Abu Dhabi: A new steak house in town is all set to welcome guests this month.
While the Choice Cut team was busy giving final touches to their preparations for the grand opening, XPRESS was invited to taste the new menu at the eatery located in the Novotel Bustan.
The place has a warm and friendly feel about it with a lot of emphasis on space as well as privacy. The dining room with 116 covers is well spread out with ample distance between tables. The place is laid out in such a manner that you won’t miss the lack of private dining space. There’s plenty of cozy spots for diners to get away from the madding crowd. The design is simple and modern and not too sophisticated.
Affordable costs
The prices on the menu were not yet fixed, but Novotel Bustan general manager Dominique Mercier said that Choice Cut is meant to be a mid-market restaurant. “We want our guests to be able to enjoy a good steak, some salads and a drink without having to pay a fortune. We are looking at something in the range of between Dh200 to Dh250 per head for a meal,” said Mercier. In short, they want to currently focus on volume.
However, it was evident there was no compromise on the quality of food. Staff were extremely friendly and quick to respond.
Coming to food, my dining partner and I were served a tender coconut emulsion to quench our thirst. This summer cooler was made of sweet tender coconut water with tiny spongy balls of the coconut meat immersed in the drink. On the sides was a spoonful of coconut pasty cream. This drink is ideal for this season considering the temperatures are set to soar in a few weeks.
Next we tried the olive bread with cheese. It was yum. The bread was warm, soft and I kept on nibbling at it until the last morsel was devoured. After placing the order for the main course, I hit the salad bar. Nothing extraordinary about the selection, but all the regular salads were there.
For our mains, we ordered the Australian New South Wales wagyu d-rump, and cannelloni pasta with ricotta cheese as a vegetarian option.
Everyone has their own choice of how their steaks should be cooked. While I would prefer a medium rare one, others would probably go for medium-well done. And to make things clearer Choice Cut Steak House explains in its brochure how to differentiate between rare, medium and well done steaks.
The wagyu D-rump we ordered was medium rare. It was soft, juicy and hit all the right flavours. The cannelloni pasta also tasted good with a generous dose of melted cheese and a medley of veggies with boiled vegetables and sautéed mushroom on the sides.
We finished the meal with warm chocolate fondant, served with vanilla ice cream and a trio of fresh berries accompanied by meringue mille-feuille, berries compote with nuts crumble and chilled berries shot.
Going by the first taste, the eatery is sure to attract steak lovers.
