When we arrive at Turtle Bay Bar & Grill we have high expectations and empty stomachs.
The venue is busy, even on a weeknight, and we take that as a good sign from the off.
It’s a stylish venue, with a central bar and dimmed lights, but it’s not too fancy that we feel out of place for not being suited and booted. We’re looking for a great meal, not to win the restaurant’s best-dressed award.
The outdoor area is also one of the most picturesque in the city, with a view of the palm-tree lined pool and beach beyond.
In no time after we order the calamari, a big favourite of ours, arrives piping hot and perfectly cooked. We love the sliced red chilli and could eat it for days. The cauliflower popcorn, deep fried and crunchy, is something we’ve never had before but we enjoy tucking into the bite-sized pieces. But it’s the steak that has our undivided attention. The medium-rare Angus tenderloin steak is a thing of beauty. Wonderfully tender, charred on the outside and beautifully red in the middle, we each make short work of it. Our only slight criticism is we would have preferred chunkier chips to the shoestring fries.
It’s mission accomplished, though – another great steakhouse discovered and a cool venue to try outside the city centre when you need to escape the hubbub.
WHAT IS IT…
A classy but casual steakhouse on Saadiyat Island
WHY GO…
Beautiful meat without the fuss
