• Tamba, a new home-grown Indian-inspired restaurant, will open in The Mall at World Trade Center Abu Dhabi this spring. The restaurant will be on the sixth floor, above Jazz@PizzaExpress and will be licensed. The restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows; an elevated show kitchen; a chef’s table; exposed Tandoor ovens; a resident DJ and a rooftop terrace. The menu includes bites such as soft shell crab pakora; khichdi of mushroom and truffle with raspberry pickle; sweet and sour pumpkin and spinach paratha; and masala rub Wagyu with chilli chutney. Though it’s not yet open, there are already plans to launch a second branch of Tamba in London in 2017.
• The Original Fusion Restaurant and Lounge has just opened on the sixth floor in The Mall at World Trade Center Abu Dhabi. The home-grown restaurant was started by friends with a love of upscale dining and the UAE lifestyle. After extensively researching the heritage of the UAE, the friends came up with a concept that fuses Gulf cuisine with modern cooking techniques. Dishes include slow-cooked camel with desert truffle; quail stuffed with carrots, dates and pistachios; and lamb cutlets with roasted sweet onion, saffron chilli jam and truffle yogurt. The restaurant is now open for dinner (from 7pm to midnight), but will soon offer lunch, afternoon tea and brunches (and will soon be licensed). For reservations, call 02 444 0467
Julie’s, a new restaurant and pastry shop in Abu Dhabi, is now open in Khalidiya. Offering a fast, casual dining experience, the restaurant’s menu features a wide range of dishes including salads, hot and cold sandwiches; wood-fired pizza; soup and pastries. The menu includes dishes such as the OMG Julie! (Dh42) — French toast with roasted papaya, pineapple and mango served with a choice of caramel or strawberry sauce; and Farmer’s Benedict (Dh38) — poached eggs on country bread with beef bresaola, aubergine caponata, beef bacon and lemon sabayon. The restaurant also has a bar where guests can sample speciality mocktails. Julie’s serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is open 24 hours. The menu is available for dine-in, takeaway and delivery.
Julie’s is in Khalidiya, near Broccoli Pizza and Pasta. Open 24 hours. Call 800 585 437
Prêt to Go, a home-grown concept that started in Dubai, has now expanded to Abu Dhabi. The first branch in the capital (sixth in the UAE) is now open in terminal 1 of the Abu Dhabi International airport. The cafe offers grab and go bites, organic coffee and a range of quick dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It also launched a food truck concept called Pick Up by Prêt To Go in December. 800 PRET, www.prettogo.com
Prego’s at the Beach Rotana invites diners to take a tour through Italy in their La Dolce Vita promotion from February 24-27. Prego’s will serve up signature Italian food while diners while away the hours with live entertainment and movies on the beach.
For more information and to join the celebration, call 02 697 9011.
sjohnson@thenational.ae
