TimeOut Abu Dhabi – July 24, 2019

34 July 24 – August 6 2019 timeoutabudhabi.com

Food

THERE’S AN ARGUMENT that

walking into Jumeirah at Saadiyat

Island Resort presents you with

the most impressive view in the

city. The floor-to-ceiling windows

frame the sight of the waters of

the Arabian Gulf, glistening in

the sun (or moon), with hues of

turquoise and every shade of

blue imaginable. So immersive

is the view, it feels like the ocean

is within touching distance and it

almost is. The resort is as close

to the water as it could be and we

love it. As we make our way down

stairs, past the pool and into

Mare Mare, we can hardly keep

our eyes off the view (just watch

out for those pool loungers).

The restaurant itself makes use

of the incredible sights too and no

matter where you sit in the room

you’re treated to the spectacle

of watching the sun set while

enjoying a meal. As far as settings

go, this is pretty tough to beat.

In fact, the sun is so bright

that we continue to wear our

sunglasses as we look at the

menu, very aware that we look

like conspicuious celebs trying to

disguise themselves.

While we’re surveying what’s

on offer, a loaf of sourdough

bread and breadsticks arrive.

Who can say no to that? Not us.

We’re soaking up olive oil and

balsamic vinegar greedily and

enjoy it so much we almost forget

to order, but thankfully our server

comes to the rescue.

We start off with tuna tartare,

it’s dainty but the fish is seasoned

perfectly and the creamy avocado

and squid ink crisp aren’t bad

either. It vanishes quickly.

Next, we tuck into the baked

aubergine. It’s rustic, and with

Mare Mare

O Sat-Wed noon-11pm, Thu-Fri noon-midnight. Licensed. Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island

Resort, Saadiyat Island (02 811 4342).

“Not using

your hands is a

crime against

good pizza”

WHAT IS IT...

A classy Italian on the

shores of Saadiyat

WHY GO...

That sunset. Seriously,

it’s worth a visit alone

a rich tomato sauce and stringy

cheese the rest of the bread

quickly disappears with it.

The fruitti de mare pizza’s

bubbled crust is picture perfect

but if we’re being picky, the

base is too thin to cope with the

seafood and we find ourselves

using a knife and fork. As far as

we are concerned not using your

hands is a crime against good

pizza, but we’ll get over it.

We move on to the baked

gnocchi which is served in so

much tomato sauce and cheese

that it’s practically swimming init.

We would’ve prefered the pillow-

like morsels in a simpler sauce,

but overall the food hits the mark.

However, it’s the scene that

really captures our heart and we’ll

be back to take in that sunset

and see what else is on the menu

sometime soon.

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK

Time Out

reviews

anonymously

and pays for

its meals

3 34 - 35_EO REVIEW 1 & 2_10033048_10770806.indd 34 4 - 35 EO REVIEW 1 & 2 10033048 _ 10770806 .indd 34 2 21/07/2019 11:16:43 AM 1 / 07 / 2019 11 : 16 : 43 AM