Patatas Bravas
The Spanish tapas classic of fried cubes of potato in a spicy sauce is a favourite for good reason. Spanish restaurant Bravo in Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel and Resort has recently changed its menu, but this staple has not gone anywhere – and good thing too! The spicy sauce is a must for garlic fans. We challenge you not order a few other dishes while you’re at it.
Contact: 02 697 0235

Bombay Alu
We cannot get enough of this soft and oh-so more-ish side dish from Arab Udupi. Boiled potatoes are stirred up with a glorious mix of spices (we can identify ginger, garlic, cumin, turmeric and chilli but we are sure there is more in there), tomatoes and soft onions to yield a dish that is so much more than the sum of its parts.
Contact: 02 634 3325

Batata Harra
The Arabic answer to Patatas Bravas, this is most definitely a different dish though the key elements are fairly similar. What you get when you order Batata Harra at Abdel Wahab in the Souk Qaryat Al Beri has diced potato, chilli, garlic, pepper – but where the Spanish dish is saucy, this is dry and has an undampened fire due to all the ingredients being fried together. Not for the faint-hearted but very, very good.
Contact: 02 558 1616