Simply Abu Dhabi XI

5 1 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I The salad starter was also bursting with different flavours and we loved the matching of roasted eggplant and celeriac with goat cheese and mustard vinaigrette – all of which is locally sourced from Al Ain. Saez prides himself on using a wide variety of locally sourced fresh ingredients, but he insists on importing the very best Catalonian olive oil, and in between courses it is a pleasure to taste the pure flavour of the oil on the fresh home-baked black bread. For the main course I decided to go for the most typical dish possible with the Catalan seafood paella, served with seasonal vegetables. The rice was cooked to the optimum level and was just chewy enough – not toomuch, just enough. The rich tasty meal was swimming with succulent prawns, strong cuttle fish and delicate clams and it was served piping hot in the iron skillet used to cook the meal in. Arnie was so enamoured with his foie gras starter that for his main course he ordered the roasted beef tenderloin that came with a foie gras emulsion. He commented that the meat was beautifully tender and judging by his clean plate, he thoroughly enjoyed the creamy gnocchi, comté cheese and black olive oil accompaniments. For dessert we were really spoiled for choice, but I decided to opt for something unusual and with ingredients that would normally be used for savoury dishes. As odd as it might sound, the olive oil ice cream was actually delicious. It was very gently flavoured and matched perfectly with a pine nut biscuit and cardamom and rice soup. Arnie was more conventional in his dessert selection and he ordered the chocolate and milk mousse with vanilla parfait and peanut praline with salted toffee sauce. There is something just tantalising about salt added to toffee or even chocolate… it’s counterintuitive, as you assume it would be a terrible mismatch, but then your eyes widen as you realise it works amazingly. Everything about this dining experience had an air of refinement and precision. Each course was expertly prepared and served with a polite and social manner. Before we had even finished Arnie was planning our next visit. I should have known there was something else with foie gras on the menu that he wanted to try. Arnie had noticed that at the bottom of the menu there is an invitation for diners to return to the restaurant, giving the kitchen 24 hours notice, in order to savour the oven roasted and glazed veal shank served with foie gras, potatoes cake and glazed onions. Or, for those with a formidable appetite, there is also ‘1kg of “txuleta” chargrilled, with french fries and confit peppers’. Txuleta is a Basque word that translates as a meat ‘chop’, and the opportunity to return to Catalan for a kilogramme of steak is something that I think Arnie will not miss. This signature restaurant cannot be more highly recommended as a wonderfully authentic piece of Spain in Abu Dhabi. Catalan perfectly embodies the central Rosewood philosophy of respecting cultural traditions whilst creating a distinctly comfortable environment with exceptional personalised service. Whether it’s for steak or seafood, local salad or richMediterranean olive oil, we will certainly be coming back to Catalan. Olive Oil Ice Cream