From Time Out Abu Dhabi Eating Out 2010
Eye-poppingly tasty and always buzzing, the Khalidiya branch of the Lebanese Flower in particular feels like a bustling, rustic kitchen. But all of their restaurants are pretty uniform: a bold green and red sign sits atop an anonymous white façade, with a Lebanese Flower bakery usually lying next door, foisting buttery-rich Levantine pastries on all who enter. They are pretty much the default restaurant for when you just can’t be bothered to go anywhere else. As such, the Flowers are usually fairly reliable, especially for a cheap sidestreet restaurant with a quick turnover. Among locals it’s probably best known for its shawarmas, which are legendary and uniformly excellent, prompting queues and traffic snarl-ups around 6pm for workers who just can’t wait until they get home.
Inside, the choice is the standard Levantine fare, with grills at the top of the list. There’s little standing on ceremony, but this is food that doesn’t need it. Forget the fries, they’re always lousy, but the kebabs are succulent and delicious. In the end, a shish taouk with houmous, soup and a glass of juice will only set you back Dhs49. Meanwhile a cheerful man wanders the restaurant dishing out huge discs of fresh, hot Lebanese bread like some benevolent king. True, the odd customer gets overlooked amidst the throng, but it’s a pretty sure bet for a good, cheap, easy dinner in the capital.
