French-inspired cuisine at Abu Dhabi’s Bentley Bistro

If you’re looking for an awesome night-out in Abu Dhabi to unwind with a group of friends over a delicious dinner, Bentley Bistro is the place to be.
I fell in love with the restaurant the moment I stepped foot inside. It is located in The Galleria mall in Al-Maryah Island. As soon as you walk in you cannot miss the warmth of the restaurant that has a homey feel to it with contemporary interiors and hardwood floors, and an open kitchen where you can see your food being prepared by Chef Marwan. The indoor area is intimate and cosy and has wooden tables along with leather sofas. The walls are black chalk boards with the restaurant’s special menu on it and right in front of you is a large orange statement sofa, while next to it is the door that takes you to the outdoor area. The area is lit up with candlelight and innovative chandeliers made with white cages surrounded by small white light wires. On both corners are sofa areas and in the center is seating comprising darn wooden chairs and light wooden square tables, all overlooking The Galleria promenade. The restaurant seats 335 diners at once and they have a small private area for meetings and small events.
The music is chilled and loungey that wraps the whole feel of the restaurant. The menu offers a beautiful variety for both steak and seafood lovers. For starters we tried the tomato tartar with micro herbs, which is a dried tomato base, topped with chopped fresh tomato; it tastes light and sweet and is great for summer.
Mediterranean razor clams with Sicilian sauce is highly recommended; it comes in long clam shells cooked with cherry tomatoes, dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. The sweetness of the tomatoes and the sourness of the vinegar give you a tingling taste experience.
Lentil salad with burrata cheese, tomato and chili jam is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes and you will notice that almost everyone orders some. It contains brown lentils mixed with chopped onions and tomatoes, topped with fresh and juicy burrata, a kind of mozzarella cheese, and some chili jam on the side. When you eat it, make sure to include everything in each bite. You will experiment different temperatures and different textures.
My personal favorite starter was the “no rice” risotto where the chef uses potatoes instead of rice and mushrooms, mixed and cooked to a creamy consistency. It has the same risotto cooking style. When you try it, you cannot help but notice the homemade warmth it gives you.
As for the main dish, we decided to try one of each, the steak and the seafood. The roasted red snapper is pan seared where the skin is crispy and the middle is soft and juicy. It is served with creamy herbal and butter sauce with a side of shrimps, mussels and potato cubes.
The rib eye steak was cooked to perfection after being marinated in a herbal sauce. It was so tender that it cut like a knife through butter. It comes with a side of mashed potatoes, grilled cherry tomatoes and marinated crab legs.
The best part of the meal comes in the end. You have to simply try the chocolate crumble tart; it comprises creamy layered chocolate, a chocolate biscuit base topped with chopped pistachio and a side of mint ice cream. This dessert is highly recommended. It is cold, it is tasty and it is chocolate, need I say more?
Another great dessert is the apple tart made with crispy dough base topped with warm apple flavored with cinnamon and topped with vanilla ice cream. This mixture of warm flavors is a great summer choice.
One of the more sophisticated desserts is the lemon tart that is presented in a jar. It comprises a crumble biscuit base topped with lemon curd and soft meringue. It has a very strong taste but because we are people who love our lemons we found this to be a delicious treat.
The restaurant has a casual, friendly environment. You will definitely love to visit it along with friends or family members.

Opening hours: From 9 a.m. to 2 am. Serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Expect to pay: 175Dh for dinner and 75Dh for lunch.

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