It’s a well-known feeling: you’ve been hurrying around the city all day, busy with work or shopping, and suddenly Ramadan is over and you’re starving. For a hunger pick-me-up, the team at Abu Dhabi Week has dutifully nibbled a path across the capital. Of course, there are many more little takeaway options around Abu Dhabi – let us know if there’s one you feel should be on the list!
1: Happy Corn So the main reason for being in the big Co-op at Abu Dhabi Mall is to buy food or bargain-priced towels or tee-shirts in garish colours. But if you just can’t wait until you get home and unpack your weekly food shop, the smiley sweetcorn vendor by the exit has the cure. Ok, it’s a little pricey for a pot of heated corn and butter – but boy does it taste good. And you have the option of adding a little spice to your healthy snack too!
2: Hardee’s At least one of the Abu Dhabi Week team is addicted to these probably-beef burgers – especially when you order a side of fries and cheese sauce (to dip!) along with it. Cheap, not-at-all healthy and so much better than the world-dominating likes of McDonalds and Burger King. We like the Hardee’s at Al Wahda Mall, where it’s less chaotic than Abu Dhabi Mall’s food court – you can grab a seat without having to stand with your tray for a good 20 minutes.
3: ADNOC stations Back in the corner of the world that this writer used to call home, popping into a petrol station for food was something to be avoided, not least because the choice would be a watery Pot Noodle and a very dodgy pasty at best – which is why we really don’t mind making petrol stops in Abu Dhabi. Pizza slices, hot pastries, Indian delicacies ... it’s a good job the petrol’s cheap, because we spend so many dirhams on the eatables!
4: Hakka Noodles This tiny eatery tucked around the back of the Eldorado Cinema on Electra Street is mighty popular with Abu Dhabi’s Indian community, and it’s easy to see why. Fantastically cheap without skimping on quantity or quality, the noodles are excellent and the curries on offer are definitely worth a taste. Sit in and dine simply or take away.
5: Lebanese Flower Of course, the failsafe Abu Dhabi snack has to be a shawarma – and there’s no end of choice available. Currently satisfying our hunger in the most effective manner is the Lebanese Flower on Al Salam Street. Friendly staff, great fresh fillings (chicken, potato and pickles) and just the right amount of yogurt – all for just AED 5. A bargain buy.
