From Time Out Abu Dhabi Eating Out 2010
Sounding like a frozen food specialist, Foodlands gets a surprisingly large share of customers, though quite what keeps them coming back is anybody’s guess. It can’t be the ambience, of which there is none. Quite what the designer expected from his utilitarian layout is hard to imagine. It looks like it was squeezed into the corner of an office foyer as something of a foolhardy afterthought; no wonder the waiters have trouble raising a smile.
Neither can the apparent popularity be down to the food, which tastes as though it was cooked on a dangerously gaseous hob. Never before has Goan curry tasted so one-dimensional, so devoid of sunshine, so utterly bored of itself. Perhaps it’s simply the range of food on offer. The menu, after all, features Indian grub, Chinese nosh and a selection of ‘Continental’ dishes, much of which appears to be a variation on chicken. Yes, that must be the answer – though as answers go, it’s as insubstantial as Foodlands.