AustralianGourmetTraveller-June2018

GOURMET TRAVELLER 139

Clockwise from

top left: the

Louvre Abu

Dhabi; knafeh

at Al Aqssa;

the lobby of

Jumeirah at

Etihad Towers;

pani puri at Royal

Rajasthan;

spit-grilled

chicken at Shish

Shawerma.

EAT AND DRINK
Al Aqssa
You haven’t been to the Middle East if you haven’t
had knafeh, a sweet pastry of cheese baked between
layers of semolina dough, fillo or thin, crisp noodles
and topped with crumbled pistachio nuts. Al Aqssa
is one of the oldest knafeh cafés in town, and it has
an arresting display of enormous shallow trays filled
with the snacks. The delightfully gooey knafeh are sold
by weight and are best eaten immediately, drizzled to
order with warm sugar syrup scented with rosewater.
Al Salam St, Al Zahiyah; +971 2 644 2159

Mezlai
Restaurants serving genuine Emirati food can be
hard to find in a place where local-born residents
comprise less than 20 per cent of the population.
At Mezlai, however, the traditional cuisine eaten by
the nomadic ancestors of modern-day Emiratis has
shifted from home kitchens to centre stage. It’s one
of nine restaurants housed in the bonkers Arabian
wonderland of the Emirates Palace Hotel. Emirati
chef Ali Ebdowa is flying the flag with dishes such
as lamb medfoun, which riffs on the traditional
technique of wrapping meat in banana leaves and
cooking it in an oven dug in the sand. Another
signature is honey-glazed camel tongue with garlic
and coriander, the sauce mopped up by local
flatbread known as rgag. West Corniche Rd;
+971 2 690 7999; kempinski.com

Royal Rajasthan
Distinguished by glittering tiles and purple trim,
the Bollywood-style interior of this vegetarian Indian
restaurant in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s old commercial
centre is worth a look, but it’s more fun to order at the
counter, take your token to the street-side window and
watch the chef wok-fry pani puri. The fragile shells are
filled with a fragrant tamarind-spiked broth, potato and
a minty yoghurt sauce. Eat in a single mouthful or wear
the results. Hamdan St, Al Markaziyah; +971 2 635 3763

Asia de Cuba

There’s seating inside at this London-via-New York

restaurant, but the beach deck with lantern-lit bar and

cabanas overlooking the Arabian Gulf is the place to

be. Part of the St Regis Hotel’s beach club, Asia de

Cuba occupies prime position on the Corniche, the

eight-kilometre promenade on the city’s north-western

shore. This is the home of “Chino-Latino” mash-ups

• Cuban fried chicken meets bao and seafood paella gets
  a shishito pepper shake-up. Cocktails set the party mood
  and electronic music competes with the call to prayer
  coming from the mosque across the water. A city of
  contradictions? You betcha. St Regis Hotel, Corniche Rd;
  +971 2 699 3333; asiadecuba.com

Shish Shawerma

The original Levantine fast food is updated at the

bright new-school Shish Shawerma, where spit-grilled

meats are stuffed into pita pockets with parsley, onion,

tomato and chilli sauce, then grilled. It’s on a one-way

street lined by restaurants where waiters take orders

directly from customers in their cars, who then drive

around the block until their food is ready – what locals

call the “Abu Dhabi Drive Thru”. Behind Corniche Towers,

2 Al Khalidiya; +971 2 650 5576; shishshawerma.com

Vansha Ghar

The maxim that taxi drivers know where to find the

best cheap eats holds true at this humble hole-in-the-wall

café specialising in Nepalese food. The menu includes

rugged chicken momos accompanied by an innocent-

looking green sauce with a chilli kick, bhatmas

(fried soy beans) and biryani. Most meals cost about

15 dirhams, around $5. Waves of uniformed drivers

eat with their hands, gracefully palming up saucy rice

without spilling a drop; there’s cutlery for the less

practised, but only if you ask for it. Zayed the First St;

+971 2 644 0788; facebook.com/VanshaGhar

STAY

Jumeirah at Etihad Towers

Occupying one of the five strikingly irregular glass

towers that have become a symbol of Abu Dhabi,

Jumeirah commands impeccable views of the city

and ocean. Guests are greeted in a glass-walled lobby

the size of an aircraft hangar and decorated with huge

Swarovski-crystal chandeliers, and the 382 spacious

rooms and suites are decked out in lavish Middle

Eastern-accented style. Cool off in any of three

swimming pools or relax on a private beach where

deckchairs are arranged with geometric precision.

A buffet breakfast in Rosewater restaurant has a

strong suit in Arabic fare with cold meze including

labneh balls, local fig jam, and makdous, preserved

eggplant stuffed with walnut and chilli. Etihad Towers,

West Corniche; +971 2 811 5555; jumeirah.com ➤