BBQ Al Qasr, Emirates Palace, AD

If the Etihad Towers are the shining beacons of modernity dominating the Abu Dhabi skyline (see article ‘Ray’s Grill’), then the Emirates Palace is their palatial and more vertically challenged neighbour. However, don’t let this antithetic example fool you. The Emirates Palace is without a doubt the most opulent and ostentatious encapsulation of luxury into which I have ever stepped foot. Situated across the road from the Etihad Towers, this Kempinski collection hotel’s gardens are perfectly manicured. The interior is stunning and, most noticeably, gold. Everything is gold. There is even a gold machine. Having pressed all the buttons, I still have yet to find out how to make this intriguing machine actually produce the precious material I seek but I can only assume that those worthy of it will be able to master the technology. I’m sure I will be let in on the secret soon…

After meandering past the gold machine and – yep, you guessed it – gold bathrooms, we reached the beach area of the hotel where the restaurant BBQ Al Qasr is located. The restaurant is beautifully laid out with tables interspersed in raised cabanas that are accessible by traversing a maze of wooden decking laid out on the pristine sand. We perused the menu that had a handy flashlight attached to it to offer a solution to the evening’s darkness and were brought a selection of breads to enjoy with sundried tomato, olive paste and butter.

Unsurprisingly I ordered beef Carpaccio to start because this is a barbecue restaurant so obviously I wanted my meat to be served raw… I swiftly proceeded to remove the lettuce garnish and enjoyed the tender beef, presented elegantly on a large stone slab and polished wood support. My compliments to the waiters’ wrists for bearing these burdens for the sake of our culinary delectation. The slices of beef wrapped around baby radishes added an interesting and crunchy touch.

For the main course, I finally caught on to the barbecuing idea and ordered barbecued beef and chicken skewers. The presentation of this course was wonderful in that the mini barbecue was brought to our cabana and the barbecue beef and tandoori chicken was served in front of us. While obviously impressive, this was verging on old news after the tableside creations of Ray’s Grill (hyperlink) from the previous evening. (The struggle of eating at good restaurants is real…) The beef and chicken was served with grilled peppers and roasted garlic that inevitably ended up on the plate to my left under Papa L’s jurisdiction. A side of fries may have crept in also since I am a westernised fat person living in the guise of a formerly athletic young person.

For the sake of this food blog I felt it only responsible to indulge in a dessert in order to report on the full range of options presented at this beach side establishment. With this in mind I selected the molten chocolate cake, which was a delight to the senses. Underneath a more welcome chocolate mousse garnish, yet more cocoa-y goodness oozed out of the centre of the rich cake and mingled with edible golden (what a surprise) decorations. It was spectacular.

While enjoying a fragrant jasmine tea to cleanse us of our gluttonous sins, we observed a camera crew filming a large group of excitable young women greeting each other before sitting down to dine. It was interesting to witness since most of the socialising we had seen out and about in the city was quite reserved and quiet, but where better than a palace of gold to host the Real Housewives of Abu Dhabi?

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