As a travel editor who is vegetarian, I have faced a few extra challenges and considerations. While I have never out-right skipped a tour because of food, the pecking order does change if I know I can eat well once I’m there. So when I got a chance to visit Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, my initial thoughts tried to conjure every little tidbit of Middle Eastern food stored in my head. UAE is known to be a foodie’s paradise but can you still relish food in Abu Dhabi if you are a vegetarian? I found the answer in my carefully curated visit to these top Abu Dhabi restaurants which flattered me with their releasing vegetarian culinary treats.
Beirut Sur Mer, Mamsha Al Saadiyat at Saadiytat Island
Sitting elegantly along the pristine shore and overlooking the turquoise water, our seaside restaurant offers all of our signature specialties, as well as a succulent range of Lebanese mezze and a refreshing taste of the ocean. BeirutSur Mer is a Lebanese food lover’s dream. Authentic and decadent, it will make you feel like you’ve been transported to the shores of the Levant. Enjoy a menu full of Lebanese delights including tasty breakfast dishes, mezze plates and desserts along with their stunning interiors. You will adore the ambience at Beirut Sur Mer with interiors reflecting exotic greenery. Meanwhile, outside of the restaurant, you can take a seat on the beachfront terrace and enjoy spectacular views of the Arabian Gulf.
Order from its made to order and on menu range of vegetarian starters, main course and desserts. Starters include Fattouch B Debes Rouman, Tabouleh Bil Hossrom, Moutabal Jnoubiand Warak Arish followed by main course of Basha Bel Karaz which is Grilled Kafta, and cherry chutney salsa with nutted Arabic bread and Batata Bil Felfol which has Coriander and green chili flavored fried potato.
Garage at W Abu Dhabi, Yas Island
Garage at W Abu Dhabi, Yas Island is a multi-experience food hub which is driven by five unique mini-outlets serving distinct cuisine – Meat Vault, Nikkei House, Mezza Bar, Tart Van, Steam Table and Tap Wall. This culinary movement fervently drives the ultimate taste revolution. Garage is a dining destination for the taste seekers, the epicurious, the midnight snackers, the food truck lovers, the well-travelled palettes and the gourmet partygoers.
Garage is parked with a whole lot of vegetarian delights. While its starters of Ceviche De Hongos with Shimeji Mushrooms, Button Mushrooms, Charred Asparagus and Mango are a veggies delight, its mains consisting of Avocado Poke Bowl with Barley, Quinoa, Charred Pineapple Bloody Marry and Yuzu Dressing will make your day.
Mezlai at Emirates Palace, West Corniche Road
Designed to recall an airy Bedouin tent, Emirates Palace’s award-winning Emirati restaurant, Mezlai, pays homage to Abu Dhabi with decor and a vast menu steeped in the heritage and geography of the UAE. Mezlai’s traditional atmosphere, design and authentic Emirati cuisine gives you an experience to savour, combining luxury and tradition in a contemporary and unique design. Mezlai’s tent motif elicits a millennia of Arabian culture and hospitality under which diners are treated as royalty.
Mezlai features Emirati cuisine with a Middle Eastern touch to suit the palate of a multicultural environment. The traditional food of the Emirates has always been rice, fish and meat for non-vegetarians. Popular beverages are coffee and tea, which can be supplemented with cardamom, saffron or mint to give them a distinct flavour.
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In planning its menu, Mezlai creates dishes with ingredients derived from the sea, mountains, oases and deserts that evoke the region. The menu features decadent updates on staples of the Arabian diet accenting expected ingredients, such as za’atar, camel and dates, and introducing the unexpected flavours of saffron, rosewater and hand-picked wild oregano. A meal in Mezlai is a window into Emirati culture, a warm welcome to the long history of Arabian hospitality and a journey into flavours as old as the sands of time, which taste as fresh and inspired as this city of tomorrow. No stopover in Abu Dhabi is complete without sampling the local flavours and dining as the locals do. Mezlai’s veg menu is pretty wholesome. Its main course of Okra salona with vermicelli rice and Veg Biryani with Nuts having tomatoes, onion, garlic, dried lemon, aromatic herbs and coriander follows hot and cold Mezzeh starters including Hummus with Tahini, Fattoush, Spinach Fatayer and Cheese Sambusek.
Cyan Brasserie at Andaz Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi
Cyan is a modern brasserie that combines French-rooted cuisine with their rich and hospitable culture of the Middle East. The restaurant aims to offer a genuine experience that reflects what inextricably links both regions – Joie de vivre and the love of food and social dining. Cyan, in both English and French, is the name of the colour that lies in the exact middle point between blue and green. In addition to beingan element of unity among all aspects of the restaurant’s design, blue and green have a symbolic function. Blue represents Les Bleus, as the French are nicknamed, and their love of food, while green represents the Levantine cultures, which are best known for their hospitable and highly social eating habits.
Cyan is the synthesis of these two cultural elements that form the core of the restaurant and a new dining experience for the UAE capital. Try Cyan’s Veg Gougères which is a Comté Béchamel starter and French Wild Mushrooms Lasagna and Cauliflower Steak. Indulge in honey, raspberry Basque Cheesecake and white chocolate ganache, camomile syrup, mint Apricot for dessert.