As part of The National’s restaurant review series – which takes you into new eateries that have popped up in Abu Dhabi over the year – we get to sample dozens of new dishes, the good, the bad and the masterful. It is the third category we’re presenting here, to make your dining out experience evermore delicious.
Here are six restaurants that opened in the capital this year – and what we recommend you should sample there.
Onion soup at Bord Eau
French fine dining meets chef Nicolas Isnard's taste for travel in this Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri restaurant. Isnard says he is a “chef of the world” and his dishes are listed on the menu like stamps in a passport. There is pho-style foie gras inspired by Vietnamese cuisine; a chicken dish born in Thailand; and a dessert based on flavours from Cuba.
However, the dish chief sub-editor Chris Tait deems his favourite is onion soup – a classic dish with a deliciously modern twist.
“Forget images of steamy broth, this 'soup' has abandoned its heritage and fully embraced a new age – it comprises fried onions, burnt bread emulsion, shredded Comte cheese and a caramelised onion broth,” he writes in his review. “There is also a component that is likely to make diners do a double take: onion ice cream. As unusual an ingredient as it sounds, the ice cream was a key part of a starter that I did not want to end. It was so remarkably moreish that our server, John, was left standing vigil as I scraped my spoon around to retrieve every last soupcon. I was sorely tempted to throw all etiquette out the window and lick the bowl, but it’s a nice place and I was with company.”
Florinis at Ilios Beach Club
The Greek restaurant is in the newly opened Surf Abu Dhabi on Hudayriat Island. The two-level beach club is made up of Euphoria Lounge with a balcony overlooking the surfing action, a private dining room and the indoor-outdoor Meraki restaurant with a terrace that faces the wave pool and is lined with loungers and cabanas.
Features sub-editor Dean Wilkins says of his favourite dish: “Florinis are a plate of the marinated red pepper that take their name from the region they're grown in, in northern Greece. They're delicious. Sweet, moreish and utterly delightful drizzled in oil. Simple and quality ingredients, handled with care and served under sunshine – that's the Mediterranean way. Chef Denis Placereani adds a creative twist with spheres of aged balsamic and crispy confit garlic lumps, which are crispy, slightly sugary and could easily dethrone Doritos if sold in bags.”
Entrecote St Germain des pres at Le Bistro by Salmontini
From Switzerland to Lebanon, Scotland to the UAE, restaurateur Hussni Ajlani's Salmontini concept has established itself as a success in Dubai since opening nearly 20 years ago, followed by a 90-seat French-style bistro in Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi this year.
Chief features sub-editor Phil Johnson sampled the dish head chef Jon Gaboric says has been “a signature at Salmontini since 2005”. The Australian Wagyu beef tenderloin entrecote is served with pommes frites and a “secret” French sauce. “The boneless rib-eye steak is melt-in-the-mouth tender and the shaved pommes frites are nice and crispy, but let’s get straight to the secret sauce,” he writes in his review. “I detect mustard, while my dining partner thinks there is a hint of wasabi. Perhaps. They have kept it a secret since 2005 and are not giving away anything now. I don’t blame them. We ask for bread to mop it all up. Magnifique.”
Fried feta filo at Mika
The Mediterranean eatery by South African chef-patron Mario Loi replaced Aquarium seafood restaurant on Yas Marina. Features sub-editor Dean Wilkins rates the fried feta filo as his standout dish. “This is ooey, gooey saltiness encased in a crisp filo pastry that’s drizzled with honey – and the price is even sweeter at Dh40. It is a sharing-style nightmare, though. Between the crash of elbows and stampede to grab a forkful of a crunchy corner or a dunk of the honey sauce, it ends with a passive-aggressive dance-off with my dining partner. The easiest way to avoid it? Order one each and tuck in while they're piping hot.”
Ravioli at Toto
Rafael Nadal and Cristiano Ronaldo brought their retro-style fine-dining Italian restaurant to Saadiayt Island this year. Chief features sub-editor Phil Johnson says Toto's best-selling dish, the ravioli, is spot on. “Freshly made, five pieces come with a spinach and ricotta filling and are served with contrasting tomato and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese sauces, which bring it to life on the plate. Our server reveals the kitchen is already shifting more than 100 portions a day.”
Manteh at Zali
Born in Bali, Lebanese restaurant Zali in Al Bateen offers wholesome, hearty dishes. Social media journalist Fatima Al Mahmoud says the best dish is the manteh. “In a unique twist on the traditional Armenian dish, the restaurant swaps out the usual thick meat dumplings with mini triangular meat sambousek,” she writes in her review. “The pastries are so light and crispy I could gorge on the plate alone, coupled with fresh yoghurt.”
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The five pillars of Islam
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
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LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Need to know
Unlike other mobile wallets and payment apps, a unique feature of eWallet is that there is no need to have a bank account, credit or debit card to do digital payments.
Customers only need a valid Emirates ID and a working UAE mobile number to register for eWallet account.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The five pillars of Islam
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The years Ramadan fell in May
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
SUNDAY'S ABU DHABI T10 MATCHES
Northern Warriors v Team Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangla Tigers v Karnataka Tuskers, 5.45pm
Qalandars v Maratha Arabians, 8pm
Background: Chemical Weapons
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IPL 2018 FINAL
Sunrisers Hyderabad 178-6 (20 ovs)
Chennai Super Kings 181-2 (18.3 ovs)
Chennai win by eight wickets
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
Scorecard
Scotland 220
K Coetzer 95, J Siddique 3-49, R Mustafa 3-35
UAE 224-3 in 43,5 overs
C Suri 67, B Hameed 63 not out
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
