitress. The hummus is delicious and creamy, topped with minced beef in a spice mix for extra protein. Served with freshly baked saj bread, this dish is the perfect starter.
Next, we order the kafta fatteh (Dh53), a protein-packed twist to traditional chickpeas Lebanese fatteh and, dare I say, an even better version. The tenderness of the warm kafta with the tanginess of the garlic yoghurt and the crispiness of the saj bread makes for a lip-smacking concoction. A light and fresh side salad comes by way of the beet and feta (Dh55).
The two mains are the true stars of this show. The beef shawarma bowl (Dh97) and mante (Dh87), a traditional Armenian dish, seem straight out of my teta’s kitchen. The shawarma bowl meets the approval of the gym buff in me. Usually, when I think of eating shawarma, I immediately worry about how oily it’s going to be. But this bowl ticks my macros and tickles my taste buds with its generous portion of beef and batata harra (spicy potato cubes). The aubergine moutabbal dip drizzled with olive oil is the cherry on top.
I can also safely say the manteh at Zali is the best I’ve had. In a unique twist on the traditional Armenian dish, the restaurant swaps out the usual thick meat dumplings with mini triangular meat sambousek. The pastries are so light and crispy I could gorge on the plate alone, coupled with fresh yoghurt.
To wash it all down, the waitress recommends the refreshing desert llama juice (Dh39), made with coconut cream, green apple and lemon.
A chat with the owner
“We prepare each dish here the way we would in our family kitchen,” Joelle Maalouf, owner of Zali and daughter of the chef, tells me. She explains they brought the restaurant from Bali to Abu Dhabi to fill a market need for home-cooked rather than mass-produced Lebanese food.
Other than the dishes I try, she recommends mudardara, a lentil and rice dish that is a staple in every Lebanese household, and kafta and batata served with vermicelli rice.
As the weather gets better, Maalouf says tables will be added outside right by the marina, which is where I’ll be, sipping on my desert llama.
Price point and contact information
Dishes on the lunch and dinner menu range from Dh35 to Dh113; beverages are from Dh35 to Dh45 and desserts from Dh35 to Dh59.
Zali is open from 9am to midnight, and can be contacted on 050 797 6951.
The review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Company%20Profile
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The lowdown
Badla
Rating: 2.5/5
Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
