ABU DHABI

Aja was formerly exclusive to guests of the super-luxe all-inclusive desert island resort, but as of February this year it’s been open to gourmands everywhere.

Journeying from resort to restaurant, there is a sharp key change in ambiance and design. The grand Ottoman-inspired opulence of the hotel abruptly gives way to modern Japanese, wood and tile finishes. A subconscious cascade of cherry blossom falls.

For alfresco-friendly months there’s an exterior courtyard setting in addition to the expansive interior space. You can pull up a stall at teppanyaki tables in both areas, but you’ll need to book in advance. We came to sample the a la carte menu, which after brief consultation reveals a blend of Asian (predominantly Japanese) and European cuisine.

Aja’s menu includes traditional Asian dishes such as sushi, maki, sashimi, ramen, Thai soups and salads in addition to European dishes that have been given an eastern enhancement.

After finishing a bowl of pleasantlyseasoned edamame, our palates are primed for an umami party. We chose beef tartare (Dhs75) and a shrimp tower (Dhs70) to start our meal.

The tartare was served with celeriac puree and horseradish vinegarette — and although it ticked all the important boxes for salt, spice and acid flavours, there was a presence of citrus in the vinegarette that we found overpowered the neatly chopped sirloin rather than raised it.

The shrimp tower was generous and stacked with precision-cooked prawns that were firm, juicy and rimmed with just the right level of crisp.

For our main course, the attentive and polite wait staff brought us grilled tenderloin (Dhs135) and seabass (Dhs130).

Each dish had been given an Asian massage, the grilled tenderloin was dressed in hoisin sauce. The seabass clad in a rice vinegar and soya sauce.

We enjoyed the Chinese hoisin twist to the sirloin, but the dish suffered from a sub

prime cut. There was cause for applause as well as disappointing flaws in the execution of the sea bass too. The overall plate was an enjoyable eat, but the fillet was thin, and ever so slightly overcooked.

The flavours of the principle ingredient should be what stands out, to be romanced by marinades and sides. With everything else in place, it’s a quick and simple issue to fix, and once you realise that it’s clear that there isn’t much standing between what we experienced at Aja and truly dazzling dining.

We would happily return again, to play tapas with their sushi and appetisers, and also give the fusion mains another try. We’ve heard good things about their confit duck leg. a Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, Tue to Sun 6.30pm to 10.30pm. Tel: (02) 4922222. saadiyatisland.rixos.com

RATING Food �� B Atmosphere�� Price ��

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MATSU Authentic Japanese food overlooking Yas Links I t’s an unlikely location for a top-notch Japanese restaurant: the upper floor of the Yas Links clubhouse. The Latin music that played across the peaceful patio, overlooking the popular post-game watering hole Hickory’s, makes the scene even more incongruous.

But head there all the same, because the food is authentic and delicious, the service attentive and atmosphere serene.

Named after a coniferous evergreen that is also grown ornamentally in Japan, our night on the patio of Matsu was marked by one delicious offering after the next. Our meal started with a generous portion of salty edamame and was followed by an immediate winner: the tofu salad (Dhs64). Laced with goma, a tangy white sesame dressing, the greens were topped with cubes of agedashi tofu, which is lightly deep fried to create a pillowy,

almost cream cheese-like consistency, and gobo chips made from Japanese burdock root. Our other starter was the salmon tataki with ponzu sauce (Dhs45). We loved how the delicately seared fish paired with the tart ponzu sauce.

We sampled a bit of maki sushi and liked the spicy tuna (Dhs35) and crispy ebi tempura (Dhs60) the best. Be prepared: these rolls are oversized, which might prompt the uninitiated to compare them to the clumsy versions we’ve attempted at home. Instead, you will be tucking into the kind of thick rolls that are popular in Osaka and across the west side of Japan. For mains, our vote goes to the tender

tuna steak, which was topped with crispy renkon (lotus root) chips and served with buttery asparagus spears (Dhs108). We filled our bellies with the hearty steamed rice dish seafood kama meshi, which was mixed at our table and filled with an impressive amount of salmon, mussels and unagi, or freshwater eel (Dhs90).

We are consistently impressed these days with the quality of Japanese desserts, and the matsu houji-cha creme brulee (Dhs63) was everything this dish aspires to be, topped by a crispy, carmelised shell, which we joyfully punctured to reveal smooth custard underneath. The matcha and milk roll cake (Dhs45) offered layers of cream and green tea-infused sponge that left a trademark lingering sweetness, just like our overall Matsu experience.

a Yas Links, Abu Dhabi, Mon to Wed 6.30pm to 10.30pm, Thur 6.30pm to 11pm, Fri 12.30pm to 11pm, Sat 12.30pm to 10.30pm. Tel: (02) 5560096. matsu.ae

RATING Food �� A Atmosphere�� Price ��

90 CENTIGRADE A hot new opening in the Grand Millennium Al Wahda 9 0 Centigrade is a little gastro café that recently set-up shop in the lobby of the Grand Millennium Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi. We’re told it takes its name from the optimal brewing temp for the perfect espresso.

Having a precise metric to shoot for in the pursuit of excellence is useful. And the café seems to share that same clarity of aspiration.

The exterior’s monochrome tiling helps the café achieve a Parisian bistro feel, and although the cosy, more colourful interiors stand in almost jarring contrast, they feel equally as deliberate.

90 Centigrade identifies as an ecofriendly eatery. It prioritises the use of locally-sourced ingredients and sustainable materials. Those opting to

purchase a reusable takeaway cup, for example, will find it fashioned from repurposed coconut husk.

The menu is compact (although we’re assured it will grow), offering a single page of breakfast items and another page for afternoon and evening meals. But this is far from a negative — a cluttered menu, untethered by direction can often be a far greater kitchen sin.

We started with two salads: the butternut pumpkin and organic quinoa (Dhs 35), and blackened shrimp, asparagus and avocado bowl (Dhs35). Both were fresh and smartlydressed, but the delicate charring and aromatic marinade of the blackened shrimp was a glimpse of something special.

We also tried the grilled salmon (Dhs65) which was served with cheesy potato mash and lemon and passion fruit sauce. Adequately conceived and cooked, but the passion fruit element of the reduction was not a right swipe for our particular palate.

The lobster tagliatelle alfredo (Dhs65) was a dish of huge flavours. Roasted lobster tail, perfect al dente pasta, bottarga, pommery mustard and parmesan cheese. Every element is wellexecuted – and conspires to create a

rich dish, possibly too rich if you’ve already enjoyed starters.

You can order hot and cold caffeinated signature pours, juices and blended fruit infusions. It’s a licensed venue too, so you can pair your bites with adult drinks.

With extremely comfortable seating, multiple power points, a strong menu and gourmet coffee just a dawdle away — it strikes us as a perfect spot to start working on that novel. a Grand Millennium Al Wahda, Hazza Bin Zayed Street Al Wahda Complex Abu Dhabi, daily 6.30am to 1am. Tel: (02) 4953968. millenniumhotels.com

RATING Food ��B+ Atmosphere�� Price ��

49ERS The capital’s steakhouse offers tasty deals at Le Meridien I f ever there was an institution in Abu Dhabi, it’s 49ers The Gold Rush. The everyman’s steakhouse that turns into a raucous nightclub opened more than 25 years ago in the Tourist Club, packing people into the lift to get up to the top floor, where the midwest Americana Gold Rush vibe combined with stunning views of the capital.

Rising rents prompted the eatery to relocate to another Abu Dhabi mainstay, Le Meridien, and in January 49ers opened in an old ballroom space.

Walking inside the new 49ers is like a weird and wonderful trip back in time: visitors are greeted by a shiny statue of a gun-toting, mustachioed prospector. Shiny saddles are draped over railings, staff wear cowboy hats and old-timey fonts abound. Although the new location lacks the views of the old, there is an authentic, friendly, cosy sort of feel. The square room is lined by comfortable booths and tables on two sides, a long bar on another, all facing the stage. In the centre, the tables are a mix of round casks and square high-tops with comfortable red leatherbacked chairs. Things start to get busy around 10pm, and there is live music every night.

We started with the sharing platter of three items for our appetiser (Dhs59). Our potato skins were topped with a generous portion of cheddar and veal bacon, although we were less enthused about the addition of standard creamy white cheese. We couldn’t exactly place the sauce that topped the dynamite prawns – it had a gluey, cheesy consistency to it, and although the prawns bore a pleasant warmth, they weren’t crunchy enough. The Tennessee chicken bites were a hit, however: crispy fried tender chicken bites tossed in a tangy teriyaki-tinged dark barbecue sauce.

The platter was served with marinara sauce, which didn’t seem to match any of the items, but our server promptly brought us a ramekin of sour cream for our skins when we asked.

49ers is nothing without its steaks, though. Although the minimum order per steak is 250g, each version is priced per 100 grams, which is a bit misleading and requires some math – something we usually try to avoid with dinner.

The 250g tenderloin (Dhs125) was a hit. The juicy, center cut was cooked to rare perfection, served with crunchy sweet potato fries and two pieces of corn on the cob that had a lovely sweet essence, but

like most of its ilk in the UAE, suffered from mushiness.

Dessert was a delicious warm apple pie (Dhs39), drizzled with a scrumptious caramel sauce and served with a scoop of ice cream, while the brownie madness (Dhs39) featured a warm, fudgy brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, drizzles of chocolate and more caramel sauce, topped with nuts.

At the new 49ers, you still get one of the most reasonably-priced steak dinners in town, with oodles of character. a 49ers The Gold Rush, Le Meridien, Abu Dhabi. Sun noon to midnight, Mon to Sat noon to 3am. Tel: (02) 6458000. 49ers.ae

RATING Food �� B Atmosphere�� Price ��

Shop CONSUME

Anew branch of the popular Swedish furniture store Ikea is currently being constructed at Abu Dhabi’s Al Wahda Mall. Abu Dhabi already has one Ikea on Yas Island, but this second store is positioned in a more central location, making it accessible for many of the capital’s residents.

It will also take the total number of the famously labyrinthian stores in the UAE to five, following the launch of Jebel Ali’s Festival Plaza outlet at the end of 2019.

In the past, Ikea stores have usually set up home in the suburbs. It made practical sense, given their vast size and the fact that there was usually expansive warehouse space on site. Inner-city real estate just wasn’t viable.

Fast-forward to 2020 and the new 23,000-square-foot Al Wahda Mall location is just the latest in the brand’s growing ‘city store concept’ portfolio.

Vinod Jayan, managing director of AlFuttaim IKEA said of the upcoming launch, “We are delighted to open a new Ikea store at Al Wahda Mall, given the mall’s strategic and central location, we will be in the city centre closer to where the many people live.” The capital’s second Ikea store is set to open in July 2020…

Will I be able to purchase those tasty little Swedish meatballs there? Yes, yes you will. Reasonably priced meatballs, shawarma, hot dogs and cooked breakfasts will all be available at the cafeteria.

Will there be unpronounceable (for non-Scandanavians) product names? Yes indeed — the Ikea range, famed for Swedish practicality and nomenclature, will be available in store.

Will I go in to buy one potato peeler then leave with three trolly-loads of mood lighting and a new kitchen? Probably.

Anight of belly-laughs is in store for all comedy lovers at the DXB Comedy Fest. Leading the line-up is Eric Omondi. With over 2.5 million Instagram followers, the Kenyan is the president of Comedy Africa and is sharpening his wit for his Dubai appearance during the preceding dates of his regional tour. Also on the bill is Loyiso Gola, a leading talent in the stand-up field from his native South Africa. This hilarious performer has been building a steady fan base in the UK, courtesy of high-profile television slots and comedy festivals, which also earned him an Emmy nominee.

From the UAE, Abdulla (Abz) Ali, will be bringing his uncensored and controversial comedy routines to the stage for the marathon comedy event and will be joined by Mishal, a Saudi act who built his career in the US.

Rounding out the line-up is India’s Yash and three Nigerian comics – Policy, Pappy and Senator Comedian – who will bring jokes that cross social and physical borders and some witty anecdotes. Along with top comedy, guests can enjoy live entertainment by Don Coleone and DJ GB. April 17 a Dusit Thani Hotel, DIFC, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, 5.30pm to 1am, from Dhs100. Tel: (04) 3433333. dubai. platinumlist.net Prepare for some side-splitting action at the DXB Comedy Fest

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