Mexican food at Masdar City

Craving authentic Mexican? A new restaurant, Barbacao, offers Mexican dishes made from scratch. Liz Totton travels to Masdar City to sample its menu.

If you want to have a peek at how the future might look, visit Masdar City – one of the world’s first zero-carbon cities – in Khalifa City A, behind Etihad plaza. You can tour it in driverless sci-fi pods and check out its modern architecture, which includes an eco-friendly windtower.

Now you can add eating healthy Mexican to your list of reasons to visit, as a new family-owned restaurant called Barbacoa has just opened its doors.

The executive chef and general manager, Jesus Benavides, was born and raised in Tamaulipas in north east Mexico. He says, ‘Good food is nutritious and made fresh. Nowadays, people consume too much processed food with artificial flavours that lack nutritional value. My commitment to Barbacoa is to create a fresh product with an authentic Mexican flavour. Everything is made daily, from scratch, in front of our customers so that they may see for themselves how the food takes shape.’

Barbacoa uses fresh, local vegetables and sources dry ingredients from Mexico. Everything is cooked in small batches to replicate a home-cooked meal. Nothing is deep-fried, and all dishes are cooked in front of you and made only for you.

The name Barbacoa in inspired by the word barbecue, as barbacoa is a way of slow-cooking meat over hot coals which originated in the Caribbean. Traditionally, barbacoa is eaten by serving grilled meat on warm corn tortillas.

Jesus’s signature barbacoa is braised beef which has been slow-cooked in spices, which can be topped with diced onions, chopped coriander, guacamole, a squeeze of lime juice and pico de gallo, a mild salsa. For a spicy kick, add chipotle Dijon sauce. Be sure to try the refried beans, too, even if you’re not a ‘bean person’ – you will thank us.

Jesus designed a simple menu inspired by the northern Mexican flavours he grew up with. It consists of burritos, tacos, tortillas and bowls filled with whatever you like: grilled beef, chicken and seafood. Dishes are prepared Subway-style – so you can design a dish exactly how you want it. Barbacoa also offers a vegetarian option of grilled vegetables and beans.

The dessert menu is short but sweet. If you have room, try tres leches, a sponge cake made with three types of milk. You can also try Maria’s banana pudding, which is named after Jesus’s mother, Maria Anjelica. Jesus asked his mother for a recipe for a wholesome dessert which is still light and silky, and one which reflects the flavours of the region.

Wash down your meal with traditional refreshments such as horchata made from rice and coconut milk, tamarindo made from tamarind pulp and Jamaica – pronounced him-ika – which is made from hibiscus calyxes, the leaves of the hibiscus. All are served cold.
Open Sat-Thu 10am-10pm. Email info@barbacoa.ae Masdar City, between Khalifa City A and Abu Dhabi International Airport, www.barbacoa.ae (02 639 4226).