Simply Abu Dhabi VIII

5 2 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Slow-Poached Canadian Lobster And then came the food. The philosophy here is simple and massively successful. It’s about having the best of both worlds. The restaurant uses fresh Middle Eastern ingredients and combines them with Mediterranean tastes. The result is unique – and it can only be described as heavenly. Pearls and Caviar has both indoor and outdoor seating – and with the weather as good as it was, we opted for the latter. We were brought some refreshing fruit juice, and as soon as we sipped it we felt our worldly cares drift away. We then sampled some delicious Iranian caviar, before our starters arrived. The caviar was astoundingly good, but when I saw my plate of Tsarskaya oysters with cucumber granita, preserved lemon and pickled shallots, I thought that it had the potential to surpass it. And I was right. The oysters were both rich and refreshing, and the garnishes complemented them perfectly. I tried some of Jordana’s starter – a Gulf shrimp salad – and it was equally delicious. The shrimp was incredibly fresh, and the accompaniments of cod, fennel, and Kalamata olives really brought out the best of it. This is what real cooking is about. It doesn’t have to be complicated, it’s just about fresh ingredients prepared with consummate skill. That may sound straightforward, but it’s a rare thing to find. I’m happy to say that Pearls and Caviar displays it in abundance. There was little doubt about the restaurant’s credentials from the moment the food first arrived – but the sheer quality of the team here became even clearer when we were served our main courses. I ordered the Sea Bass à la Plancha, where the fish came with tomato confit, saffron and zucchini. It was one of the best things I have ever tasted. The fish was perfect in itself, but what really made this dish was the subtle saffron. Its flavour married perfectly with the flavours and textures of the fish and the vegetables.