There are a number of little cafeterias and unknown restaurants all over Abu Dhabi that have some pretty terrific fare: nothing fancy but totally soul-satisfying. Saniya Ali explores four of these secret gems and dishes out the best they have to offer.
Where: Eldorado Restaurant
What: Mushroom chili fry (Indo-Chinese)
Build: Button mushrooms, green chilies, bell peppers, garlic.
Comment: A small cafeteria-type restaurant on a corner street took me by surprise. I placed my order by phone to get it delivered home and within 20 minutes the food was at my door. The Indo-Chinese meal satisfied my senses as the intense flavour gave my taste buds a serious kicking. The mushrooms were cooked well enough but they weren’t soggy and the garlic naan I had ordered with my meal was as tasty as could be.
Recommendation: Great food for home delivery or takeaway. I shall return.
Location: Electra Street, Abu Dhabi.
Where: Jun Encarnation Restaurant
What: Tom Yum Soup (Thai)
Build: Shrimp, calamari, lemongrass, mushrooms.
Comment: A small, dimly lit restaurant hidden behind the bright lights and busy streets. I was greeted with the sound of music; a live band was playing in the centre and people were enjoying their food while watching the performance. I ordered a Tom Yum soup, a Thai specialty. The steaming bowl arrived and to my surprise it was a rather large serving. The soup tasted amazing, with its spicy flavour and tinge of lemongrass. The shrimp and calamari rings in my soup were cooked to excellence and the mushrooms were plain juicy!
Recommendation: Food and service was great and the live band just made it better!
Location: Hamdan Street, Abu Dhabi
Where: Cauldron Café
What: Pollo Al Fungi (Italian)
Build: Chicken filet, mushrooms, white sauce, potato wedges, salad, oyster sauce.
Comment: I made my way to this underground café that I can bet is known to a lucky few. The food took a while to arrive but it was definitely worth the wait. The chicken was grilled and dripping in a delicious, rich white sauce topped with mushrooms. It was served with a side of potato wedges and a salad with oyster sauce drizzled over it. The flavour of the chicken was so intense I soon wiped the plate clean.
Recommendation: The location may not be the best but the food is worth writing home about.
Location: Navy gate, Abu Dhabi
Where: Sandesh Sweets
What: Pani Puri (Indian)
Build: Fried bread puffs, spicy potatoes, chickpeas, tamarind water.
Comment: This Indian snack is widely available in almost every Indian restaurant worth its curry, but this one belies its modest environs. For the uninitiated, the ‘puri’ is a small, round puff of bread made by deep-frying and the ‘pani’ is the spicy, tamarind water. After my pani puri arrived in a steel dish, I placed the spicy, mashed potatoes and chickpeas inside the puri bread and drenched the little puri in the tamarind water. I then placed it in my mouth to allow the deep flavour to invade every corner…. The crunch of the bread and the soft texture of the potatoes combined smoothly to give me one heavenly pani-puri fix.
Recommendation: Cool experience. Definitely worth a return.
Location: Behind Sun and Sand Sports on Hamdan Street
