Welcome to Feed Me, The Gazelle’s restaurant review column. Every week we’ll be writing about the best, and sometimes the worst, of Abu Dhabi’s culinary scene. We’ll be reviewing all sorts of restaurants from cheap, hole-in-the-wall Indian joints to fancy, fusion restaurants atop the city’s fine hotels. Restaurants will be rated on a scale of one to three forks with three forks meaning you should go out of your way to try this place, two forks meaning that this place is worth trying if you’re in the area and one fork meaning that this place should be avoided.
Feed Me
Welcome to Feed Me, The Gazelle’s restaurant review column. Every week we’ll be writing about the best, and sometimes the worst, of Abu Dhabi’s ...
Nov 15, 2014
Welcome to Feed Me, The Gazelle’s restaurant review column. Every week we’ll be writing about the best, and sometimes the worst, of Abu Dhabi’s culinary scene. We’ll be reviewing all sorts of restaurants from cheap, hole-in-the-wall Indian joints to fancy, fusion restaurants atop the city’s fine hotels. Restaurants will be rated on a scale of one to three forks with three forks meaning you should go out of your way to try this place, two forks meaning that this place is worth trying if you’re in the area and one fork meaning that this place should be avoided.
Taqado
Anywhere else in the world, the appearance of another Chipotle-style, Tex-Mex concept would hardly be noteworthy, but out here in the Saadiyat Island food desert, we’re excited by the fact that one of Abu Dhabi’s best value meals is only 20 AED away.Tucked away in the food court of the swanky Galleria Mall, Taqado Mexican Kitchen is a wonderful find. First, its prices are roughly the same as establishments of its kind elsewhere in the world: 25 to 35 AED for a burrito, quesadilla, set of tacos and so on. Second, it doesn’t claim to be an authentic representation of Mexican cuisine.
Taqado’s website says, “We’re not talking about sombreros, handlebar moustaches and jumping beans, but classic Mexi-Cal cooking with authentic ingredients, just like you’d find at a sizzling street kitchen in San Fernando.”
Third, the manager is from Mexico and the people working the counter are knowledgeable about the food they are serving. They are very friendly and even accommodated Krishan’s request that they put taco toppings on an order of fries from the nearby Burger Fuel.
When it comes to the food, Taqado basically follows the Chipotle formula, with a few notable exceptions. Their slow-cooked beef Barbacoa is the best we’ve had and they serve Spanish yellow rice as well as the standard cilantro-lime. Not only are all of their ingredients fresh, they are also all fresh to death.
In addition to the fajitas, burritos, tacos and quesadillas, they sell a variety of classic Mexican sodas like Jarritos as well as a definite must-order: churros cajeta. Whether you are familiar with this treat or you are a churros novice, get the churros cajeta. It’s a tube of crispy fried dough, covered in cinnamon sugar, filled with dulce de leche and is absolutely delicious. We loved the churros cajeta so much that we haven’t even tried the churros con chocolate. At this point in time, Taqado is one of our favorite places to go for a filling, inexpensive and delicious meal that’s also about as close as you can get to Saadiyat Island.
Rating: — Worth going out of your way
Price: ~50 AED per person
Location: Galleria Mall, Al Maryah Island
Cab ride from Saadiyat: 20 AED
Serves alcohol: No
Accepts credit cards: Yes
Phone: 02 677 0700
Recommended Dishes: Beef Barbacoa and Churros Cajeta
Perfect for: Friday afternoons with your pals
Market Kitchen
Though Market Kitchen bills itself as a “casual family kitchen,” it is perfect for an intimate and elegant evening with friends or your special someone. The décor at the two-level restaurant is trendy yet chic: think shelves lined with kitchenware, exposed white brick, leather, mirrors, hardwood floors and plenty of daylight or candlelight, depending on when you go. We sat at a dimly lit table for two beneath a small olive tree at the center of the restaurant.The Kitchen’s menu fuses contemporary American cuisine with Asian and local cuisines as well as seasonal ingredients. Appetizers range from 45 to 100 AED and main dishes range from 85 to 170 AED, apart from the Lobster. We chose to sample across the menu. We ordered the Salmon Tartare with avocado, spicy radish and ginger dressing from among the Simply Raw options, the Black Truffle and Fontina Pizza as an appetizer and the Truffled Macaroni and Cheese as a side. All of these were very solid. We chose to split the Soy Glazed Beef Short Ribs, served with apple-jalapeño puree, rosemary crumbs and celery leaves for our main. The dish was delicious and delightful. We absolutely recommend it.
Market Kitchen also has a nice wine list and drinks menu, including pitchers of cocktails, around 180 AED, that looked fabulous. The Kitchen’s dessert menu also looked great, but we opted to go up to Stratos, the revolving lounge on the 26th floor to take in the nighttime view. Our dessert there, Spiced Pineapple with Black Truffle Ice Cream, was excellent and we will likely go back soon to sample their other offerings, so keep an eye out for that review in the next few weeks.
Overall, we were very pleased with both the quality and pricing at Market Kitchen. Though it would be easy to rack up quite a bill, especially if you add drinks, it is also quite possible to avoid the pricier items and go for the many delicious choices that are quite reasonable. It will still be more expensive than West Dining Hall, but hey, it’s worth it.
Rating: — Worth going out of your way
Price: ~300 AED for dinner for two without drinks
Location: Le Royal Méridien, Sheikh Khalifa Street
Cab ride from Saadiyat: 20 AED
Serves alcohol: Yes
Accepts credit cards: Yes
Phone: 02 6950 300
Recommended dishes: Soy Glazed Beef Short Ribs
Perfect for: A romantic date with your honey
Krishan Mistry and Cambria Naslund are contributing writers. Email them at features@thegazelle.org.
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