The days I decide to wear my prized F1 livery are usually special. Colourful against the blue backdrop, the resplendent logos on the synthetic fabric take you back to the Red bull – Infiniti era. Zipped up or not, the swag shirt has an unsurprising way of drawing compliments – but believe me, the swag doesn’t really need them for turbo-boosted confidence. It is built-in. Wearing the swag on my way to Yas Marina circuit might sound predictable but then, I wasn’t headed for the circuit, though right next to it.
Sitting in the viewing balcony of the Garage restaurant at the W Hotel, I listened for the invisible echoes of F1 cars heading for the upcoming Turn 18 every winter. Beyond the meandering tracks, luxury rocked in the marina for yachts. We were there to taste the race at the Garage, on a journey across 5 race tracks and 5 pages of tantalizing cuisine.
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. As their special package menu states: One destination for 5 flavours, 5 races, 5 hubs. In other words, they have 5 cuisine hubs with specialized chefs serving a delectable selection of flavours from 5 different cuisines – Japanese, Singaporean, Emirati, American and Italian. Need I explain the 5 races part? 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. And so, this hungry trio driving in all the way from Dubai – my two boys and I – turned to the appetizing selection on the packaged menu. We could place three orders each, picking from the selection representing the 5 cuisine styles. The friendly host suggested that we place nine different orders so that we could all sample a good part 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, we navigated the menu sipping on the super-cooler mocktails and managed to keep just enough variety in the array for a quick world tour. Each of the dishes is nicely described in the menu, so it was an enlightening culinary journey even before we started tasting. From Suzuka Prawn Roll and Salmon Teriyaki Donburi to our anytime-perfect classic chicken Shawarma and the smoked flavour of Texan steak… our appetite kept up with the excitement of our tastebuds! With our insatiable sweet teeth (mostly mine I admit!), we couldn’t help wishing for more on the Italian desserts page.
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.
Venue: Garage restaurant
For reservations: W Abu Dhabi, Yas Island
Call: +971 2 656 0000
