BOUBOUFFE Does this Lebanese brasserie stand out from the crowd?
alking into BouBouffe is like finding a light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. Literally. Mostly because when we visited a freak power shortage had caused most of Yas Mall to sink into darkness. That said, the décor is rather welcoming with cheery pops of yellow and teal scattered throughout the space.
Billing itself as a Lebanese brasserie, there’s a small one-page menu on offer with a range of hot and cold mezze, grills, shawarma and burgers as well as a rotating list of daily specials. Nothing out of the ordinary, really.
The meal began with a moreish fattoush salad served with generous lashings of pomegranate molasses and a tangy bowl of hummus topped with meat. The kibbeh zghortawich, a round hockey puck-like parcel filled with shawarma meat, however was disappointing. Sitting in a puddle of oil (that slowly solidified) the crust was soggy and the filling unremarkable.
WWhile still eating the starters, the mains arrived and were served, without plates being cleared on the table. The daily special, stuffed zucchini in yoghurt, was of a good standard. The vegetables, filled with minced meat and rice, was served swimming in a thick yoghurt sauce. While the flavour was mild, the texture was spot on – not too soft or too hard. The burger, served with coleslaw and fries inside the patty, was also a good choice.
If you can’t resist dessert, try the strawberry melba but skip the karabij pistachio rolls with a cloyingly sweet dollop of cream. For a caffeine free digestive at the end of the meal try a cup of Lebanese white coffee. The cup of java isn’t really coffee at all, instead it is a small cup of refreshing orange water.
Overall, the restaurant could do with a bit of tweaking to the menu and certainly needs to spend more time training staff, as service was inconsistent throughout the meal.
Yas Mall, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, Sat to Wed 11.30am to 11.30pm, Thur and Fri 11.30am to midnight. Tel: (02) 4487474. Taxi: Yas Mall. facebook.com/ boubouffeuae