Spend a short time in Abu Dhabi and you’ll find Asian-themed restaurants sprouting around the capital like inoki mushrooms. A flashy new sushi bar opens today, and a nouvelle noodle shop springs up tomorrow to steal its thunder. With all the craze for expensive Asian-fusion fare, what about Asian comfort food at a reasonable price? What about something different?
Kamayan Barrio Fiesta Restaurant is the answer. Located off Najda Street (behind National Cinema), this festively decorated Filipino eatery is a hidden gem in a crowded part of town. More cafeteria than restaurant, the friendly staff patiently explain the collection of simmering buffet items behind a foggy glass wall. Scan the rows of chafing pans and you’ll notice what isn’t stewed is fried: a perfect match for the Dhs1 all-you-can-eat steamed rice.
Though Barrio Fiesta is famous for its combination meal deals, not knowing where to begin I chose an array of a la carte items, loading my plastic serving tray with exotic names and tropical aromas. The red licorice decor and the blasting Celine Dion videos on a flat-screen overhead made it quite clear this was no posh restaurant. Clean, comfortable (if you can bear a loud Celine), unpretentious – I knew that here I could dig in with a shovel.
My first mouthful was the beef humba: fall-off-the-bone chunks of supple meat stewed in its own coffee-colored broth. Floating in the sweet pot liquor was a constellation of plump peanuts. There was something so natural about spooning this over rice. And then, the pakbet: a hearty mix with a bitter bite, the buttery okra, string beans, squash, baby shrimp, and unforgettable bitter melon stuck to the ribs. My rice half gone, I shoveled another piping heap onto my plate. Dhs1 never tasted so good.
Next came the deliciously dainty lily-white ribbons of kilawing tanigue, a vinegar-based fish ceviche. A cool complement to the soupy beef and veggies, the strips of hammour are prepared in a marinade of vinegar, lemon, red and green peppers, and salt. A pickled Philippine delicacy. But perhaps the most curious dish was the sarciado: juicy whole mackerel lightly battered, fried with garlic and spices and smothered in scrambled eggs and tomatoes. Neighbouring patrons drizzled soy sauce and green chilli peppers on theirs, and dug in with delight. Spoon in hand, I followed suit, and instantly this fishy mix of breakfast and dinner became the highlight of the meal. Scrambled eggs on fish: ingenious.
Tasty, friendly, easy. Kamayan Barrio Fiesta is great value, and, thankfully, off the beaten path.
The bill (for one)
Beef humba Dhs15
Pakbet Dhs12
Sarciado Dhs14
Kilawing tanigue Dhs12
Steamed rice Dhs1
Water Dhs1
Total Dhs55
