restaurant

Nobu Dubai

Posted on by leolawrence94

Nobu, Atlantis, DXB

The Nobu experience is one that everyone should have at least once in his or her lifetime. Dubbed by Vogue as ‘the world’s hippest restaurant chain,’ it features on just about every US reality TV show (shout out to all you Real Housewives and KUWTK devotees) but has restaurants all over the world in the snazziest of places. Before holdthelettuce.net was even a speck on my windshield of life, I had the pleasure of visiting Nobu LA and the experience was really something worth writing home about. However, Ole Sib and I were on the budget where we liked to go to fancy places but couldn’t really afford to dine like the queens we masqueraded as, so sadly we didn’t exactly go all out. Nobu Dubai was a different story…

Atlantis, located on the magnificent manmade island, The Palm, is perhaps the most impressive hotel in the world. Its palatial arch dominates the island and is recognisable worldwide. Home to a mesmerising aquarium and an enormous (and remarkably clean) water park, Atlantis also boasts world-renowned restaurants, one of which is Nobu.

Entering the restaurant through the bar was similar to what I imagine walking a catwalk would be like simply because everyone in the vicinity was so good-looking and nonchalant. Some were smoking inside on lounge chairs (who knows what the rules are when you’re rich and fancy) and others were enjoying the DJ’s easy house vibes. We attempted to strut through and were led to a table in the centre of the restaurant with a view of the open kitchen where the chefs were preparing various types of sushi.

The best way to do Nobu, as with many other Asian cuisine restaurants, is to order an extensive selection of dishes from different parts of the menu and share with the rest of the party. While I usually heavily object to sharing food (I recognise food envy is possibly the worst emotion in the world but if you had the same options on that menu as I did and subsequently chose poorly then MORE FOOL YOU), this did work out well because in the end there is so much food that all the buttons are a-poppin’ and there is zilch you can do about it except embrace the blossoming food baby. We bravely ordered and prepared ourselves for the oncoming culinary challenge.

A range of sushi and sashimi accompanied by some mini wagyu beef tacos and tempura dishes was the first to make an appearance. As to be expected in this fashionable establishment, the food was presented beautifully and tasted so fresh I was mildly concerned that it may have swum to the table… While we ordered the mini tacos mainly for the novelty of enjoying such fine meat in an understated package, they turned out to be little shells of happiness. However, it must be said that the general consensus around the table was that the tuna sashimi took the champion title for the first round. The tempura prawns and vegetables were similarly enjoyable and satisfied the parentally enforced vegetable obligation in fine fried fashion, just the way I like it.

Despite the success of the first courses, nothing could prepare us for what came next. The main event. The prized fighter. The flambé wagyu beef. The waiter presented our precious wagyu to us on a hot stone slab and proceeded to set it alight in the centre of the table (disclaimer: fire is really hot) while we all ensured that we had photographic evidence for social media purposes because it is the 21st century and if a hunk of wagyu beef is set alight and no one sees it, was it really set alight? We took the beef off the slab quickly to ensure it remained rare and tucked in to what was unanimously dubbed the best steak we had ever eaten.

As we wound down from our frenzy of excitement in a haze of steak-fuelled satisfaction, we observed our fellow diners. Nobu’s appeal clearly resonates with the chic and fashionable but this reputation should not lead this chain of restaurants to be misconstrued as pretentious hangouts for the rich and famous. After enjoying two highly successful culinary experiences, the Nobu name in my opinion is not only synonymous with trendy dining, but also with delectable food and outstanding service. In conclusion, I have now been ruined for all other kinds of beef forevermore and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

http://www.noburestaurants.com

BBQ Al Qasr

Posted on by leolawrence94

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?

http://bit.ly/1QuRNhK