Live music, shisha and the finest Middle Eastern cuisine on the terrace overlooking the waters of the Gulf
The majestic Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi situated in what we refer to as the hotel district of Abu Dhabi at the Western edge of the Corniche has some excellent dining options and one of them is the stylish Pearl Lounge.
Situated at lobby level, the Pearl Lounge is a chic combination of lounge, café, shisha bar and has one of the most picturesque terraces in Abu Dhabi.
When we heard about their BBQ and Shisha nights and that they have the talented Lebanese singer, Marina Ndayra performing live for a limited time, we just couldn’t resist a visit.
The Venue
It was a Friday night, the weather was amazing and the terrace of the Pearl Lounge was just the place to spend the evening listing to the charming Nadyra’s captivating voice while enjoying a superb BBQ dinner.
We were met at the door by Shane, the venue manager who after greeting us warmly showed us to our table and took our drink orders as we settled down in the comfortable lounge style seating.
The terrace is absolutely delightful, with stunning views of the pool and the Abu Dhabi skyline beyond. The tables are suitably spaced apart, and the buffet is set along the side, with the bar at one corner and the live grilling station at the other.
The Food
It’s a Middle Easter style buffet and Shane takes us on a tour of the buffet, explaining all the dishes. There is a huge selection of classic Middle Easter dishes to try, so we start with the soup, which is an excellent lentil soup that is silky smooth and extremely flavourful.
The salad station is our next stop, rows upon rows of cold mezze are on offer, some traditional and some with a modern twist, the mohamara is superb, and we loved the bean salad, the tabouleh and the baba ganoush.
There is a live fattoush station where the chef tosses up an excellent plate of fattoush for us as we watch in delight, the taste is superb.
We stop at the grilling station and the chef offers to grill us a selection of all the different meats on offer, which sounds perfect, so we head off to our table to enjoy the music while we sip our drinks and indulge in the salads.
The shisha man arrives and asks us what flavour we would like to try, he seems to have every flavour you could image, so we settle on a grape mint mix which he sets up by the table with a flourish, and soon we are blowing plumes of grape flavoured smoke.
The mixed grill arrives steaming away, a huge platter piled high with grilled tiger prawns, lamb chops, shish tawook, lamb and beef kebabs.
This is not your average mixed grill platter, the team at Pearl Lounge has elevated theirs to the next level, the finest cuts of meat are used, and they are marinated to give them depth of flavour and tenderness we have never tasted before, absolutely stunning.
They used tenderloin for the beef kebabs, and it was marinated with kiwi and other spices which made the meat fork tender, it just melts in your mouth, the flavour is superb, and we just couldn’t have enough of it .
The other highlights were the tender and exceedingly flavourful lamb chops and the tiger prawns which were grilled to perfection, each item on the plate had its own flavour, we are absolutely blown away with this.
After a long time spent over the kebabs and the sihsha we headed over to them mains, there was a superb grilled fish in a tart tomato sauce which was superb.
We loved the harees, the machboos with the saloona was another highlight of the meal, the flavours and taste were absolutely perfect.
The Desserts
It’s time to head over to the dessert counter, the fresh and hot Umm Ali is the perfect starting point, it’s a luxurious dessert with perfect flavours.
There is a huge selection of fresh fruit and desserts, some Western and some Middle Easter, all superbly presented and tasted excellent, we loved the chocolate pudding and the strawberry tarts, heavenly.
The Verdict
The excellent food combined with the relaxing atmosphere on the terrace, the shisha and the live music make this one of the best places to relax and unwind after a stressful working week.
We absolutely loved the BBQ and the ambiance, the service is excellent under the watchful eye of Shane who was a delight to interact with.
The chef needs to be mentioned as well, his fresh new marinades have made his grills unforgettable, we will definitely be back soon just for those beef kebabs, the lamb chops, the tiger prawns and the shisha of course.
The Details
The BBQ & Shisha Nights take place every Friday night from 7.OO PM to 11.00 PM and the packages are below.
- AED 190- Including soft beverages
- AED 280- Including soft beverages and shisha
- AED 280- Including house beverages
- AED 370- Including house beverages and shisha
For reservations, please call +971 2 510 1234
