Seafood restaurant Bu Tafish is one of Abu Dhabi’s legendary establishments, and the entrance to the one in Khalifa City is plastered with photos of famous guests, including His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
We take a seat upstairs, in a quite shabby yet charming dining room filled with fish tanks and other nautical decorations.
The menu could be a bit confusing if it’s your first time, so we’ve come prepared with recommendations such as the Bu Tafish soup, open shrimps, and sea bass with singari seasoning. But before any of this arrives, we’re brought bread and dips, and a huge plate of salad.
We’re already marvelling at the value of the feast before we’ve even dipped a spoon into the soup, and although the creamy mixture is pleasantly light and full of mussels, crab and other fish, it’s nothing on what is yet to come.
After some confusion in the kitchen, our sea bass comes out as sea bream, but we’re not fussed. The beautiful white piece of fish tastes incredibly fresh, and it’s served fully boned and with just the right amount of spice.
It’s simple, but that’s the way it should be, as it lets the flavours of the wonderful fish come through. The shrimps are just as impressive, and there’s loads of meaty shellfish on our portion of five. We’ve also got some brown rice mixed with seafood, but really it’s not necessary, we could happily just eat fish all night.
There’s really no mystery about why this place is so well loved.
WHAT IS IT…
A casual seafood spot that’s been around for about 50 years
WHY GO…
To enjoy fresh fish on a budget
