La Terrazza

On first glance, La Terrazza has all the charm of a Berlin youth hostel: the lighting is bad and the curtains cheap Discuss this article

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On first glance, La Terrazza has all the charm of a Berlin youth hostel: the lighting is bad and the curtains cheap. However, a visit to the smoking section tells a different story, with banquettes upholstered in warm reds and walls adorned with a set of botanical prints, it has the refined look of a London gastro-pub.

As is surprisingly often the case in Abu Dhabi restaurants with little ambience, the food is oddly good. The mozzarella with roasted tomatoes is creamy and bouncy, with the tomatoes packing a well-judged punch. The smoked salmon cured with lemongrass and hazelnut oil is subtle. Fish features heavily in the main courses, and the grilled Gulf seafood comes as a steaming mound of chive- butter-drizzled Omani lobster, sweet scallops, delicately crunchy prawns and succulent hammour – in fact it is a near-perfect dish.

The prawn and hammour masala is beautifully presented, with rice, popadoms and an assortment of chutney and yoghurt sauce on the side. The selection of ‘healthy’ options, including a deliciously light steamed sea bass on cucumber and tomato tartare, is also impressive. A word of caution, though: the portions are huge, so sharing is advisable.

Puddings have an adventurous streak, with pineapple and marzipan spring rolls atop coconut ice cream and choc chips, as well as flourless chocolate chilli cake with chantilly cream and raspberry coulis. Alas, good food alone does not a restaurant make, and with the occasional bleep of a lone Blackberry supplying the atmosphere, Le Terrazza is unlikely to become a destination of choice for anyone outside the travelling business community.

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