The Nautica, Al Attar Centre, Dubai

Some time ago, a cousin bragged about this 'great' eatery at a shopping centre in Karama. I didn't take him seriously then (but I did mention it to some colleagues). But last week, as I was doing my holiday shopping rounds, I landed at The Nautica at Al Attar Centre. Actually, I would have bypassed this restaurant had I not agreed to shop for some knick knacks in this fine landmark at the heart of this bustling Dubai residential area.

The restaurant looks quite alluring from the outside. Separating the outlet from the shopping arcade are huge aquariums with shoals of colourful tropical fish happily swimming across. Quite tempting.

Although the name of the outlet and the decor suggests a seafood theme, it's only when you glance at the menu that the theme is more clear.  The menu not only includes varieties of fish preparations, it also offers choices in multi-cuisine preparations. On offer were delicacies from China, Thailand, Philippines and the sub-continent as also continental preparations. And the biggest surprise is the price tag. I would say they're ridiculously affordable without sacrificing quality or quantity.

The restaurant is spread over a vast area with well laid out tables (80 seats) and a separate 'Family Deck'  for those who prefer a more peaceful setting. In keeping with the cruise theme, the service staff are dressed as sailors and the interior too is straight out of a cruise liner dining hall – wooden floors, mocktail counters, portholes etc. Taking centrestage is a live band that performs  every Friday and a folk singer doing the rounds daily. Karaoke is also a daily feature and you can join in the singing with the large screen displaying lyrics. I, however, found the music a tad too loud for my ears.

From fiery hot Asian curries to the mildly spiced South East Asian preparations, to continental cuisine, the menu has ample choices to please most palates. A variety of exotic fruit punches and mocktails  were on offer but with time running out on me I preferred to start straight with a soup – the Chinese Nautica special  soup – a hot, peppery tongue-twisting preparation with chicken and seafood, beef and eggs. The soup threw in a punch at my taste buds but I survived as my palate is accustomed to red hot curries.

For my main meal I ordered a Dragon Chicken, Prawn Hakka Noodles and Stirfried Seafood with Thai Basil. The Dragon Chicken was my pick of the evening –succulent pieces of chicken batter fried in a delectable sweet and sour Szechwan sauce coating the meat. The Thai seafood preparation is commendable too. The preparation came with a choice of seafood items namely mussels, squid, prawn with tail on and dices of other fish in a clear gravy swimming in coriander, basil and mint – so typically Thai.

Both styles of cooking (Chinese and Thai) were satisfactory. But the dessert section left much to be desired. On offer was a combination of fruits in syrup or ice-cream – namely fruit salad or banana split.
Wouldn't it be ideal to leave on a sweet note?

"Earlier, we had a wider choice on the menu," explained executive chef Caetano Tuanquin. "But we had to drop a major chunk of the selection due to the demand," he added with a genial smile. Maybe diners are sacrificing the sweet course to keep their calorie count on the healthy side.

The service was courteous, efficient and prompt and the dishes were well presented too. And the prices, as I mentioned earlier, are a treat as a hearty meal for two (a three-course meal) would average to approximately Dhs 50 and maybe you'll even carry home a doggy bag. Now isn't that quite a price-buster with  the ambience and music thrown in?