There’s something about a restaurant that delivers the same high standards of service and food time after time. It’s easy to be outstanding once or twice, but to do it consistently is the hallmark of a truly great restaurant.
Frankies is a truly great restaurant. Located at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, it might miss out on some of the central city crowd but its location is one of the attractions for me. Pre-dinner tipples don’t get much better than a balmy evening on the Frankies terrace, the tranquillity of the creek framing the moon-like glow of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in the background.
Moving inside, the mood changes from refreshing to comfortable. Everything about Frankies oozes homestyle charm, maybe upmarket charm, but the decor is every bit as inviting and welcoming as the staff. Muted reds remind you of Ferrari, and the Italian accent and old-school European hospitality of General Manager, Giorgio Cingolani, transports you to the heart of Rome.
Given that Frankies is the eponymous restaurant of Italian-born jockey Frankie Dettori, it is hardly surprising. Frankie and his business partner, the legendary Marco-Pierre White, have combined their ancestral roots to deliver a fine dining experience.
This is the third Frankies I have dined at, Dublin and Dubai being the others, and I still think Abu Dhabi is my favourite. It has a warmth and understated sophistication the other two, as good as they are, lack.
I really enjoy the deceptively simple Mamma-style cooking at Frankies -the lasagne is a favourite and my dessert selection has never wavered from the knee-bucklingly delicious warm chocolate pudding.
More than the food though, it is the service that has me returning and raving. Until recently, the service at Frankies was incomparable in Abu Dhabi; the new 5-star offerings in Abu Dhabi are providing some serious competition, but Frankies will no doubt hold its own.
What I love most – and we all do – is the recognition at Frankies. The staff, led by the brilliant Restaurant Manager Ashwin Naidu Javvaji, obviously take the time to learn the names of guests in their section, and they greet you like regular customers even if they haven’t served you before. Bravo, Frankies, bravo!
