Kazu, Yas Hotel

Pitched up at 9:30pm without a reservation, surprisingly the Hotel was quiet and as we walked past the various dinning establishments I had the feeling that the staff were very bored and seemed to be touting for business, however I was greeted with warmth and what seemed like a genuine smile, the Hostess was pleasant enough, took my details and asked if would like to sit inside or out. I opted for outside away from the gaze of the Maitre de and the Chefs, that way I could prod and poke my food without intrusion.

No sooner had we sat down than the waiter appeared, menus in hand, I do wish that sometimes you could just be given a few minutes to settle down before being pounced upon, however in his defense their was only eight people in the whole place, so I can forgive him his eagerness! A glance at the menu and wine list and we decided to go for the Snapper Fillet, Sas Ebi, Maki local, Tai Shiyok,i Steamed rice, topped off with Hakutsuru Sake and a glass of Rose D’Anju.

In what seemed like no time at all, back came the waiter with cutlery, napkins and a small entrée, 2 pieces of seared tuna in a soy based sauce and some rose caviar. Not bad little nibbles and a nice touch. Drinks then arrived, Sake was just the right temperature and after having struggled somewhat with the cork on the wine it was poured, my only complaint about the wine was that it was a touch on the warm side, still pleasant enough though.

The food arrived after about 10 minutes, nicely presented, however the Snapper did look a little lost on a plate the size of Wisconsin, but I liked the garnish of an asparagus tip dipped in ginger and the lemon half that had been grilled. Sas Ebi was good, fresh and just the right size, nicely done.

All in all I would say that the service, quality of food and attention to detail was up to par. Now what I didn’t like, firstly unless you're one of those strange types of people that likes looking at the bottom of airplanes then do not, let me say that again DO NOT opt to sit on the terrace. Now don’t get me wrong I love the view over the racing circuit, the great light show from the Hotel etc, however it’s a little difficult to have a sensible conversation when the 8:30 to London Heathrow goes roaring over your head, all 4 Rolls Royce Engines screaming to get the beast into the air! Whoever decided to build the hotel directly under the flight-path of an International Airport, I have one word for you……MORON!

The one other complaint that I have is the price, not to say that I’m cheap but come on now chaps, I understand that you had to spend a wee bit to build this magnificent venue, but charging almost AED600 for dinner for 2, without dessert is a little bit extortionate even for Abu Dhabi!

Anyway other than those little annoyances I would recommend that you give it a try, especially if you wanted to impress your mates, spouse, significant other or your Sumo wrestler buddy.