Sometimes a restaurant just doesn't live up to expectations. When this happens, I am left feeling at best a little sad, and at worst quite angry, depending on the prices that are being charged.
This week, it struck me that Rouge at the Rocco Forte in Abu Dhabi is rather setting itself up for a fall. Doing a bit of research before the visit, I read that according to the hotel's website, this was "the best Chinese and Japanese restaurant in Abu Dhabi". A grandiose claim which, having dined there, I do not feel is substantiated by the food.
The layout of the restaurant is quite bizarre. Tables run around the edge of the room, while the middle is cut out completely, meaning that you can look straight up at the high ceiling or down into another restaurant below. It's all very open and thanks also to the sparse decor – large, steel lamps bearing red lights hover overhead, but that's about it – it feels vaguely reminiscent of a futuristic airport lounge.
Service was polite but vacant at best (our waitress couldn't tell me what the amuse bouche was and didn't once check back to see if we were happy with our food) and non-existent at worst. And to qualify that, I'll explain that by the end of the meal, we (the only customers) were left alone in the room, as two waitresses and a waiter gathered in the corridor outside the restaurant to chat and check their mobile phones.
An amuse bouche of marinated tofu wrapped in a light puff of crisp tempura batter trickled with truffle oil got the meal off to a good start. Unfortunately, things went steadily downhill from there. Bar the appetiser, a tuna tartare tower presented verrine style (layered in a glass) was the best dish of the night; the fish was fresh and silky, the salsa of diced avocado and tomato had a background wasabi kick to it and slivers of crispy wanton were crunchy.
Our other starter – yuan yang duck roll with shredded duck salad and hoisin vinaigrette – fell short on a number of counts. The pancake/pastry casing was too thick and floury, making for a chewy, doughy mouthful, the strips of duck meat inside were dry and again too thick and any respite or freshness that the salad could have brought to the table was cancelled out by the cloyingly sweet dressing.
I enjoyed the main element of my main course. The miso-marinated salmon was full of flavour, the blackened skin was properly crisp and the fish was moist enough to flake into pieces when prodded with a knife. The sparsity of the accompanying sauce and garnish was laughable, though. Vegetables consisted of a single, barely warm boiled baby carrot, spear of asparagus and piece of corn all sliced in half lengthways and served the wrong side of al dente (borderline raw is the best description), without any sauce, seasoning or dressing. Then there was a tiny smudge of sticky yuzu sauce, which clung to the bottom of the plate and quickly disappeared.
In terms of vegetable accompaniment, my friend fared even worse than I. A small mound of frisée lettuce perched on top of her mound of sliced duck breast was the only additional item on the plate, bar a jug of clear, syrupy plum sauce. The thinly sliced meat was enjoyable enough: flavoursome with just crisp enough skin and not too much fat. But that was it; despite the fact the meat was competently cooked and the sauce was sweet and fruity, there's little more I can say.
Dessert saw the meal ricochet from the not very good to the memorably bad. Of the four desserts on the menu - yes, just four - two were unavailable, leaving us with little choice but to order the tofu cream cheesecake and the green tea crème brûlée. Both were hugely disappointing.
Crème brûlée is characterised by a layer of crisp, caramelised sugar that should shatter when tapped with a spoon, to reveal soft, cooked cream underneath. Ours had a strangely spongy texture with grains of sugar scattered over the top. The green tea flavour was undetectable and we gave up after a couple of mouthfuls.
Unfortunately, the tofu cheesecake was no better. We struggled to differentiate between the texture, or indeed flavour, of the soggy, biscuit base and the filling. Both did, however, taste old and left a vaguely plasticky film in the mouth. The two desserts were served with exactly the same garnish – sliced strawberries and raspberries – which irks me. If an ingredient or item is on the plate then it should be there to serve a purpose – to temper, complement or provide a contrast to the main element.
A meal for two at Rouge, Rocco Forte hotel, Abu Dhabi costs Dh539 including service charge. For reservations call 02 617 0000. Reviewed meals are paid for by The National and all reviews are conducted incognito
eshardlow@thenational.ae
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Company%20Profile
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Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
Favourite food: Fish and seafood
Favourite hobby: Socialising with friends
Favourite quote: You only get out what you put in!
Favourite country to visit: Italy
Favourite film: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Family: We all have one!
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
RESULTS - ELITE MEN
1. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 57:03
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 57:09
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 57:25
4. Leo Bergere (FRA)57:34
5. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) 57:40
6. Joao Silva (POR) 57:45
7. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 57:56
8. Adrien Briffod (SUI) 57:57
9. Gustav Iden (NOR) 57:58
10. Richard Murray (RSA) 57:59
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')
Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
Company%20Profile
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Company%20profile
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
