The only Asian Street Food Fest in Abu Dhabi is at Jing Asia, Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi Yas Island every Thursday night.
The Asian Street Food fans in Abu Dhabi will agree that Jing Asia at the Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi Yas Island has the best in town and every Thursday their Asian Street Food Fest draws diners like a magnet from all over town.
We went over last Thursday to give this a try and were amazed by the number of people there, its always a great sign to see a packed restaurant buzzing with laughter and kids scurrying around with plates full of food.
We are greeted at the entrance and escorted to a table at the back which has a nice comfy couch with pillows on one side which is perfect for lounging around while you take a break between visits to the buffet.
The restaurant is segmented into different sections based on regions, first up is the Malaysian station featuring a wicked Nasi Lemak, then there is the Japanese cart which is loaded with sushi. Out on the verandah they have the Indonesian and Philippines carts.
They have a nice selection of salads to start with and then you have the dim sum station that has some delicious spring rolls and fried crackers. Next is the grill station and then you have a buffet featuring dishes from across different regions of Asia.
The Food
We settle down, order some drinks and off we go to get some food. We start with the salads, there are some very attractive single serve portions that catch our eye, the Vietnamese noodle salad is fantastic and we love the little watermelon shooters it comes with.
We also try the Asian BBQ meatloaf and the Chinese duck salad and the flavors are incredible, the chef certainly knows how to balance his ingredients creating glorious flavors.
There are two types of soups on offer in huge, gleaming cauldrons, we loved the hot and sour seafood soup and actually had to go back for seconds it’s that good.
From the dim sum section, we get some crispy veg spring rolls and some prawn crackers with the sweet chili dip and a dollop of their spicy sambal, which went well with the crackers.
We go over to the Malaysian cart and get a portion of the Nasi Lemak, the flavors are complex and the rice is perfect, we love the slight heat it has that makes it so delightfully tasty.
The Japanese Cart is very popular and keeps running out of sushi, the shrimp nigiri is fresh and delightfully and we loved the tempura rolls too.
We head out to the verandah to try the Indonesian and Philippine carts, they have some really nice fish balls with jasmine rice and chicken livers at the Philippines cart that we loved.
The nasi goreng at the Indonesian cart is amazing, hot and spicy and they have some very tasty satay skewers that come with a spicy peanut dip that we just couldn’t have enough of. We feel that nasi was one of the star dishes of the evening.
Inside we stop at the grill station and order some medium beef fillet that is sent over to our table in no time, the meat is cooked to perfection and the taste is just perfect.
There is a fantastic and spicy beef massamam curry form Thailand that we just can’t have enough of, the beef is soft and tender and the gravy is tangy and sharp, we have some with the nasi goreng and it took the experience to a whole new level.
There are some very nice wok friend noodles and a decadent seafood laksa worth trying, the broth has an intense seafood and coconut flavor which is so good.
There is a good range of curries form places like Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka to try at the buffet we loved the spicy shredded chicken with the Sri Lankan dal curry.
The Desserts
Well so much to try but we are absolutely stuffed and there is still the dessert section waiting to be sampled so after a suitable gap sprawling on the soft pillows, we head over to the beautifully appointed dessert area.
They have a whole array of fresh fruit to sample along with a decadent saffron rice pudding that just blew us away. The single serve portions of cardamom milk pudding are so cute in the little jars we had to try one.
We loved the exotic gaspachio and the salted crème caramel, they are just divine and the presentations is simply awesome. Let’s not forget the decadent mango panna cotta, a real delight.
We meet Chef Ishore who is the man behind this decadent food and he is a delight to talk to, he takes us on a tour of the buffet giving us insights into some of the dishes on offer. Its always a please to see the Chef on the floor interacting with the diners.
The Verdict
We just loved the food, the taste is awesome and the variety is simply amazing. The packed house is a testament to the quality and taste. The ambiance is vibrant and there were a host of birthday celebrations thought the night with sparklers and cake and the whole place had a happy feel to it which was very heartwarming.
Great food, excellent service and a fantastic ambiance make this a perfect family evening, we highly recommend dropping in next Thursday, make sure you call ahead or you might not get a table.
The Packages
The Asian Street Food Fest takes place at Jing Asia very Thursday night form 7.30 PM to 11.00 PM and is priced at AED 159 with soft beverages and AED 259 with house beverages. Its a steal, don’t you agree?
The Contact
For reservations please call +971 2 656 3055
