Abu Dhabi’s Rosewood hotel has recently welcomed a new head chef at its flagship Spanish restaurant Catalan. Like previous incumbent Antonio Saez, the fresh import, Francisco Sanabria from Barcelona, is no stranger to Michelin stars, having started his career with an apprenticeship at the Michelin three-star Akelare in San Sebastian. This was followed by stints at the Michelin three-star Sant Pau in Barcelona as chef de cuisine and as a consultant at the Sant Pau in Tokyo. He was also involved in both the Michelin two-star restaurant Moments in the Mandarin Oriental Barcelona and the Michelin two-star Bar Canete tapas bar off La Rambla.
Sanabria’s menu, it seems, is both bolder and better: less molecular gastronomy and more, well, food. The seven-course tasting menu (Dh495 per person) begins with a mouth-watering watermelon and tomato salmorejo (gazpacho) with langoustine and cucumber rolls; the comte cheese ravioli wrapped in thinly sliced courgette manages to be both solid and delicate (Dh85 served separately). The Catalan foie gras is deliciously decadent, nicely seared and meltingly smooth, offset with a handful of crunchy vegetables and picturesque soft flowers, with toast (Dh105 ordinarily).
I found one of the main courses, the milk-fed lamb, slightly rich and bordering on sickly, but the roasted sea bass, a petite but meaty portion served on delicately cubed vegetables and a sprinkling of pasta pieces with cubes of lime gelatin, was heavenly (Dh165 served separately).
Catalan at Rosewood Abu Dhabi is open daily from 7pm except Sundays. For reservations, call 02 813 5550 or visit www.rosewoodhotels.com/abu-dhabi.
