Themed Awards
Best Bar Food
Y-Bar, Yas Rotana
Highly Commended
Captain’s Arms, Le Méridien
Judging a bar on its food may seem like anathema to many, but a decent spot of pub grub means more than simply lining your stomach. In judging this category, we were looking for food that obviously meant as much to the bar as the beverages did, as well as a setting that you’d find hard to stay away from. At Y-Bar, we found both. With seating orientated around plasma screens, as well as chairs arranged for dining, rows of chrome bar stools and an outdoor area, Y-Bar has its bases very much covered. Your lasting memory ought to be the food, of course, and Y-Bar doesn’t disappoint. There are just two pages to the menu, with a mere seven select options offered on each, but the quality is as exceptional as the presentation is pristine.
Similarly, we have real affection for The Captain’s Arms, which may be as old as the hills but holds on to the throng by dint of a picturesque garden and what we think might be the best plate of fish’n’chips in the capital. Long live the captain!
Best Brunch
Sofra Bld, Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri
Highly Commended
Al Fanar, Le Royal Méridien
The Shangri La’s expansive buffet exudes style while managing to evoke a kind of Arabian market atmosphere. Essentially, this is a hotel buffet, but it succeeds where others fail purely in the quality of food on offer. You never get the sense that the dishes have been sitting out for hours, and the way the curries are spiced, for example, you get the impression that mass trough feeding is the last thing on anybody’s mind. A buffet with á la carte abilities. Other hotels ought to take note.
Being one of only two revolving restaurants in the city, runner-up Al Fanar was always going to attract attention, but the Friday brunch is really where it cemented its reputation. While the selection of cold dishes constitutes a seafood lover’s dream, the hot food is well worth throwing your ‘just one plateful’ rule out the window for. An Abu Dhabi institution for good reason.
Best Budget
Zyara, Al Markaziyah
Highly Commended
Hanoi, Khalifa Street
With its cosy, maroon interior and plethora of homely cushions, you’ll also find a very warm welcome, an excellent cappuccino and some of the best freshly baked cakes in the city at this cosy Corniche home from home. The menu is predominantly Lebanese, and, while there are big meals on offer, their speciality is in the smaller dishes. Try the foul medames, for example – a garlicky, creamy mulch of beans and flatbread that makes for a perfect light lunch, best washed down with one of the lemonade and mint concoctions. Few do it so well and at such a reasonable price.
Alternatively, Hanoi might not be the smartest restaurant in town, but, as budget eateries go, it’s a peach. Great food, easy location, friendly prices, and anyone with kids can delight in the second-floor playroom. No wonder it’s usually buzzing.
Best Business Lunch
Ushna, Souk Qaryat Al Beri
Highly Commended
Shang Palace, Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri
A business lunch could be judged on how difficult it is to return to the office, in which case Ushna could be guilty of delaying many an afternoon’s work. Perfectly positioned on the edge of the Maqtaa Creek, with light streaming in through the window and a suitably modern yet subtle design, there are few that beat this youthful Indian restaurant for style and class. It’s also ideally located for business commuters coming from the main island, Dubai or the airport, and the waiting staff will see you seated, fed and out again with notable speed and discretion. All of that and we’ve barely mentioned the food, which – it goes without saying – is excellent, and very reasonably priced indeed.
A close second is last year’s winner, Shang Palace, which – aside from being a tad dark, even during lunch hour – is well known for its dim sum talents; an ideal lunch for those who want to keep it light.
Best Café
Jones the Grocer, Al Mamoura Building B
Highly Commended
The Chocolate Gallery, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr
While decent boutique cafés have existed previously in the capital, Jones the Grocer has upped everyone’s game. It could do with a few more comfy sofas, but otherwise this is a pristine eatery that manages to feel top drawer while maintaining a fairly low-key menu. While waiting for your rustic and homely food, you can wander around the attached store – the shelves are full of the sort of upmarket luxury goods that make you wonder why you don’t cook more often.
Elsewhere, The Chocolate Gallery has the coffee morning scene sewn up. With its open kitchen and low-lying tables, it’s an excellent spot for those with kids, and the menu, if perhaps a bit limited, has an excellent choice of delicious sandwiches that complements its sweet treats perfectly.
Best Romantic
Bord Eau, Shangri La Qaryat Al Beri
Highly Commended
Finz, Beach Rotana
If you can’t woo your loved one with a night out at Bord Eau, we suggest you look for a loved one with a less steely heart. The food is first class – beautifully presented, wonderful on the taste buds and with the kind of price tag that really says, ‘I must love you to be spending this much’. There are few restaurants that are this well located, too.
Despite the obstructed view (thanks to the ongoing Reem Island developments), Finz – our highly commended winner – holds on to its romantic mores by virtue of being dark and seductive, with plenty of oceanic gems that light up the menu.
Best Seafood
Nautilus, Yas Hotel
Highly Commended
Finz, Beach Rotana
Nautilus takes the generally sterile interior design of the Yas Hotel’s restaurants and manages to turn it into something startling. More spacious than its neighbours, it also boasts a calming and sumptuous view over the yachts on the marina – classy, futuristic and extremely well-to-do. The food is in every way equal to the setting, with wonderful soups, beautifully spiced shellfish dishes and a knowledgeable staff of waiters who are very good at taking you through a substantial menu. Beautiful, high-quality food and sharp design: Nautilus is 20,000 leagues above many of its competitors.
Finz, which takes the highly commended trophy, still oozes class, but suffers currently from an obstructed view and occasionally over-eager waiting staff. The food, however, remains interesting, offering a varied and international approach to seafood dining.
Regional Cuisine
Best Americas
Rodeo Grill, Beach Rotana
Highly Commended
Blue Grill, Yas Rotana
With its green leather seats and a dark wood colour scheme, Rodeo Grill could easily be mistaken for an upmarket gentleman’s club. However, the giant statue of a bucking bronco and the pictures of cowboys on the walls make its mission known. The meat is served in true US style – superbly seared and accompanied by generous side dishes. If beef’s not up your street, there are plenty of other meat and seafood dishes to choose from, including buffalo for the more adventurous diner. And, no matter how full you are, don’t be tempted to skip dessert. You’ll be missing out on some fabulously sweet cheesecakes, pies and soufflés.
Blue Grill gets deserved commendation for similarly excellent meaty treats, served in a swanky setting that nods to the jazz age. The drive out there can be a little wearisome, but see it as an appetite builder and you’re guaranteed a fulsome evening.
Best Indian
Ushna, Souk Qaryat Al Beri
Highly Commended
Indigo, Beach Rotana
Quite simply, Ushna is an all-round winner. From the hugely knowledgeable waiting staff to the neat little touches brought by an unpretentious head chef; from the relaxed yet regal location to the exemplary food on offer, it’s genuinely difficult to fault Ushna in any meaningful manner. The North-Indian cuisine it plates up is rich in flavour, expertly spiced and served with such attention to detail that thoughts of traditional, cheaper Indian restaurants seem a very distant world away. You won’t find a menu overflowing with choice here, but we think this is a good thing. Populist cuisine served up by a real specialist – about the best there is.
Indigo, so often the winner of this award, gets the highly commended prize this year simply because we feel it hasn’t managed to rise to Ushna’s challenge. It’s still one of the best restaurants of its kind, however, with a young and talented chef who will surely continue to fight for honours in the coming years.
Best Chinese
Shang Palace, Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri
Highly Commended
Shanghai Surprise, Al Diar Capital
The arrival of Hakkasan at Emirates Palace brought with it the only serious high-end competition in this category, and it’ll be interesting to see how Shang Palace responds over time. For now, though, this old favourite has a loyal following that is unlikely to be swayed. The extremely popular dim sum lunches are only one of the specialities Shang Palace is known for, and regular themed meals offer interesting alternatives
to an extensive á la carte menu. That it is popular with the local Chinese community is definitely a good sign; booking ahead is recommended.
Our runner up is an upmarket eatery hidden away in the Al Diar Capital hotel. The food is fresh, tasty and packed with flavour, while dark wood tables, subtle screens and not a Chinese dragon in sight give the venue a classy feel.
Best Italian
Frankie’s, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr
Highly Commended
Prego’s, Beach Rotana
The service is impeccable, the food moreish and the atmosphere as warm as Mamma Dettori’s house. From the sundried tomato bread laid fresh on your table, right through to the tiramisu that induces a spoon fight to get at the last mouthful, the food at Frankie’s is informal, fun and excellently put together. We’d bet Marco Pierre White had more to do with all this than his jockey partner, but it’s all the same to us. For a great meal, put your money on Frankie’s.
Prego’s has a bit of a deli feel to it, with giant slabs of cured meat, mozzarella and vegetables on display. Its inoffensive pine interior gives way to a small exterior terrace overlooking the Saadiyat channel, which makes a nice winter dining spot. The food doesn’t disappoint, with the tortellini in particular being a rare treat. Hectic, but very welcoming – a great place to eat if you like your food served up with a bit of atmosphere.
Best International
Mombasa Grille, Souk Qaryat Al Beri
Highly Commended
Sofra Bld, Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri
Now into its second year of business, Mombasa Grille has managed a rare feat in Abu Dhabi: it has the foodies talking, and they’re unanimous in their praise. Located on the deserted second floor of Souk Qaryat Al Beri, word of mouth has ensured that this outlet is regularly buzzing. If the food doesn’t exactly scream ‘Africa!’, it certainly helps keep the international dishes interesting – there can’t be many other places that offer ostrich loin with a boerewors starter. If you’re looking for big night out with a marked difference, Mombasa Grille ought to be top of your list.
Sofra Bld takes the runner-up prize for its ability to maintain excellence over a huge menu. Although known chiefly for its buffet service, it simply can’t be overlooked as one of the best international options in the city.
Best Japanese
Kazu, Yas Hotel
Highly Commended
Taiki, Al Ain Palace Hotel
A very difficult category to judge, with several excellent restaurants competing right to the final round, Kazu takes the top prize based purely on the quality of its food. The chef has history with the legendary Nobu, and his influence shines through in the meticulous presentation and flawless flavours. The setting of the restaurant suffers in the same way many at Yas Hotel do – it’s all a bit too clinical for us – but with food this good, it’s very easy to forget where you are and just get stuck in. Expensive, but worth every fil.
Our runner up is Taiki, which long-term residents might recall in its former incarnation, Zen. Extremely friendly staff and a menu strewn with regional Japanese dishes make up for the slightly Oriental-restaurant-by-numbers interior. The presentation of the sushi is exquisite, too – it’s almost a shame to pull it apart.
Best Contemporary European
Bord Eau, Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri
Highly Commended
Étoiles, Emirates Palace
In years gone by we’ve found the upmarket air at Bord Eau intimidating and cold. At some point in the past 12 months, however, it seems to have undergone a personality transplant, and what you’re left with is a light and breezy outlet with a sense of almost café-like bonhomie on the breeze. With a bright and uplifting setting, we were particularly taken with the menu: nouveau cuisine without attitude seems to be the key. The usual pretention is largely absent, and the food is cheeky, palatable and fullsome. Bord Eau certainly can’t be accused of shirking on portions.
We’ve had few better meals in the city than at Étoiles, which came a close second – its chances damaged only by its hybrid club/restaurant nature. Expect superbly prepared fish and excellent meat; homely rather than fashionable, but with a real sense of high end at the same time. Reconcile the overall appearance with the perfection coming from the kitchen and Étoiles could be a real contender for next year’s crown.
Best MENA
Mawal, Hilton Abu Dhabi
Highly Commended
Atayeb, Yas Hotel
As far as we’re concerned, Mawal serves the best mezze in the capital. From the warm, moist Lebanese bread, through the usual bowls of houmous and muttabal, right up to the splendid, beautifully marinated shish tawook, everything is dangerously moreish – and you needn’t take our word for it; plenty of regulars pack the place on most weekends. For a decent night out, arrive late in the evening and join the masses that turn out for the belly dancer.
Essentially a Moroccan restaurant, the highly commended award in our Middle Eastern and North African category goes to the Yas Hotel’s Atayeb, which takes the clinical shell afforded it by the property and drapes it sufficiently to give it its own character. Excellent tagines are its calling card, and the rest of the menu is full and expertly created. Definitely one to watch.
Best South East Asian
Talay, Le Méridien
Highly Commended
Hoi An, Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri
In our opinion, Talay is the only Thai restaurant in the city worth making a reservation at. You’ll certainly need one in the cooler months, when tables on the waterfront terrace are quickly snapped up for intimate, romantic dates, albeit with a slightly old-school feel. Of course, classing Talay as merely a Thai restaurant is doing it a disservice. It’s also one of the finest places in the city for seafood, with the morning’s fresh catch laid out for you to peruse, pick and devour in the cooking style of your choosing. It’s priced according to weight, but this needn’t put you off. Talay represents top-class cuisine at an extremely reasonable price. Put simply, the city’s dining scene wouldn’t be the same without it.
Conversely, Hoi An’s interior has a wonderfully archaic feel, as if you’re stepping into a Vietnamese colonial mansion. The food is equally impressive, fusing the flavours of the Orient with French-style gourmet cuisine – expect meticulously prepared dishes, drizzled in sauces and presented on fine crockery. If you’re a fan of Far Eastern cookery and you haven’t had the immense pleasure of dining at Hoi An yet, you really are missing out.
Grand Prix Awards
Best Newcomer
Hakkasan, Emirates Palace
Highly Commended
Toki, Hilton Abu Dhabi
Hakkasan is as comfortably placed in the opulent environs of Emirates Palace as it is in its original Soho location, and has quickly become the place to see and be seen. The menu comprises Chinese staples such as tofu claypot and tang siu li ji (sweet and sour chicken), as well as a few dishes with a Japanese influence, such as black pepper wagyu beef. Each dish boasts a contemporary twist, but they all remain true to the principle of opposites that permeates Chinese culinary traditions (hot and cold, spicy and mild…). In short, things are kept simple, and because of this, the Chinese cooking is able to shine. Carry on like this for much longer, and Hakkasan is in danger of winning bigger things next year.
Runner up, Toki, is elegance defined, with minimalist rooms concealed behind spotless sliding doors. The menu is extensive, with a few surprises that we haven’t seen anywhere other than in Japan itself, though the usual Japanese fare is also here, prepared exquisitely. The chirashi don overflows with chunks of fresh, raw fish; splashes of green, orange and deep red make an almost Pollack-esque picture of your plate. The grilled fish is also worth picking at, representing Japanese cooking in its most homely state; the breakfast of the salaryman and fisherman alike.
Best Restaurant
Bord Eau, Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri
With Abu Dhabi’s dining scene blooming so colourfully, deciding which restaurant to give the top award to was never going to be an easy process. Other contenders that came close included Ushna, Mombasa Grille and Étoiles, but none could match the sense of occasion, coupled with some of the most exquisitely prepared food in the region, that Bord Eau currently specialises in. What delights us most about this restaurant is the way in which it seems to have blossomed in the past 12 months, improving on what was already a first-class restaurant by developing a less starchy personality that sparkles as beautifully as the room itself on a warm autumn evening.
You don’t go to a high-end restaurant to gaze at the walls, though, and Bord Eau’s setting is more than equalled by the food. Specialising in an aesthetically pleasing kind of food-as-art, often pretty enough to frame and hang on your wall, what sets this chef aside from others in his field is the pride he seems to take in his own creativity: this isn’t food that clings to ageing European trends in the way that, say, Sardinia persists in doing, but food born out of individual talent and imagination – a killer combination. It’s also wonderful on the taste buds, and it comes in portions that please the hungry rather than the pretentious. Next year’s top dog will be selected from an even stronger pool, with this year’s Best Newcomer already the talk of the town. The competition will have to fight hard to knock Bord Eau from its perch, though. There aren’t many rungs left on its ladder, and contenders will have a long way to climb.
