EAT AND DRINK

LA CUISINE DE MANOU CAFÉ

An ode to the newest classic French café in Abu Dhabi

Call us old-fashioned, but our idea of the perfect French café is a place where dishes are kept traditional, the food is simple, the service attentive, the price acceptable, and our relationship with the chef or owner (preferably one in the same) is close enough that we know each by their first name.

The concept of La Cuisine de Manou Café, a new spot in Khalidiyah located in the Alliance Française, is just that. It feels like home or, at least, someone’s home. Perhaps the terrace of its owner and chef, Manou Magnin, who wants all her guests to feel welcome and leave full.

Manou started out as a caterer (she still caters, too, in the event you need one) so her menu changes frequently, and if there’s anything special that you’d like from her online catering menu, you can order it ahead and have it delivered to the café if you’re that organised. If not, the menu has much to explore: excellent crusty freshly baked baguette and croissants, a wellstocked pâtisserie cabinet and, naturally, an excellent cup of coffee. You won’t find foam, strange deconstructions, anything charcoal-activated or plated on something other than a plate here, because it’s Manou’s goal to serve café fare without pretense.

The terrace is equally welcoming for a quick coffee or any kind of meal, but we enjoyed an alfresco dinner. We started with refreshing mocktails, a simple grilled prawn and avocado salad (Dhs35) and a sharing platter of mini bites with mini caprese salads, blinis with olive tapenade and smoked salmon and cream cheese, as well as a divine bruschetta with sundried tomatoes and an artichoke dip (Dhs30) that we wished Manou sold in vats. Home-cooked food – ovenbaked salmon (Dhs40) and braised lamb shanks (Dhs70) served over mashed potatoes with roasted veg on the side – was brought out as mains, and they were equally substantial and tasty. No reasonable meal closes without a dessert, so we chose a lovely mille feuille and carrot cake from the cabinet (Dhs18 to 23), and each pudding made the meal even more a treat.

Verdict: Manou’s café is new so she’s still working out some kinks, but the preparations are simple with a price tag that’s well suited to families. Here you’ll find simple, delicious and filling meals and desserts any time of day at La Cuisine de Manou Café. a Al Khalidiyah, French Alliance, across from the Nissan showroom. Sun to Thur 10am to 10pm, Fri and Sat 10am to 7pm. Tel: (0)2 5526608. @lacuisinedemanou

Manou Magnin

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MEDI TERRA

Abu Dhabi’s new Mediterranean café in Al Bateen

here’s a seasonal breeze in the

TMediterranean known as the Mistral. Strongest in autumn and spring, the wind brings a welcome freshness to towns along the coast, chasing clouds from the Provencal sky.

This spring, a warm Mediterranean breeze blew across a stretch of Abu Dhabi’s own Riviera, at Marsa Al Bateen Marina, bringing with it a breath of fresh European air. Medi Terra, opened up back in April of this year, in what is fast becoming Abu Dhabi’s go-to cafe district.

We’re at the restaurant to investigate its credentials as a scenic new breakfast spot. It’s also a meal that the Medi Terra serves all day – a laidback level that most Europeans would applaud. Whilst we’re having our traditional nose around the gloriously green perimeter, we uncover three separate staging areas. There’s an alfresco terrace; a cute covered little Niçois-esque terrace; and a neatly arranged interior.

We take a table inside the glass-fronted terrace, which comes with the advantage of climate control surrounds without having to sacrifice those marina views. Before we’ve had a chance to pick out which of the adjacent moored yachts we’d swoop in and gazump following a big Mahzooz win, our server has already managed to offer recommendations and take our order.

Our plates all arrive at the same time, and we’ve over-ordered to ensure that we’re experiencing both the sweet and savoury sides of the menu.

Starting with one of the restaurant’s signature AM dishes, the truffle egg Benedict (Dhs59) is a very handsome plate of food. The poach is perfect, the garnish is pleasingly presented (a dressed salad, which is perhaps slightly odd for a breakfast dish, but perfectly acceptable as brunch), and the disc of cured turkey ham that snuggles into a cosy concentric fit with the muffin it sits on top of.

And it tastes pleasant enough too. All those flavours you’d expect from an eggs Benny, swaggering yolky umami, refreshing tartness via the vector of hollandaise. We only mark this down because we wanted to be surprised; we wanted that big open-handed slap around the face that truffle often provides... but it never came. For us, its presence was too subtle.

The avocado toast (Dhs49) has some really strong elements, too. The earthy tones of the sourdough bread alone are a huge win for the Abu Dhabi brekkie scene. And we understand what the intention is with the piquillo pepper marmalade, but for us the sweet-citrus helix cuts out some of the enjoyment of the avocado.

Our pace slows a little as we tackle the blueberry pancake mountain. It’s a generous stack, but as intrepid gastronauts, we push on. It’s a rewarding endeavour – the pancakes have that real American diner feel to them, syrupy and fluffy and the berry compote has been cleverly balanced.

VERDICT: we can only speak with authority on how Medi Terra performs as a breakfast hook-up, but we can confirm it does it well. Most of the fault we found came down to personal preference, the service was excellent and the scenery a perfect foil for the Riviera-inspired menu. a Marsa Al Bateen Marina, noon to 11pm on weekdays, 10am to midnight on weekends. Tel: (0)2 633 6366. @mediterra_ad

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MEET THE CHEF

GIOVANNI RINALDI

Head chef at Sacci Restaurant

As a boy, my grandmother used

to make fresh pasta at home. I was mesmerised by her patience as I watched her technique.

Growing up, I was always excited about our family dinners.

It was a time where I got to relax and enjoy time spent with my family. I became a chef so that my fondest memories became a reality.

I always have pasta dough in

my fridge. That way, I am always ready to prep and eat pasta.

Supplì is one of my favourite

Italian dishes. I grew up eating this street food. I can still recall the flavours of the warm cheese melting in my mouth.

I’ve always been a better chef

than a better teacher. I’ve always been an outstanding student.

I am very passionate in what I do, and have a deep love for food.

But if cheffing wasn’t an option, I believe that architecture is a similar creative profession that tells a story much like my cooking.

My advice to aspiring chefs?

Work hard, keep learning, act smart, be creative and be passionate in what you cook.

I would die happy after eating

tagliolini cacio e pepe. To me, it is a perfect dish from my home, Rome. a Sacci, Westin Abu Dhabi, Sas Al Nakhl. Tel: (0)2 616 9999, sacciabudhabi.com

Impressions

BAR O F TH E MONTH

Revisiting the 2021 What’s On Award-winning bar

We’re not fussy about what bars we like, but the vibe has to be right. Easy breezy ambience and cool without trying too hard. There needs to be crafty mixology, nice views, and a banging playlist pitched at precisely the right volume for grooving and gossiping. Oh, and food. There has to be great bar snacks. We’re not talking about full meals, just dainty nibbles, or gastro finger food that we can pick up and gesticulate with as we waffle on about pop nostalgia and ‘would you rather?’ hypotheticals.

Fortunately, as a sophisticated modern metropolis, Abu Dhabi does have a big variety of bars with watering holes to fit all tastes and occasions. But we’re headed to Impressions this evening, at least partly because you voted it your Favourite Bar at the What’s On Awards Abu Dhabi 2021.

Anantara Eastern Mangroves really feels like it sits on an ancient meridian line. Behind it, the frenetic electricity of a city that never sleeps. Ahead of it, as soon as you cross the threshold into the lobby, you’re amongst nature. Time slows, and there is nothing but greens and blues on the horizon. We ride the elevator to the seventh floor, and walk into the low-lit bar. Our own first impressions of Impressions mirror yours. This is a cool place. There’s a network of neon light that feeds that ‘we’re going out-out’ energy, the circular central bar commands attention and through onto the open terrace, dusk’s last embers linger above the green mangrove trees, rendering them golden.

There’s a full menu of blended beverages and more substantial bites, but we find ourselves in the mood for a little sushi. The selection is bijou but happily varied. It’s authentic, too. Our favourite picks were the maguro tuna nigiri (Dhs48 for four), and volcano maki rolls with teriyaki salmon (Dhs80 for eight).

THE VERDICT

This bar stands out as something special, even amongst Abu Dhabi’s glittering line up of after hour’s haunts. a Anantara Eastern Mangroves Abu Dhabi Hotel, Sat to Wed 4pm to 2.30am, Thu and Fri 4pm to 3.30am. Tel: (056) 188 7700, anantara.com

KINOYA

From intimate supper club to a fully-fledged restaurant, can this Izakaya handle the hype?

he supper club circuit remains

Tin its infancy in Dubai’s dining scene. Sure, there are a few sporadic pop-up series, and a couple of joint ventures here and there, but there’s certainly space for more. These micro events are great for perfecting cooking: to experiment, to try, to fail, to grow, to learn. They are also a way to gather a loyal following who want to be part of the process and understand that it is a work in progress, whether the end goal is to open a restaurant or not.

One lady who has dominated the supper club scene here is Neha Mishra. After quietly accruing a small legion of ramen fans from years of intimate, sold-out supper clubs, Neha has opened Kinoya, a ramen meets izakaya spot inside the Onyx tower in The Greens.

This almost strip mall-style location may not have the glamour of DIFC but don’t be fooled: Neha serves one of Dubai’s best ramens at her Izakaya, and plenty of other interesting dishes worth trying, too.

The set-up of the licensed restaurant gears up for counter-style snacks for one, quick dinners for two, or sectioned-off, low seating group parties – the latter looking especially fun.

We came for an after-work kick-back, a couple of ramen bowls, and some snacks either side. We ignored the nigiri; there are so many other places in Dubai for that. Instead we started with the burnt butter scallops (Dhs50), two excellent plump pucks lightly sticky and sweet. Grilled wagyu tsukune (grounded beef meatball) skewers arrived next. The two unusual oblong patties were charred using binchotan charcoal, and served with a small egg yolk in soy sauce. It’s tender and very well-seasoned, but dipping into a raw egg yolk divided opinion. Some loved the extra savoury sensation; others found it a bit too slimy. Same for the onsen egg on rice with dashi (Dhs35), a small bowl of cold sticky rice topped with very soft boiled egg. It’s a simple dish with an acquired taste.

But the opinion of Kinoya’s ramen was unanimous – a delightful, soul-warming bowl of goodness worth a weekly visit. There are three permutations and a wonton soup: sho ramen (chicken broth with dashi; Dhs50 for a regular bowl, Dhs60 for a large), shoyu ramen (slow cooked chicken broth with shoyu tare; Dhs50 for a regular bowl, Dhs60 for a large) and the spicy miso ramen (chicken broth with a miso, chilli and garlic paste; Dhs50 for a regular bowl, Dhs60 for a large), and you can add extra toppings and ingredients as you like. We slurped our way to the bottom of the sho ramen bowl, which is made with a split base of chicken broth and dashi, poured atop a mess of thin noodles, fortified with two tiny but tender chicken strips, a soft egg and paper thin sheet of nori.

For the most part, what you get at Kinoya, apart from a happy full belly, is the sense that this really is a passion project, by a woman who, against the odds, has turned a supper club into a bricks and mortar establishment. Nice people. Good price. Great food. Six words that tell you all you need to know. a Onyx Tower, The Greens, Mon to Sat noon to 1am. Tel: (0)45486776. kinoya.ae

IN DUBAI

Neha Mishra

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FI’LIA

A female-led Italian restaurant with panoramic Dubai views

ipped as the first fully

Pfemale-led Italian Mediterranean restaurant in Dubai, Fi’lia stands out in more ways than one. Twenty-five-year-old chef de cuisine Sara Aqel has put her creative stamp on the vibrant spot to fuse tradition and modern on the 70th floor of the newly-opened SLS Dubai.

Trained under world-famous chef, Massimo Bottura, guests are treated to Michelin-worthy cooking. The menu is divided between Nonna (grandma), Mamma (mother) and Fi’lia (daughter) to signify how classic or current the dishes are.

We’re met with a buzzing atmosphere, as the restaurant is filled to capacity. We’re lucky to be sat on the terrace next to the glass wall overlooking the Burj Khalifa.

We adored the watermelon carpaccio (Dhs50). The preparation is intense, involving roasting and marinating to create this firm jelly texture and delicately floral taste topped with crunchy beetroot crisps.

The sea bass carpaccio (Dhs65) is equally impressive, bathing in a refreshing yuzu marinade and thin strips of fresh apple to balance the acidity. From the pizzeria menu we opt for the burrata and bresaola (Dhs70), and the dough is beautifully light and topped with a generous helping of creamy cheese.

Having studied under the maestro himself, we’re eager to try Sara’s cacio e pepe (Dhs85), a simple yet elite dish that Massimo is known for. Fi’lia’s version has a twist: two types of cheese and both black and pink peppercorns – it’s divine. Service is swift and seamless, with all dishes arriving less than 10 minutes after we order. Staff are more than happy to have a chat, or offer knowledgable suggestions from the menu.

Another standout dish comes at the end of the night and is recommended from the kitchen with good reason. Simply called pavlova (Dhs40), we’re presented with a coconut-dipped, paper-thin meringue bowl housing creamy mango gelato and refreshing passion fruit and coconut cream. One of those creations that tastes as good as it looks.

Filed under ‘hot new restaurants you simply must try’, Fi’lia ticks all the boxes. It has the views, impeccable service, value for money and excellent food. a SLS Dubai, Business Bay, daily 12.30pm to 3.30pm, 6.30pm to midnight. Tel: (0)4 607 0770. @filiadubai

Chef de Cuisine Sara Aqel

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