TimeOut Abu Dhabi – August 21, 2019

timeoutabudhabi.com August 21 – September 3 2019 37

Food

WHAT IS IT...

An atmospheric high-end

Thai restaurant

WHY GO...

We just love the pre-

starter that you get

Hamilton’s Gastropub

O Sun-Thu 4pm-2am, Fri noon-2am and Sat 11am-2am. Licensed. Saadiyat Rotana Resort and Villas, Saadiyat

Island (02 697 0000).

OK FINE, WE admit it, we’ve been regulars here

for drinks since the cool venue Àrst opened.

With its chic style, industrial theme and chilled

vibe, it’s an ideal place for enjoying a relaxed

drink, though admittedly it’s taken us a while

to come and sample the food.

When we arrive on a Tuesday night the place

is packed. It’s probably the busiest

we’ve ever seen it and we’re happy

to have booked in advance.

It turns out it’s ladies’ night but

we’re more interested in a good

feed. The menu is packed with all

the dishes you’d expect to see in

a good gastropub, from bangers

and mash and Àsh and chips, to

towering burgers and steaks.

While we’d normally

happily polish off any of the

aforementioned dishes, we decide to try

something a little different. To start, we share

the Scotch egg, because, why not? The large

golden orb boasts a picturesque runny yolk

when cut in half and we can’t get enough of it.

We also destroy a serving of deep-fried pickles

with delight. Next up, we tackle the build-your-

own mac ‘n’ cheese and ours,

with the addition of beef brisket,

is wonderfully satisfying.

We also sink our teeth into the

kale and spinnach salad which

is refreshingly light, packed with

sweet and salty bursts from dates

and feta.

We were already in love but

now we’re now bordering on the

infatuated. Hamilton’s, please

stay in our lives.

WHAT IS IT...

A stylish gastropub on

Saadiyat Island

WHY GO...

To join the Scotch egg

appreciation society

IT HAS BEEN said many times we’re sure, but

if you’ve been to Thailand and eaten at any

of the roadside joints or casual places that

you can Ànd all over the country, Thai food

anywhere else just doesn’t seem right.

One of the main criticisms of Thai food

here, or anywhere else in the Western world

for that matter, is it’s just so expensive by

comparison. Of course rents, ingredients,

salaries and loads more factors have to be

taken into consideration before the food hits

the table, so we try to keep an open mind.

We say this because Pachaylen is one of

the more expensive Thai places in town, but

it’s also probably the best. The dining room,

service and food are excellent, and the little

touches you Ànd in Thailand are also present.

Pachaylen

O Open daily 7pm-11pm. Licenced. Anantara Eastern Mangroves Abu Dhabi Hotel (02 656 1000).

Take the betel leaves you’re presented with

before you meal starts, for example. Load

them up with lime, onion, chilli and more until

you have the perfect mouthful. All the Áavour

proÀles are there – spicy, salty, sour and

sweet. It’s a brilliant introduction to the venue.

We move on to the chicken satay and

papaya salad, both bursting with Áavours and

textures. Mains of beef red curry and stir-fried

prawns follow, both are Áawless. We get three

kinds of rice, too – red, brown and white.

There’s no danger of going hungry here.

Most dishes come in above the Dhs120

mark, so you’re looking at more than Dhs500

for a couple, all in. It’s probably not a place to

come every week, but when you do, know that

it’ll be a special occasion.

BurgerFuel UAE

The chain is now serving the

famous Beyond vegan burger with

vegan cheese and vegan aioli.

O Dhs45. Various locations, including

Yas Mall, Yas Island (800 23835).

Shake Shack

The restaurant has a new

cheddar menu, starring the

CheddarShack burger and more.

O Various locations, including Dalma

Mall, Musaffah (02 612 0772).

FOOD NEWS

What we’ve

learned this week

iScream

The ice cream parlour has

launched two vegan ice creams in

chocolate and coconut Áavours.

O Dhs16. My City Center Masdar,

Masdar City, http://www.iscream.ae.

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