Every big city has its downmarket culinary institutions; rough-and-ready spots that have built their success on little more than good, honestly priced food, bags of character and garrulous word of mouth. London has Bar Italia. New York has Katz and Carnegie Deli. In Abu Dhabi, it’s Lebanese Flower. Not only is this unassuming Khalidiyah joint packed every single night of the week, it’s also permanently encircled by a ring of hungry punters impatiently waiting for their takeaway bags, like victims of some gruesome, tabbouleh-based zombie apocalypse.
The trouble with these places is that, with such a big reputation to justify, the food is almost always anti-climactic, and this holds true – to a certain extent – for Lebanese Flower. The cold mezze, on the whole, is no better than any we’ve had in countless other Lebanese restaurants – the hummus is slightly above average, the fattoush slightly below – while the mixed grill, a monstrous platter of charred flesh, proves to be a similar package of pleasant and unpleasant surprises. The lamb cutlets were a notable highlight, if only because so many other places in the capital get them so tragically wrong, with the tender meat falling effortlessly away from the bone. At the opposite end of the scale, the bathatha harra (literally ‘spicy potatoes’) was vastly inferior to versions we’ve tasted in Beirut, teaming over-salted chunks of potato with burnt-tasting pieces of garlic and a general whiff of off-ness.
Still, if it’s a choice between eating decent-but-not-incredible Lebanese food in an empty restaurant or decent-but-not-incredible Lebanese food amid the bustling atmosphere of Lebanese Flower, it’s pretty much a no-brainer, especially with the efficient staff remaining cool and courteous despite the demand. As such, this makes a great place to take visitors eager for a glimpse of an Abu Dhabi institution, but if you just want to eat some falafel in peace, there are countless spots around the city where the food is just as good.
The bill (for two)
Hummus Dhs10
Tabbouleh Dhs10
Moutabbal Dhs10
Fattoush Dhs10
Falafel Dhs10
Mixed grill (1kg) Dhs120
Total (excluding service) Dhs170
