We’ve always found Stratos to be quite understated, and we say that in full knowledge that the venue is the only rotating one in Abu Dhabi, and offers some of the best views in the city.
The cool steakhouse just gets on with business and lets the ambiance and the food do the talking. There’s no need for any extra gimmicks or jumping up and down screaming for attention when you do the key things well.
On our latest visit, following a period of the restaurant being closed, we are checking out the steakhouse’s midweek gents’ night. It’s busy but we still find a seat next to a window.
It is a bit unusual sitting in a restaurant that revolves, but thankfully it doesn’t move too quickly, so you get a view of the whole city over the course of your meal, rather than a few trips around.
The gents’ night means blokes get three free drinks with a main course, but we order starters, too.
The Caesar salad may be an appetiser but there’s no skimping on portion sizes and a pretty hefty bowl filled with crisp lettuce, bacon and croutons, slathered in just the right amount of that garlicky dressing ticks all the boxes. It looks great, too.
For the main courses here it’s hard to look past the steak options. This time we try a steak, a tenderloin and a T-bone.
The New Zealand tenderloin is pretty as a picture on the plate and it’s cooked perfectly medium rare, as requested. We ask for a peppercorn sauce on the side, which is fiery, and it’s the perfect dip for the absolutely stunning steak chips that come with the meat. The steak itself is incredibly tender.
The T-bone is a big piece of meat and is a tough cut to cook, with different parts of it needing slightly different treatment. It often ends up being overdone, but not at Stratos.
Both the top loin and tenderloin are expertly cooked (still blushed pink) and the dish goes well with the creamed spinach that was recommended by our server.
The restaurant continues to fill up so it seems it’s not just us who are happy to see Stratos back in business. With a slightly refreshed menu and some new offers running, there’s little to not love here. We hope it never has to close its doors again.
