An Asian journey

What Asian cuisine
Where Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Resort
Why For a sumptous Sub-Continental or Far Eastern meal by the ocean
Cost Dh350 with a mocktail. Phone 07 228 8844

It's one thing to dine in a restaurant that combines good service, tasty food and an idyllic setting. It's a heightened experience to dine in such a milieu after you've spent a day soaking in a heated pool, strolling along pristine white shores and lounging on your balcony overlooking the azure of the Arabian Gulf. Dinner was merely the cherry on an already most elaborately iced cake - the cake in this instance being the Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Resort and Spa; the cherry being dinner at one of its many charming in-house restaurants, Passage to Asia.

I can think of plenty of good reasons to indulge in a selection of Thai, Indian and Japanese cuisine. Aside from the delight of losing yourself in a fusion of exotic herbs and spices, can there be anything better than savouring top notch, innovative sushi while enjoying a sea view and a relaxed mind?

Passage to Asia keeps it simple with a comfortable selection of sushi and a main course list that boasts enough signature dishes from the respective Asian cuisines to give you options, but not so many that you feel completely overwhelmed. Whether you're in the mood for Sub-Continental or Far Eastern food, or a combination of both, it can be enjoyed while listening to the faint lapping of the ocean a few metres away. [Sigh.]

Don't expect overzealous service - this is one of the sleepy emirates after all. You are on holiday (or a mini-break). Chill. Take a few deep breaths of that invigorating salty air and experience your food at leisure.

We started with the Lobster Fantasy sushi: a flavourful medley of cooked lobster tail, fried onions, avocado and the ‘Chef's Surprise' (I am still clueless as to what that constitutes, but it was nevertheless, delicious) there were also four Spider Rolls, comprising soft shell crab, asparagus, avocado and scallions.

The interlude saw a battle waged with chopsticks over the Dragon Rolls - asparagus, shrimp, cream cheese and spicy sauce (my personal motivator to make the hour and a bit trip to RAK again… and I take it from my date's chopstick wounds that his reason is much the same…)

If sushi's not your cup of tea, then there are plenty other starters on offer, ranging from noodle Salad with Squid and Shrimps to Dim Sum, Thai Beef Salad, Curried Chicken Salad and Tuna Carpaccio.

Do your best not to get carried away with the sushi (as was my case) because the mains are worth the self-restraint. The Lamb Curry was undoubtedly painstakingly slowly cooked in Indian spices and was butter-knife tender as a result, while the classic Thai Curry lived up to its scenty, flavourful reputation. The kitchen is equally well-equipped to entertain vegetarian appetites with Stir Fried Bean Sprouts and vegetarian sushi compilations on offer. Relish the fusion of hot and spicy, sweet and sour and salty and bitter, which makes for an a la carte menu that really does have something for everyone.

Top it off with Ginger Cheese Cake, Coconut Mousse with Lychees or Caramelised Banana in Orange with Vanilla Ice Cream.

You can then roll your satiated self on the beautiful beach or sink into your hotel bed, and, should you be lucky enough to stay in another night, do it all over again.