Solenn Brings Mediterranean Soul to the Arcades

There exists a particular grace in the marriage of two culinary traditions, especially when the architecture itself seems to whisper the conversation between cultures. Solenn, nested within the Arcades at Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, is precisely such a space: a restaurant where Mediterranean warmth and Arab heritage meet not as opposites, but as partners in an elegant dialogue.

Chef Grégoire Berger has shaped a kitchen that honours both worlds. The interplay begins the moment one enters, where the design itself becomes part of the narrative. NAQSH Architecture, under the creative direction of Pariya Manafi, has conceived an interior language built from sculptural forms and natural materials. Light moves through the space with intention, touching surfaces that speak of earth and craftsmanship, of the hands that shaped them. There is nothing hurried about this aesthetic; everything unfolds at the pace of considered hospitality.

The restaurant’s position within the Arcades affords it a certain separation from the everyday rhythms of the city, yet it remains entirely of Abu Dhabi. This balance between sanctuary and engagement seems central to Solenn’s character. The setting invites lingering, encourages the kind of dining where time expands and each course becomes a small revelation.

What distinguishes Solenn is its refusal of superficial fusion. Rather than layering influences atop one another, the kitchen explores the deeper resonances between Mediterranean and Arab cooking: the shared reverence for olive oil and fresh herbs, the understanding of how spice might elevate rather than overwhelm, the primacy of ingredient quality. These are not contradictions to reconcile, but common ground from which genuine creativity emerges.

The Arcades themselves have become a destination for those seeking something beyond the conventional. Solenn adds to this carefully curated environment a restaurant of real substance, one that takes its responsibilities seriously: to its diners, to its traditions, and to the art of cooking itself. This is not a restaurant designed to impress through novelty alone, but through the quiet confidence of a team that understands its craft.

For those accustomed to dining at the highest level, Solenn represents something worth discovering. It is hospitality expressed through food, architecture and attentiveness, a place where two rich culinary heritages create something that feels both rooted and entirely its own.

Imagery courtesy of Solenn.