A Spanish treat on the Abu Dhabi corniche

Abu Dhabi: The Sheraton Hotel in Abu Dhabi is over 30 years old. Located in the heart of the city right next to the corniche, it makes a perfect hangout for those who prefer their meal with a great view and also a convenient stop for visitors from other emirates.

So when I visited Abu Dhabi last week and had to stop over somewhere for a quick bite, it didn’t take me long before I zeroed in on Bravo Tapas at Sheraton – which also held out the promise to satisfy my urge for some good Spanish food. The restaurant did not disappoint me at all.

I began with Hongos Al Ajillo (Dh25), a starter that came in the form of three toasted brown bread slices with mushroom topping, which was made of finely chopped baby mushrooms, sautéed with garlic, salt, pepper and a dash of nutmeg powder. No sooner than I had sunk my teeth into it than I realised I had made the right start.

Next to arrive was the Potato-Onion Tortilla (Dh27) which also turned out to be another interesting starter.

“The preparation involves cooking the potato, garlic and onion with olive oil on a pan until the potato is tender. You can also add beef bacon into the preparation. Garnished with parsley, this is a popular starter at our restaurant,” said Mustafa Al Mulla, Speciality Chef.

Having had enough starters, I decided to move on to the main course – Fish and Shrimp Skewers (Dh85) served with special Spanish-style rice. This was a real winner and proved to be the dish of the day. The fish (hammour) and shrimps – marinated with pepper, salt, turmeric powder, lemon juice and sweet paprika powder – was well done and absolutely delicious. Grilled on a skewer for five minutes before being served, the dish made a complete meal in itself.

Feeling stuffed already, I ordered a simple dessert – Trio de Leches – consisting of three sponge cakes dipped in a mix of evaporated milk, condensed milk and fresh milk. “We mix some condensed milk, fresh milk and evaporated milk all together in a bowl and chill it in the refrigerator. Once the sponge cakes are done, we dip them in the milk bowl and serve them with some cherries alongside,” said the chef.

The result was simply delightful, with the sponge cake really soft to slice into. The best part about it though was that it was not too sweet. It also felt light and proved to be a nice way to end an elaborate meal. On the whole I loved every bite of the Spanish fare.