If the folks at Coya Abu Dhabi were expecting their first official day in business to be straightforward, they probably didn’t count on me and a group of colleagues showing up for lunch with a mind-bendingly complex list of demands.
Our table of five consisted of myself, who is gluten-intolerant; a colleague who is vegetarian; another who is allergic to seafood; and one that has an aversion to anything raw. The waiter listened to our demands — and didn’t so much as flinch. We asked him to suggest an assortment of dishes and left it at that.
I’ve always loved eating out, but when I discovered last year that I am intolerant to gluten, eggs and yeast, it suddenly felt like entire cuisines were wiped off the menu. There seemed like very little point in ever visiting another Italian restaurant, for example. Watching other people enjoy a bowl full of spaghetti bolognese felt like a very special form of torture. A colleague of mine, who is a vegetarian, feels the same way. We’ll both often get waiters rolling their eyes slightly as we make our requests — as if we are going out of our way to be difficult. Or they will smile and nod, and then proceed to ignore us completely.
Which is why Coya is something of a revelation. Contemporary Peruvian cuisine has been one of the defining gastronomical trends of recent years, and one of its key features is its diversity, since it has been shaped by a range of rich influences, including the Spanish, Basque, African, Japanese, Chinese, French, Italian and British cuisines brought over to Peru by immigrants over the years. The cuisine is founded on pure, fresh, seemingly simple ingredients, which at Coya are elevated into something fresh and exciting — the Kale y Manchego, a salad of kale, candied walnuts, goji berries, dried cranberries and Manchego cheese, being a case in point.
For my vegetarian friend, who is used to being served dishes that are, at best, an afterthought, there were plenty of well-considered options that easily rivalled the meatier dishes. The Ensalada de Maiz, which artfully combined Josper corn, crispy corn, sweet onion and red chillies, and spicy Patatas Brava being notable examples.
The overall experience was relaxed, with just the right amount of theatre — our waiter preparing fresh guacamole at the table, for example, combining perfectly ripened avocados with red and green chillies, rock salt and a healthy splash of tangy lime.
The moral of the story? There’s something here for everyone. Tasty vegetarian dishes for the vegetarians; plenty of protein-heavy, gluten-free dishes for me, from classic ceviches crafted from diced seafood, to tiraditos (sliced raw fish), and cooked meat and fish dishes, such as the brand’s signature Arroz Nikkei (Chilean sea bass cooked in an open charcoal grill, combined with rice, cooked risotto-style, in an iron pot), which appealed to the raw-averse among us.
Pair this with exemplary service, a fantastic view of the water and Abu Dhabi island, and eclectic interiors filled with arresting pops of colour, and you have something of a winning formula.
sdenman@thenational.ae
