Abu Dhabi Week goes almost all the way to paradise in Il Paradiso – but Paradise comes with a less heavenly view
The Sheraton on Corniche Road seemed to have slipped off our radar in terms of places to go and eat out, but a return visit to the award-winning Il Paradiso seafood restaurant reminded us why a trip into downtown Abu Dhabi is worth the struggle with traffic. It’s a shame the restaurant is so tucked away behind the hotel – if we’d won a food award (Best Seafood Restaurant in Abu Dhabi, in case you’re wondering) we’d be lining the entrance with flags and sounding trumpets. But instead you’ve got to work up your appetite on a rather winding, slightly confusing pathway across the hotel grounds before finding the restaurant doors.
Then when you’re there you’ll find that cranes tend to dominate the view – as with most of downtown Abu Dhabi – and the half-finished lagoon area just outside the restaurant would look better with some (big) potted plants to shield the slightly disappointing water view. Inside the restaurant, too, it feels a little unfinished. Some warmer decorative touches would make the venue a lot more inviting. But the food more than makes up for the view and lack of interior design details, and so do the manners of the staff.
We’re warmly greeted and the menu is explained before we’re left to deliberate and make decisions. To warm the palette we’re brought an amuse-bouche – a thick, slightly spiced mini-portion of tomato soup served in a hollowed-out bread roll. It’s a fun and thoughtful start to the meal (not to mention really rather tasty) and it leaves us eagerly anticipating our starter.
The choices there consist of a smoked salmon timbale laden with apple, dill leaves, mascarpone cheese and caviar on top; a fresh oyster; a small cup of shellfish bisque with foam; and seared sea scallops on a bed of asparagus, sautéed in Asian butter sauce with a blue Curacao lagoon. We’re nonplussed by the Curacao lagoon – it’s mainly decorative and we’re not really convinced that anything blue (especially that blue) is really meant to be eaten. But the rest offers no reason for criticism. The fresh oyster could have been plucked straight from the water and the combination of flavours in the smoked salmon timbale is beautifully complementary. The bisque, something we’d normally skip, is also surprisingly pleasant.
The main menu offers a good range of seafood, meat and even a few vegetarian options. We opt for a little of everything (well, we want to inform you about all the choices!). Grilled Australian lamb chop with a light, thin herb crust, grilled US Angus tenderloin beef fillet and grilled Scottish salmon all find their way on to our plate – and boy, are we glad. Mashed potato, stuffed with black olives and herbs as well as mushrooms and braised red cabbage accompany the mains in tiny, sample-size portions.
The winner? Surprisingly it’s not the fish, but the meatiest dish – the grilled US Angus tenderloin. With a light red wine glaze, the beef is mouth-wateringly tender with a slight hint of pink in the middle – just how we like it. That’s not to say that the lamb and salmon weren’t tasty; the salmon flaked beautifully, and the herb crust on the lamb was a flavoursome touch (although we’d have been perfectly happy with a spoonful of mint sauce).
Dessert simply couldn’t be passed up and we went for poached pear with cinnamon ice cream – a wonderfully light end to a full-flavoured meal.
So what’s the deal? Il Paradiso really shouldn’t be overlooked for its lack of atmosphere. The menu has a lot to offer and the attention to detail in each dish certainly hasn’t been overlooked. But the detail in the decoration of the eatery perhaps needs a new lease of life. Indeed there does seem to be some evidence of effort, with good crockery and glassware already in place. Someone just needs to turn up the romance, add some better drapes to conceal that half-completed view and call in the landscapers to finish the potentially-pleasing view outside. And possibly find a clearer signpost to the main entrance.
What? Il Paradiso
Where? Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel and Resort
Cost: AED 300-400
Why? Great food served elegantly (and cooked by a pair of really good French chefs)
Why not? Despite what the restaurant staff tell you, it really doesn’t lend itself to being a romantic evening venue
Rated: 6 out of 10
Contact: 02 697 0273
[Writer] Charlie Kennedy
