Monday 3 August 2009

Avoid the grape

Um, I don't actually follow this advice, as should be clear to anyone within view of our recycling bin.  But there's something we discovered over the course of our dining experience in Abu Dhabi, and it's interesting enough to mention here.

Of the seven emirates in the UAE, some of them are dry, some are not.  Abu Dhabi and Dubai are in that second category, which comes as a huge surprise to people I talk to (hey -- those of you who know us should know that the day we moved to a dry country would be the same day you saw pigs flying around overhead).

So yes, you can drink in Abu Dhabi.

Just not everywhere, and sometimes that's a good thing.

With very few exceptions, the only licensed restaurants and bars are to be found in hotels (although not all hotels are licensed, as my husband discovered when he ended up in one of the dry ones last summer and went looking for the bar).  The hotels that are able to sell liquor, however, are chock-a-block full of dining and drinking choices.  I'll get to that in another post.

It's those other places that I'm interested in just now:  The Persian Hatam al Tae nestled in little corner off Hamdan Street behind what used to be an internet café.  Lebanese Flower, with its conveniently-located branches around the city.  Hanoi, the only Vietnamese eatery (I think) in Abu Dhabi.  Just Falafel, which sells exactly what it says it does.  The international-themed Amassi, over in Khalidiya.  Gad Egyptian cuisine (admittedly not my favourite, but where else can you order a "Viagra Sandwich?").  And the sumptuously-decorated India Palace, whose only misfortune is to be located in the construction nightmare of Al Salaam Street.

There are more, and I'll write about them all in detail rather soon.  For the time being, there are two reasons to venture out of your isolated cocoon five-star hotel and head over to one of these independent places:

  1. They're cheap.
  2. I guarantee you'll drink your daily quota of water.

That second reason is a pretty damn good one when you're living in the desert.

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