I sat in the W Hotel’s Garage restaurant’s viewing balcony and listened for the inaudible echoes of Formula One cars approaching the upcoming Turn 18 each winter. The marina for yachts was a haven of luxury beyond the meandering tracks. We were there to experience the race at the Garage, a journey through five racetracks and five pages of delectable food. The Garage restaurant on the ground floor of W Hotel Abu Dhabi (Viceroy for those who have been there before) is practically 5 restaurants-in-one. One location for five flavors, five races, and five hubs, according to their special package menu. To put it another way, they have five cuisine hubs where specialized chefs serve delectable dishes from five distinct cuisines: Singaporean, American, Emirati, Japanese, and Italian. Do I need to explain the five races? Of course, these are F1 destinations with 5 famous racing tracks from across the world, including our own Abu Dhabi!
So, we sat down next to the glass door with the race track view, as it was still hot to dine outside in the balcony where one could enjoy the thrill of grand prix action in November. So, my two boys and I, a hungry trio who had driven all the way from Dubai, turned to the tasty options on the packaged menu. Each of us could select three orders from a menu that represented the five culinary styles. We were given the friendly host’s suggestion to place nine distinct orders so that we could each try a portion of the feast. Well, that is what this offer actually is – an amazing opportunity to sample various dishes from all over the world at an easily digestible price!
This was going to be hard – coz everyone wanted what was translated to ‘momos’ from the steam table and everyone wanted the classic Tiramisu, too! Anyway, while sipping on the super-cool mocktails, we made our way through the menu and found just enough variety to take a quick trip around the world. Each of the dishes is nicely described in the menu, so it was an enlightening culinary journey even before we started tasting. From the Suzuka Prawn Roll and Salmon Teriyaki Donburi to the anytime-perfect classic chicken Shawarma and smoked Texan steak, our appetites kept up with our tastebuds’ excitement! On the Italian desserts page, we couldn’t help but wish for more due to our insatiable sweet tooth (mostly mine, I must admit!). AED 99 for a 3-course tasting menu is so irresistible and it gets still better for those who order a 5-course tasting menu for just AED 125! If you are a racing enthusiast, ‘taste the race’ is a must-do experience and if you aren’t one, I say just ‘race to the taste’ – this exclusive promotion is only till the end of September.