Mirabel’s club sandwich
Sub-standard club sandwiches are sadly all too common in this city, but our favourite dining spot in Marks & Spencer mall has learned from the mistakes of others to hone a perfect specimen. The chicken and beef bacon are both hot and juicy, while there’s also proper Swiss cheese, fresh salad and oodles of mayonnaise thrown into the mix. With fries on the side, it may not be short on calories, but if you’ve earned a Thursday treat, this bready beauty fits the bill just about perfectly.
Dhs53. Marks & Spencer Mall (02 631 5111).
The One Café’s brie and garlic soup
Anyone who scoffs at soup as a poor man’s meal clearly hasn’t gotten their gums around this incredible and criminally cheap liquid lunch. You’ll need to walk through a furniture store to get there (eyes forward unless you fancy leaving a couple of thousand dirhams lighter) but once seated you’ll be treated to one of the sweetest smelling, creamiest bowlfuls you’ve ever encountered. Smear a bit of
the spicy fruit chutney on the accompanying baguette, give is a dunk and marvel as you’re suddenly rendered utterly speechless.
Dhs28. Next to BMW showroom, Khalidiyah (02 681 6500).
Samurai’s meat and seafood yakiniku
For a lunch with a difference, check out this quirky Japanese dish – the house speciality at one of our favourite budget restaurants. Like Samurai’s sushi, it arrives raw and presented on a long platter, but don’t go tucking into it cold – it’s your job to cook the stuff on a gas powered grill sunk into the centre of your table. One word of advice, though – those strips of beef are sliced incredibly thin, so don’t go leaving them on the grill for more than 10 seconds each side, else you’ll lose all the flavour to those gently licking flames.
Dhs60. Tourist Club Area, near Al Diar Capital Hotel (02 676 6612).
Shakespeare’s quinoa and vegetable salad
Health grub isn’t exactly big business in this city, so props to this buzzy downtown café for offering a few lunch options that aren’t clapped between thick slices of bread or swimming in calorific dressing. Instead, this dish consists of a vitamin-charged selection of grilled Mediterranean veg and a mound of puffy quinoa – a couscous-like grain that’s low on calories but, teamed with pomegranate seeds and a light balsamic vinaigrette, every bit as flavoursome. Just remember to make your co-diners feel guilty for their naughtier choices while you nosh.
Dhs45. The Souk at Central Market (02 639 9626).
Zaatar W Zeit’s djeij w jebneh wrap
It may only be a couple of rungs on the culinary ladder above the likes of McDonald’s and Pizza Hut, but there’s no need to feel trashy sidling into a booth at this popular mall-based spot. The Levantine-style snacks are simply so good you won’t care, and best of all is this warm, gooey, champion of a sandwich. As well as chicken and cheese, the meaty core is also stuffed with fresh lettuce and tomato, pickles and a rich, creamy special sauce. There’s multigrain bread on offer for those feeling sensible, but we say go hard or go home.
Dhs29. Abu Dhabi Mall (600 522 231).
Jones’ gourmet burger
They may have been open all throughout Ramadan, but with the privacy curtains taken down, the buzz of the city’s undisputed foodie haven is set to return once more. There’s plenty to choose from, but those in the know go straight for this decadent, super-thick, artery-furring monstrosity of a burger. Stacked high with cheese, pickles, onion rings and – of course – a thick, juicy wagyu beef patty, you’ll struggle to get your hands around it, let alone your mouth. But persevere and you’ll head back to the office with a glow in your belly and a grin on your face.
Dhs62. Al Mamoura Building, Muroor. Also in Khalidiyah and Al Raha Beach (02 443 8762).
