(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The onset of winter marks the return of the poolside barbeque at The Anantara Eastern Mangroves.
When it comes to starting the weekend early nothing beats a relaxed meal in an outdoor setting as is evident from the return of The Thursday Pool Deck Barbeque at Anantara Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa in Abu Dhabi.
Set around their spectacular pool area overlooking the Eastern Mangroves (which sadly we could just about make out while peering into the darkness) the evening is perfect for a casual start to the weekend with plenty of fresh food and a relaxed vibe to chill with friends and family.
Nobody goes for a buffet expecting Michelin-starred fare on the plate and so it is with the food spread out here at various stations. While the barbeque table (kept away in a dark corner for some reason) had plenty of succulent fish and juicy prawns in their charred shells alongside some tender aromatic meat it was the sushi table that had us coming back for more. A recent convert to the Japanese cuisine the freshly made maki and nigiri was simple clean and with a dipping of the wasabi and soy sauce a perfect palate pleaser. While we would have been more than happy to finish off our meal at this juncture in the interest of a democratic sampling of the various other fares we decided to loiter around.
A highlight of the menu is definitely the tender baby chicken marinated in a delicate sauce and the smoked salmon spread-eagled around a spitfire that gives one the feeling of actually sitting around a smoky campfire in the desert.
Sadly the pasta station had to be bypassed in favour of the salads which in retrospect (in food reviewer’s parlance that would be seated on your table during the middle of the day typing out the review with a rumbling stomach and no fancy food in sight) was a mistake. How many different ways are there to make a Caesar Salad or a Tabouleh after all
While the dessert table occupied pride of place in the centre by the time we made it to the grand finale all that was left were a few cupcakes in different flavours and a selection of petit fours as well as the staple umm ali and Kunafa which I’m told were pretty good. The no show of any chocolate desert was too much of a personal travail to overcome so with a few mini bites of the mini deserts the evening came to an end.
While the food is great in bits (specially the sushi and the barbeque) what works for this particular Thursday Barbeque is the fact that with the cooler winter weather setting in the Pool Deck is the perfect venue to kick start your weekend in the company of some affable friends. A sentiment which the capital’s residents seem to echo as was evident during the Thursday we drove down to the capital with the deck nearly overflowing with diners.
The Thursday BBQ at the Pool Deck is on from 7-11pm every week and is priced at Dhs189 (+) and Dhs 239 (+) per person with grape.
Call 02 656 1181 for reservations (www.anantara.com)
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