Four years after opening in Dubai and establishing itself as one of the city's top dining establishments, New York import SushiSamba is now ready to treat residents of Abu Dhabi to its “tri-cultural coalition” – a blend of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian flavours.
Judging by the packed venue on the Saturday evening my dining partner and I visited, with a few guests waiting to be seated at the lounge, it looks like SushiSamba Abu Dhabi has already made the hot list since it opened in late December.
What to expect and where to sit
Located at Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers, SushiSamba Abu Dhabi replaces Vakava, the pan-Latin grill and lounge that closed a year ago. Spread across two levels, the main restaurant is located on the ground floor with both indoor and outdoor dining areas as well as the sushi and robata grill counters.
On the first floor is a stunning outdoor terrace and bar, as well as a private dining room and the restaurant chain's Samba Lounge, a for-hire space with its own dedicated bar.
While part of Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers, the restaurant is not physically attached to the hotel and boasts its own entrance and valet. Jutting out into the corniche waters, its curved architecture ensures great views wherever you're seated.
We are shown to a table on the balcony close to the water. Despite the striking views, however, the UAE cold snap soon gets the better of us, and we request to be moved indoors. The cold doesn't seem to bother many other diners, as I notice the balcony area packed too, with some keeping themselves warm with blankets provided by the restaurant.
Like its Dubai counterpart, the interiors are dimly lit, with lush greenery paying tribute to the Amazon rainforest, and also separating tables. It's warm and intimate, while the service is quick and polite.
The menu
With the exception of Wagyu Dhabi (Dh175), a sushi roll with Japanese wagyu, fried leeks, truffle aioli or sauce and avocado, SushiSamba Abu Dhabi employs an "if it ain't broke" policy as far as the menu is concerned. It features all the hits from the Dubai branch, including my personal favourite green bean tempura – stalks of green bean coated lightly with batter and served with black truffle aioli.
There's also a huge selection of sushi to choose from, including SushiSamba's own creations as well as classic rolls and a selection of nigiri and sashimi. Those who wish to take it up a notch can pair them with the restaurant's selection of caviar, priced between Dh999 to Dh3,800.
From the selection of ceviches, we tried the sea bream ceviche (Dh80), which comes with a kick of green chillies.
But it's the fusion foods where the restaurant truly shines, like the yellowtail crispy taquitos (Dh58) for starters. Served taco-style, the yellowtail with avocado, white miso, coriander and lime is full of texture and flavour. And so is the salmon tartare (Dh89) – shredded pieces of salmon mixed with avocado, tobiko and caviar and served on a plate of crispy nori.
For mains, we tried the Chilean sea bass robata (Dh118), grilled fish dunked in white miso sprinkled with finely chopped chives. It balances perfectly with the Australian black angus tenderloin (Dh298), buttered on top with foie gras and spicy soy. The beef is so perfectly cooked you can pick pieces with chopsticks, before they melt in your mouth.
Standout dish
While there was no space for seconds, I'd pick the salmon tartare if compelled. The crispy nori and perfectly flavoured salmon starter is a must-have. And so is the simple green bean tempura, which will disappear from the plate faster than you think. From the mains, you can't go wrong with anything from the robata selection, fishy or meaty.
And absolutely do not miss the Japanese doughnuts (Dh65). The soft and warm doughy balls, sugary on the outside and filled with dolce ganache inside, are a slightly irreverent but fun way to bring to a close what's been a sophisticated, near-perfect meal.
Contact information
SushiSamba is located at Podium 1, Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi and tables can be booked by calling 02 811 5882.
This review was conducted at the restaurant’s invitation
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
