Fit for a president
With a name like the Armed Forces Officers Club, you might expect the stunning facility across the highway from Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque would cater to a very specific crowd. So when we found out everyone is welcome, we went to check out the highly anticipated Kennedy.
Named for the husband/wife team that brought the first Western hospital to the UAE in the 1960s, Kennedy is a fitting tribute to these legendary doctors – the food is nothing short of magnificent. Our welcoming taster of fish alongside sweet corn soup is the sort of dish that makes us want to speak the word “chef” in the same reverential tones some American athletes say the title “coach”.
The layers of braised veal breast tucked inside corn-fed chicken is like sushi for sinners, and the warm texture of grilled scallops works perfectly with the bite of beet root. You can taste the sunshine in the tomatoes of Gordon’s hearty soup and we love the subtle but refined flavours of the potato and leek soup poured from square shaped cast iron kettles into the prepared bowls.
Words cannot describe how tender, how flavourful the twin serving of tenderloin is – an absolute steal at AED 110. Same goes for the deboned double cooked beef ribs, so civilised you could eat them on a first date.
Despite the exquisite food and superb service, the dining room (complete with a very funky Da Vinci-esque flying machine hung from the ceiling) is practically empty, it’s clear that Kennedy should be on the lips of everyone in Abu Dhabi.
Laura Fulton
What? Kennedy
Where? The Officer’s Club, Al Khaleej Al Arabi/30th Street
Cost: Shockingly reasonable – try the four-course set menu chosen by Chef de Cuisine Martin for only AED 180
We say: In such a classy place they’d probably frown upon us licking the plate, though we were sorely tempted – more than once
Contact: 02 441 5900
