Quick bite that went on at The Cafe at Park Hyatt

Abu Dhabi: I was desperately seeking a chilled-out place to have a quick bite during my recent visit to Saadiyat Island. And what caught my eye was The Cafe at the Park Hyatt.

I thought I was in for a quick bite, but as soon as I entered the joint I realised I was in for a long haul — the title ‘cafe’ clearly misleading me. As I glanced through the menu, I felt I was looking at a world of flavours in a platter. From Arabic to Iranian, Lebanese, Indian, Italian, Malaysian and Indonesian specialities, the menu covered a wide choice of cuisines and it took me a while to decide what I should have for lunch.

Thankfully, I had a friend to shortlist the items.

I ordered a cold mezzeh (Dh78) to start with. After that, we tried a selection of starters such as fattoush, tabouleh, hummus, babaganoush, mohamara and labneh bil jarjer.

The babaganoush was particularly nice and I found myself indulging in it more that the other items. A shish tawook bil laban (Dh95, marinated chicken thigh with yoghurt and garlic, and a mixed seafood platter (Dh290) came next. The shish tawook proved to be a delight. But the seafood platter was even better. It was a feast in itself. With fish varieties such as orange spotted trevally, cuttlefish, king prawns and an Omani Lobster, the seafood platter was a complete meal.

Clearly, this was the dish of the day.

Although, the cuttle fish was a tad too hard to cut into, it did leave a pleasant taste in the mouth.

I also tried the Penne all’ Amatriciana (Dh70) which was average and I might as well have settled down with the seafood and shish tawook.

I reckon the pasta could have done better with some more flavours and herbs.

Desserts followed soon. We tried the traditional tiramisu with pistachio biscotti (Dh40) and baked vanilla cheese cake garnished with fresh berries (Dh40). The tiramisu was brilliant and did wonders to my palate. I simply couldn’t stop myself from having more of it.

The cheese cake was yummy as well and was a perfect way to end a satisfying meal.

So much for a quick bite.