Simply Abu Dhabi VI

Dolce sampler, Toscano chocolate mousse, honey roasted pear, mascarpone icecream, berries Emirates Palace Barbeque Al Qasr - Crab Cake Jordana ordered an aseeda: it’s a traditional pudding made with flour and water. Ebdowa makes theMezlai version special by adding not just cardamom and sugar, but also rosewater syrup, and saffron. Then for the best part: instead of the traditional clay pot, the Mezlai aseeda is served in a martini glass! Jordana assured me that it tasted as good as it looked. Mezlai means ‘old lock of the door’, and our food tonight had certainly unlocked the mysteries of our country’s native cuisine to us tonight. To accompany our desserts, we drank tea flavoured with cardamom – wonderful. Even better than before The Emirates Palace celebrated the success of Mezlai by awarding Ebdowa the Honorable Chef of The Year award, in honour of his role in disseminating traditional cooking techniques. And that isn’t the only prize that’s been won around here: Wolfgang Fischer won Best Chef in the Gourmet Abu Dhabi 2011 Awards. Receiving the award, Fischer said, “While I personally have received the title of "the best chef", the real win remains to the Emirates Palace, for its numerous numbers of awards.” We couldn’t agree more. Our stay at the Emirates palace was now over, and we reflected that it hadn’t just been a journey around the hotel, but a journey around the world. To witness the care and skill that the teams of chefs put into their food here is exciting, but in the end it’s also incredibly humbling. And just as importantly, such gastronomic extravagance is combined with the hospitality that you come to expect in this part of the world. It was exceptional. And what was most unbelievable of all is that we had only sampled six out of twelve restaurants – that’s just half of the culinary riches that this incredible place has to offer. So, we had finally come to an end of a trip which encompassed an almost unbelievable range of sumptuous cuisine. Has anything changed since we last came? Yes: I didn’t actually think this was possible, but it’s got better than before. Emirates Palace still oozes an energy that can only be described as magical, beautiful and peaceful. It will always be one of our favourites. 4 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I

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