One of the many foodie things that people in Dubai aspire for is an open barbecue setting – flamed char coals, hot grills, roasted meats, charred veggies and general merry-making while the winter months last! Since UAE’s weather isn’t always the best to head to a park or in the middle of a desert with your best grilling accessories, especially as the summer approach, Absolute Barbecues with an innovative concept comes to the rescue. AB’s in short. It wasn’t a rocket science for us to expect what to find in a restaurant known for its fete for serving hot grills right on our dining table and already famous in parts of India – Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. But AB’s did surprised us in many ways. Frankly, having opened just recently, I wasn’t expecting AB’s to be a huge place or atleast be buzzing with people. But boy, was I amazed!! AB is structurally well designed with good walking space between the tables,a small outdoor garden with few tables, warm ambiance and every corner of the restaurant dedicated to something (live grill, buffet, drinks, desserts or wish grill – more on that later). Not forgetting to mention, it has already gained a good following of diners even on Friday afternoons within a couple of months of its opening in Dubai!
Notice that wooden board at the center? That’s where the grill is placed.
As we were seated, our server humbly guided us through the concept behind AB’s – from where we should start placing our order, how our lunch will be progressed and the manner in which the food will be served to us, one after the other. The idea of serving a hot grill on the table petrified to me at first since we were dining with Little A and I didn’t wanted him to touch any of the hot plate or a skewer. But it was nothing as close to what I was worrying about. The barbecue griddle is fixed inside a hollow space or pit at the center of the table so it looked quite safe except that you’ll have to be extra careful when the skewers arrive especially when a child is sitting next to you.
Our meal started by heading over to Wish Grill which in itself is quite a creative twist to the whole dining experience where the Chef takes your wishes in tossing your preferred palate and serving up a storm. There are different selection of meat such as duck, chicken, emu, sausages etc; seafood such as squid and veggies included mushrooms; thrown with either rice or noodles and dressed with assortment of sauces depending on the spice levels. It is more like stir-up your own dish with selection of items that you choose. If you are even a bit confused, the chef enthusiastically guides you about the pairing of meat or vegetable with other variety of sauces to help you arrive at a decision. We tried Barbecued Chicken with Indian Tufani Masala, shredded Duck with AB’s Dancing Sauce and Little A chose Chicken Sausages with Cheese Sauce. All spot on! And hey, I got a chance to stir up my meat on the hot griddle as well!
Next up was Barbecue Grill which had multitude options of fish, prawns, vegetables, chicken, fruits and lamb. And the most intelligent part that we found was the idea of preparing meats or vegetables in three different marinades – spicy, mild and not-so-spicy depending on the taste buds of the customers, so that they can change after their first lot is served. As our server began placing almost cooked different assortment of grills at the center of our table to be barbecued more to the extent we preferred, our excitement kept building as that of a small child. Australian Grilled Fish, Lamb Chops, Chicken Kebabs, Pesto Prawns, Churasco Pineapple chunks and Char Grilled Veggies were all in front of us neatly threaded in skewers in all it’s beauty. The ones that stood out the most were the luscious fish, succulent prawns, melt-in-the-mouth chicken kebabs, the sweet-spicy-tangy pineapple pieces and crispy corn (not a part of grill). The meats were grilled to the precision and the vegetables had that perfect char coaled flavor that made us have no shame in calling for another two helpings. And the servers obliged!
Did you think this was the end of our meal? Wait, there’s more – The Buffet. I was so full by the end of the first two rounds that I had no inclination to stand on my feet and go for a buffet. While I was gloriously contented and deeply satisfied over the meal I just blessed my tummy with, hubby had a dose of a gluttonous Hyderabadi Dum Biryani which he was immensely impressed with. Though the tip may be to not stuff yourself too much with the grills because that leaves you a very less stomach space for the main course, I thought having a full-fledged barbecue meal was totally apt in this kind of a seating.
I finally endeavored myself for the Desserts. On display were sweet treats in diversity – Gulab Jamun, Cheesecakes, Souffles, Phirnee and Fresh Fruits, of which we tried Mango Cream that came in a cute little glass and a piece of Gulab Jamun with Rabdi, enough for already satiated souls. Here’s another Frozen Station where your flavor of Gelato is smashed and mixed with the combination of extras (read chocolates, sprinkles, nuts) you choose and you are presented with yet another beautifully curated dessert of your like.
Apart from offering barbecue at a reasonable price, another thing that AB’s has got accurately spot on is the fitting staff who are friendly and were constantly helping us in picking up appropriate items as well as taking feedback on improvising on different dishes, that we felt need some improvement. I love how open they are to suggestions and promise to deliver what the customer prefer the best. I was pleasantly very charmed by the effort that the servers were putting in delivering utmost service to the diners as well as paying attention to the minutest details on each table. We were so happy with our experience, we have already recommended it to a few of our friends in last one month that we visited and they have loved dining at AB’s as well. Speaks of sincerity in respect of their food and service, isn’t it?
Location : Ground floor of Fraser Suites in Al Sufouh.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Absolutebbqme