31 cheap Abu Dhabi dinners

We've found a month's worth of cheap places to eat in Abu Dhabi... 5 Comments

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Asian

Prices from Dhs60-100
8 Asian Garden: Hidden behind a Bollywood movie theatre, Asian Garden is a no-frills gem with most dishes costing less than Dhs15. While the decor is simple and the tables Formica, the food is anything but plastic. Full-flavoured Filipino and Chinese cuisine makes up the bulk of the menu, but Thai is its speciality. The chicken green curry is perfection incarnate, although liable to take the roof off your mouth if you opt for the hot version, while the pad Thai is likewise excellent – we just wish they’d ditch the tiny dried shrimps.

9 Bandung: Indonesian food is pretty rare in the capital; it’s also fairly inexpensive if Bandung is anything to go by, where two people can stuff themselves for less than Dhs70. Slightly shabby on the outside, inside, it is busy, neat and tidy. For an authentic slice of Indonesian cuisine, check out the nasi goring – fried rice with prawns, chicken and a fluffy omelette on the side – but for the less adventurous, the chicken satay is delicious.

10 Kathmandu: While The Curry House tries to be all things to all Asians, this Nepalese hideout just around the corner is decidedly more authentic. Indian soap operas and velvet pictures of Mount Everest lend a comic side to the decor, but for lovers of buffalo meat (a Hindu-friendly beef substitute), there is plenty of scope. Servings are huge and the thali, in particular, is a bargain, with huge steel dishes containing enough mutton curry, rice and spicy veg to feed a hoard of ravenous yeti. Rock-bottom prices make it unmissable.

13 Hanoi: Regardless of price, this is one of the best Asian restaurants in the capital. A Vietnamese cafeteria at heart, it is usually full to bursting – and for good reason. The noodle soups are excellent and start at around Dhs25. It takes 12 hours to make the broth, the menu boasts excitedly. We believe them – it’s like noodle soup for the soul. The vermicelli salads are likewise superb, but start with a plate of traditional goi, pickled vegetables and peanuts, and just go from there. There are a few dearer items on the menu, but two can eat like Vietnamese emperors for less than Dhs100.