Hidden away in the grounds of Abu Dhabi Country Club, Sardinia is the kind of place you’ll never know to look for. And this is probably the reason why no one seems to have found it. Even if you do manage to uncover it, however, the stiff, old-fashioned decor and empty, atmosphere-free dining room really aren’t the best package for Sardinia’s rather excellent food. The restaurant is dimly lit, and decked out in beige and gold tones; indeed, on our visit, its appearance was so formal and the room so quiet that we found ourselves talking in embarrassed whispers throughout our meal.
That’s not to say Sardinia is a bad restaurant, however – far from it, in fact. The menu is vast, with plenty of tantalising options and imaginative concoctions to choose from. If you’re as indecisive as we are, we’d have to recommend giving the 10-course tasting menu a go, where choice dishes have been taken from the menu and served up in perfectly sized portions for sampling. And the food is really very good; there were no dud courses – everything from the caviar starter to the rhubarb ravioli dessert was delicious and well-executed. The mains of veal were cooked exactly to specification, while the lobster bisque and spilled salad were real standouts.
But while it is clear a lot of care and attention has been applied to the flavours, it’s the presentation of each dish that really shows the chef’s imagination at work. Working our way through the courses we were treated to a tiny spoonful of caviar presented on a vast blue pot of ice, a roquefort milkshake dressing, served up in a glass complete with straw and a tumbled glass of salad leaves.
Sardinia is a refreshing element to Abu Dhabi’s dining scene, serving up some excellent and imaginative dishes and providing the city’s diners with a unique experience. A former TOAD award winner, with a more lively atmosphere and fresher decor it could be a real contender once again.
The bill (for two)
2x tasting menu Dhs930
Total (excluding service) Dhs930
