Sadaf in Mourouj Hotel Apartments, Madinat Zayed, Abu Dhabi - Restaurant Reviews

Sadaf

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For the first 15 minutes at Sadaf, we felt as though we were still in transit. We couldn’t shake the feeling that we were about to be called for boarding – Gold Star passengers and families travelling with children first. And then it clicked: all the waitresses at Sadaf were dressed in airline uniforms. Even the concierge looked like he’d just finished moonlighting with Iran Air.

Clothing aside, Sadaf served up a thoroughly satisfying meal at a very reasonable price. A word of warning, however: this is not one for the vegetarians. Sure, there’s a decent plate of complimentary meat-free starters (houmous, vine leaves, tabbouleh and friends), but once that’s been squared away, you must offer yourself up to the world of flesh, where Lord Meat rules the land with the good Lady Fish at his side. The few vegetables living here are pathetic, downtrodden creatures, unfit to be seen in polite society.

We started with a mixed salad, but there was nothing mixed about it – it was a discriminatory little outfit, with sliced, raw vegetables forcibly separated from one another on the plate. The yoghurt and mint dip that shuffled in alongside them, however, was fresh and tangy; the houmous creamy and without too much bite. Even the tabbouleh arrived without his usual garish vinegary overcoat. None of them lived to see the dawn.

A stewardess wheeled a trolley over (seriously – we were beginning to think we’d happened upon a theme night), packed with main courses. In the other room, a buffet started up and the sheer volume of animal carcass on the hotplates was overwhelming – we plumped for the grilled seafood. The hammour on basmati rice was chunky and finely grilled and, while the shrimp shells had obviously proved their honour in some kind of fire-fighting disaster, their innards were tender and juicy. Both dishes were served with a fresh half lemon, which gave them a new lease of life.

For dessert, we ordered a bowl of the restaurant’s special pistachio ice cream, which was sweet enough to induce diabetes on the spot, and a plate of crème caramel, which was rough, cake-like and just enough to push our needle past the full mark. We sat back to let it all settle, and the head waiter arrived with the bill. For the briefest of seconds, I thought he wanted to see my boarding pass; but if this was indeed an aeroplane theme night, they had thankfully forgotten to tell the chef.

The bill (for two)
Grilled hammour Dhs48
Grilled shrimps Dhs58
Mixed salad Dhs30
Crème caramel Dhs10
Sadaf special ice cream Dhs12
Cocktail juice x 2 Dhs30
Large mineral water Dhs5
Total Dhs193