It’s big and swanky, and that’s the first thing you’ll notice about Oceana Grill. The name is a tad misleading, because you expect to be on a beach with people in straw hats tossing shrimp and fish on a barbecue. Misleading but far from disappointing – this place is shiny, elegant and understated, and it makes you feel like dressing up.
The service is on par with the swank; elegant, organised and you expect your name and preferences will be remembered if you head there again. And while it looks like the kind of place you’ll shell out a large chunk for, it isn’t, not by a long shot.
Oceana Grill’s buffet system is rather interesting. They’ve got a set price for breakfast and lunch buffets (Dhs115 and Dhs150 respectively), but during the dinner buffet – which is when we suggest you go – you’ll get to order your mains from the à la carte menu, and it’s included in the price.
The dinner buffet items were creative and, for the most part, delicious; and most of them were presented in small, bite-sized portions. We tried a carroty salmon mousse, a beef pâté with caramelised onions, a chicken terrine and a tuna tartar; all of these, and especially the tuna, were delicious. Other items on the buffet were interesting, but didn’t nearly shine as much; those included the maki rolls and some single serving pesto pasta dishes that weren’t very successful. Again, on the soup and salad fronts there were great flavours, but somehow they didn’t live up to the stars of the buffet.
The à la carte menu was just as creative as the buffet. We ordered a crispy slab of salmon served with caramelised onions in a reduced fortified red sauce – and this may well become our favourite salmon dish in the city. Juicy and crispy, sweet, light, and full of flavour; if you’re a salmon fan, this is a must try. Our second main was an open seafood lasagne, and was basically a sheet of pasta wrapped around some salmon and vegetables in a creamy sauce. We thought it was original and well cooked, but nothing jumped out at us – plus it was a bit over the top on the salmon and could have done with some more variety in the seafood area.
To wrap it all up, we picked a few morsels from the selection of desserts, and there’s little you can go wrong with there. The key limes were lovely, the chocolate cheesecake and mousses rich and tasty, and the Arabic sweets on offer tasted fresh and very well made. A great close to dinner.
The bill (for two)
Dinner buffet for two Dhs180
Total (excluding service) Dhs360
