Re: A Beautiful Lotus Blooms in the Abu Dhabi Desert
Discount information: this is not a ‘budget’ place, being set in a hotel, but it isn’t terribly expensive, and does have special offers occasionally. Check out their facebook page: /desertlotusUAE/ (I can't put a link in this review).
I'm behind by at least 15 restaurant reviews, so let me re-boot by reviewing the best of the lot in the last two months:
As a fellow Southeast Asian who loves our neighbouring country’s food, I jumped at the chance to try out Desert Lotus the moment that hubby and I were told about it and invited to join a couple of friends who were going there. Now, I have had the good fortune of having had really, really good Thai food in Thailand on numerous work trips there, but knowing we are not in Thailand, I would tend to be a little gentler on any reviews I give a Thai restaurant here.
Upon entering the restaurant on Level 2 of Cluster 14 in One to One Hotel, a most pleasant sight greeted my eyes: the exquisite orchids and lotuses, warm lighting, colourful shimmering Thai-silk pillows on chairs, and of course, the friendly smiles and gentle words so often associated with Thai hospitality.
The warm ambiance aside, onto the food!
Hubby and I and our friends are happy to announce that we had a most satisfying meal consisting of the following:
Golden Rangoons for appetisers -- ok, so it isn’t Thai, probably not even from Rangoon/Yangon, since it is filled with cream cheese. But there were wrapped in a skin that was just right: not too thick, not too thin, and fried to perfection. Oh, and it’s not written in the menu but our friends knew it existed in the ‘just ask for it’ menu.
Som Tam Thai -- the Thai classic shredded green papaya salad which also has long beans, carrots, dried shrimp, and peanuts, tossed in a sweet, spicy and sour fish sauce dressing. The perfect ‘hoi wai’ dish, i.e. one which ‘opens the appetite’ as we can in Cantonese.
For mains, we ordered the Panang Beef Curry, the Massaman Lamb Curry, and a stir-fried mixed vegetables dish. The latter is also not on the menu, and again, was just asked for and was cooked for us.
All the dishes were flavourful, not too spicy (another thing you can request for), and a sight for hungry eyes, being presented in a most appetizing way.
I especially relished being able to bite into the large bone in the lamb curry, which greatly contributed to my dining experience! (see photo)
For dessert, we ordered two items:
1) their signature dish, which was the Sticky Rice Pudding with Mango (khao niao mamuang), with a serving of ice-cream on the side. This sweet, along with chicken wrapped in fragrant pandan leaves (‘kai hor bai toey’- not available at that time, but I asked if they could include it in the future), and fresh-coconut ice-cream, form the Triad of Thai Tastiness for me. ☺ And it did not disappoint. However, and this is my personal taste, I prefer the glutinous rice to be just a tad softer compared to how it was made at Desert Lotus.
2) Tup Tim Krob, or crispy red ‘rubies’ (red-tinted water chestnuts) in coconut milk – again, this was an item not on the menu, but I asked if they could make it for me, and they did! By ‘they’, I mean Bua, the lady proprietor who runs the restaurant, who was a most gracious host. Totally hit the spot and ended the meal on a Thai high note!
Oh, and we had a lovely drink called pea-flower tea, I think...
Go and eat there!
p/s: They also have a Japanese menu, but we didn't try that. Next time...
Bill total: aed386.51
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