Dinner at Loop Beach Restaurant & Bar

The Experience Team

3 years ago

This new beach restaurant and bar at the Bab Al Qasr Hotel is poised to take Abu Dhabi by storm.

There was a time we used to drive by the magnificent Bab Al Qasr Hotel and wonder what might be the dining options and ambiance inside, but we never knew.

Not any more, as with a new team in place that has transformed the hotel into a culinary hotspot of Abu Dhabi we are happy to state we have become big fans, and we have learned to expect great things form them now.

The new Loop Beach Restaurant and Bar is one of the latest and coolest new venues we have seen in Abu Dhabi for a while. Situated along the quiet beach with stunning views and a superb ambiance, Loop is the place to be for a great dinner or a superb beachside street food brunch, which happens every Sunday now.

After trying their Street Food brunch in the soft launch phase, we were waiting for the official opening which took place last week, so we headed over to try their dinner options.

The Venue

Like the name suggested Loop is a beach restaurant just by the water’s edge facing the Bateen area, you walk down the stars from the pool, cross the beach area and there is this whimsical blue door, standing by itself, to one corner, that takes you to this magical place.

The look and feel is like you are on some Mediterranean island, the seating is in a cool little raised verandah done up in shades of nautical blue and white, with the theme carried on to the table mats and the painting on the walls giving it a stunning, fresh feel.

The cuisine is international with a good variety of salads, pizza, seafood, grills and more to choose from, the bar menu is quite extensive as well, and then you have the shisha options making it the perfect all-time hangout.

At night, the ambiance is absolutely stunning, let the pictures do the talking.

The Food

We are shown to a nice table on the verandah and Sudhan, our server, takes the drinks order and suggests we scan the QR code for the menu and decide what to order. We take their set menu option that is a five-course set menu covering their signature dishes.

The meal starts with a selection of fresh bread that came skewered on tall spikes set in a bed of wood with an olive tapenade and a sun dried tomato pesto. The breads are fresh and warm and the presentation is absolutely unique.

The Salad course is presented next, starting with the chef’s special Caesar Salad, it’s fresh and amazingly flavourful.

The Tomato Caprese was equally stunning, the buffalo mozzarella has a great smokey flavour that transformed its taste and the marinated tomatoes with the balsamic vintager dressing are a match made in heaven.

We move on to starters, there are three of them, starting with a serving of calamri which are the freshest we have had recently.

The we get this smply heavenly tray of oven baked half shell mussels smothered in cheese and the chef’s special garlic sauce, absolutely divine.

Next is the smoked octopus which was gorgeous, the balsamic caviar and the parsnips added an amazing flavour to the crunch of the fresh octopus, this is simply divine and a must-have.

It’s time for the mains and Chef Gayan presents his signature two foot long beef chorizo, we have never heard of or let alone tried one of these, the presentation is amazing in a custom-made wooden tray that cradles the sausage like a baby keeping it snug for you to reach in and grab bites. The taste is absolutely fantastic and this is a meal in itself.

We also get to try two of their best-selling pizzas, the Bresaola and the Capricciosa and loved both, the taste is absolutely exquisite.

It’s time for the desserts and soon the pastry chef, Jagdeesan appears and presents three of his masterpieces. First he presents his Chocolate Apple tart, it’s a work of art on a long platter featuring green apple, vanilla ice cream and chocolate cake on a chocolate soil, the presentation is amazing and taste to match.

Next is his Red Berry Cheesecake, a light and airy cheesecake on a bed of berry compote and fresh berry garnish, loved it. The presentation is absolutely a delight.

Finally, he presents his masterpiece, the Black Olive Fondant, we have never had a dessert that celebrates the black olive in this manner, the taste was amazing and again exceptional presentation, full marks for all the three desserts.

The Verdict

There are places you go where the ambiance is great but the food a hit-and-miss or places where a few items are great but at Loop, from the get go everything is top-notch. The food is amazing, the presentations look like they are from a Michelin star restaurant, the service is amazing and the ambiance to die for, it’s perfection form A to Z and this is really commendable.

The team behind Loop, under the able guidance of the maestro himself, Elias Saad have pulled it off again, another superb venue with awesome food and an ambiance to die for. We will definitely be back soon and highly recommend you visit as well.

The restaurant manager, Vishnu, came over for a chat and so did the chefs which added that special personal touch.