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Dark leathers, wood panels, animal prints, dim-lighting and incredibly comfortable armchairs – Cloud Nine is exactly what your next dream man-den will be like, if you can get the missus to look the other way. It’s wrong to call it a bar, because last we checked bar food was not served to this standard, but then the menu is short enough to get away with that – short enough that four people could conceivably order the whole menu in one go. If you’ve had a late lunch and want a place to enjoy some classy snacks (with the option of full dinner) and great drinks, this is it.

The food is almost consistently good. The odd dim sum will break into the realms of excellence, but then a soggy tiger prawn will knock it down a notch. The oysters are a recommended try, but are occasionally a bit too young. Similarly recommended are the dim sum and appetizer platters – straightforward bar snacks with a lot of class and often a whole lot of flavour. If a dozen oysters won’t cut it for your mains get two dozen, or alternatively just dig into the house steak, one of the better ones you’ll find in the city.

But saying that Cloud Nine is about the food is selling it short, and wildly inaccurate; we’ve said it before: this place is an oasis of calm, a place of serenity. There’s a delicate atmosphere that’s a combination of the excellent, understated service and evening piano music – courtesy of the live piano player right outside the entrance. The mood is perfect for long, late night philosophical discussions over colourful drinks, or for a romantic tête-à-tête with your better half. We hear the place also holds popular cigar evenings (and has its own humidor) but since everyone in Time Out Abu Dhabi is a firm non-smoker, we can’t testify to that.

The bill (for two)
Dim sum platter Dhs79
Tiger prawns Dhs120
Dozen oysters Dhs115
Total (excluding service) Dhs314