With so many different cuisines available in our cosmopolitan city, we couldn’t resist going on a sizzling tour. We scoped out different venues and menus, in search of some spicy wonders that would satisfy even the hardiest chilli lovers.
India Palace
Asian culinary dishes are always replete with the spice factor and with such a large Indian expat community in the city, Abu Dhabi is not short on fiery meals. India Palace is one of our old favourites; with excellent service and cosy settings. This menu has many spicy items to choose from, but what really raised our temperature was the yellow dahl. The waiter recommended it instead of the black dahl; saying it was spicier and sure enough, every spoonful had us reaching for the yoghurt! Even more exciting was scooping it up with morsels of naan bread.
Open daily noon-midnight. Al Salaam Street, Al Meena (02 644 8777).
Hot Plate
True to its name, this venue will serve up a storm. Make sure you tell the waiter exactly how much heat you can handle, and dive into their spicy offerings – don’t be too foolhardy though or things could be painful. While the venue serves four kinds of cuisine; Indian, Chinese, Thai and Pakistani, the plates that really grabbed our attention were the hammour tikka and the chicken biryani. The prices are also quite reasonable, although the setting is rather drab unfortunately.
Open daily noon-11pm, food court in the Mina Center Mall (02 676 5488) and has a branch in Mussafah(02 552 1277).
Sontaya
Winner of TOAD’s 2012 Most Romantic Restaurant, some of the dishes at this gorgeous venue will surely have sparks flying at the table. We had to reassure our waiter that we had visited Thailand and were capable of handling the ‘Thai style’ papaya salad. Sure enough, the salad arrived with chunks of chilli in it and it wasn’t long before the heat wave (and the sweating) kicked in. Not very romantic perhaps but incredibly delicious all the same. Also noteworthy is their Thai red curry, deliciously prepared, with the right amount of spice and coconut milk.
Open daily 6.30pm-midnight. The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Saadiyat Island (02 498 8888).
Royal Orchid
Set in one of the city’s oldest hotels, visitors will enjoy the pleasant service and surroundings here. This Asian restaurant has several spicy items on the menu, but we recommend the tom yum soup. Be forewarned; a TOAD member asked for it spicy and suffered persistent hiccups as a result. Our understanding is that her oesophagus was exclaiming, ‘Oh my goodness!’ at every bite.
Open daily noon-midnight. Hilton Abu Dhabi, Al Khubeirah (02 632 7777). Other location: Salaam Street (02 677 9911).
Hanoi Café
This authentic Vietnamese eaterie loves to throw in some chilli whenever it can, although the waitresses might be a bit timid and serve it to you on the side. The papaya salad was great, as was the tiger prawn mien soup we had, which we thoroughly doused in red and green chilli.
Open daily 10am-11pm. Khalifa Street (02 626 1112).
Al Sayad Marine Restaurant & Grills
A very obscure eaterie, located among the shops at the port, this venue has a dish called ‘Speciale’. The fish is served marinated in hot sauce and comes accompanied by a red dip that has the right amount of tingle and shock value. While the venue might not be the most inviting, if you are a seafood and spice lover, you should brave the surroundings and try out some of the fish on offer here.
Open daily noon-midnight. Mina port area (02 673 3711).
Spicy facts
Capsaicin is the compound in hot peppers that produces the heat.
Humans have been cultivating chili peppers since 7,500 BC.
Many spices are antimicrobial, meaning they can help your system fight off disease.
Eating spicy food releases endorphins and may be addictive.
