It might not be in the swankiest of hotels, or the flashiest part of town, but that’s no reason to turn your nose up at Cho Gao. In fact, it makes us love it even more.
The pan-Asian restaurant (a former Best Asian winner at the Time Out Abu Dhabi Restaurant Awards, no less), has been going for a fair few years now, and we still return to it whenever we can. There are no airs or graces about this place, it’s all about the great food, brilliant service, and good-value menu and offers.
Whether you want a drink at the bar or a seat at a table, pretty much every night there’s something going on that should save you a few dirhams.
On this occasion, we’re eating on a Friday evening, and the dining room has a nice buzz, with tables filled with chatting couples, families and groups of friends.
We take a seat and look over the menu. Most of the starters are around the Dhs60 to Dhs80 mark, not the cheapest but portions are usually big (and we’ve never really had a duff dish). Mains are, on average, about Dhs100 to Dhs110. Curries start at Dhs75, steamed jasmine rice is an extra Dhs30.
We start with Sriracha chilli prawns, a classic around these parts. The bowl is absolutely huge, with around 15 massive prawns sitting in it (the picture above doesn’t do it justice), slathered in spicy sauce. There’s also some pickled ginger and a refreshing passion fruit salsa to offset the heat and creamy sauce. It’s a winner.
Next we go for wok-fried vegetables and a side of steamed rice. It’s another whopping plate of food, with the rice it’s definitely enough for two if you’re also having starters and are planning on a dessert (we end up taking some home with us). The veg still retains some crunch and the Szechuan sauce ads a good kick.
Dessert, a baked green lime cheesecake, is a little bland in comparison to the savoury dishes. We’ll stick with mango sticky rice next time.
All the way through the meal, staff are wonderful. Attentive, friendly and keen to make sure you’re doing okay without being too intrusive. It’s a comfort knowing they’re there to look after us, just like Cho Gao itself. We’ll be back (again).
WHAT IS IT…
A charming Asian restaurant with top service
WHY GO…
It’s an excellent place with no pretensions
