RESTAURANT REVIEW: SAFINA

RATING

*****

Safina restaurant at the Saadiyat Beach Club is known for its delicious Mediterranean cuisine, particularly their seafood and Friday brunches. Overlooking the beach, with both indoor and outdoor seating, the restaurant decor and vibe are absolute perfection, in my opinion. 

My husband and I went for Iftar and I was very impressed with how versatile the buffet was, and surprised that not many guests were present. I had the lentil soup to start, while my husband had the minestrone, and they were both delicious. The spices in the lentil soup were very evident, giving it a really distinct flavor. The appetizers were all fantastic. They had different stations for appetizers: cheese station, processed meats station, salad station, hot and cold appetizers stations. Obviously, I skipped the small appetizer-sized plates and went for one of the larger plates piling it with appetizer-goodness. My husband raved about the shanklish, it was amazing, with the perfect amount of creaminess and tanginess. The baba ghanoush also deserves a shout out, it was smoky, tangy, and full of flavor.

I have to say, what really stood out for me was how well they cooked their meats - all sorts. It is a sign of a great Chef when they can cook their meat to perfection. They had a grills station, and their lamb chops were moist, tender and cooked perfectly, as was the sirloin steak. The lobster was charcoal grilled and the spices really stood out, and lifted the whole dish. I also tried their chicken biryani, and although it didn’t really taste like any chicken biryani I’ve had before, but the chicken was so good. It was extremely tender and was cooked perfectly. It was so delicious, that I went for a second helping. 

That’s not all though…they had a live station where they cooked any kind of pasta you wanted on the spot. I couldn’t leave without having any, now could I? I asked for penne with mushrooms, parmesan and cream sauce and it was perfection. Creamy, al dente, and with the right amount of seasoning. 

I will admit, the desserts were just OK. They had a great combination of Arabic and Western desserts and an extensive selection of fruits, and I attempted to try a bit of everything, but it was just all right.

With a week left of Ramadan, I highly recommend you try out Safina’s Iftar. With their range of food items, they have something for everyone and it will definitely hit the spot.

With that being said, I also want to mention this new website I happened to come across last week! I haven’t actually heard of it before, and I don’t know if anyone else has either. It’s called the SupperClub, where you join as a member to receive SupperClub “spoons”, which allow you then to dine in luxury at some of the best 5-star restaurants in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The reason I’m talking about this here is because this is my first time coming across a website that deals with high-end restaurants, some of the offerings they have are not even in your usual "apps" or group buying websites - I’m talking restaurant likes Nobu in Dubai and Sofra Shangri-la, Abu Dhabi - and the cost of purchasing a membership is super reasonable.

I also really liked the idea of how it works. When you join as a member you get a certain number of “spoons”, which act like points or tokens, and then you use these “spoons” to pay for your dining experience. For example, my membership gave me 28 spoons and I booked to have Iftar at Sofra, Shangri-la next week, which cost me 10 spoons. That’s it! I go, I have Iftar, and I can walk right out, no fuss! 

I’ll be able to give you a more detailed review next week, after my Iftar at Sofra. For now, feel free to check out their website.