On the ground floor of Yas Viceroy on Yas Island, Angar is a smart Indian restaurant that fits in well with the rest of the hotel.
The restaurant is compact but tall ceilings, vibrant orange chairs and floor to ceiling windows create an illusion of space. The family-sized table cornered off at the back is appropriate for bigger groups, although the restaurant isn’t suitable for young children. There’s more seating on the outdoor terrace, too, although the roar of the engines racing around the nearby F1 track might put off some diners. Sit indoors and you can watch chefs through the open kitchen flipping naan bread in the air like a pizza base.
To start, we shared achari prawns – four fat, curly char-grilled prawns coated in a spicy tomato marinade.
We expected to find a few more prawns in our prawn biryani – we had to hunt for them – and it was too salty, even with the addition of caramelised onions. We balanced the saltiness somewhat with a side of raita, savoury yoghurt.
Our wholemeal tandoori roti wasn’t excessively oily so we didn’t get greasy fingers as we ripped it up and dipped it into our side dish of sag paneer. Smooth as puréed soup, with large chunks of paneer and shaved ginger scattered on top, it was a generous portion.
Our Indian companion – a fan of spicy dishes – ordered a chilli garlic naan and lamb vindaloo and even she found them hot – so be warned, go with tissues, as all the dishes were on the spicy side. Still, the meat was tender and the dark, rich gravy was spot on for flavour.
To cool our mouths down, we shared a trio of ice creams: fresh mint and pistachio, masala chai, which tasted floral, like cardamom, and thandai, after the milky drink usually made with almonds, fennel seeds, rose petals and saffron. It was disappointing though, as it had a dry, chalky flavour, like the fudge-like Indian dessert kulfi. We also opted for gulab jamun, soft dumplings smothered in warm syrup with fig ice cream on the side – which was delicious.
The staff were friendly and attentive. The waitresses dress in saris, which is a nice touch, and when we shivered from the air con one brought us a pashmina without us even asking for one. Likewise, when we commented to our companion we liked the fig ice cream best, a waiter overheard us and brought us a complimentary scoop.
Once we’d finished, we left full, satisfied, and in agreement that our meal had been money well spent.
The bill (for two)
Achari prawn Dhs120
Lamb vindaloo Dhs95
Prawn biryani Dhs120
Sag paneer Dhs65
Tandoori roti Dhs15
Chilli garlic naan Dhs15
Ice cream Dhs35
Gulab jamun Dhs35
Total (excl. service) Dhs500
