18 degrees @ Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi

Okay I have to admit, I’ve become one of those Instagram suckers, so you may see a bit of Instagramy shots every now and then 😛

Fri evening we had booked for a meal at 18degrees, located at the top floor of the 5-star Hyatt in AD. Many thanks to Rami who had made sure reservations were as planned.

We found the hotel quite easily, as we’ve seen it over the numerous times we’ve headed down to AD. Just last Friday we were at Aloft, down the road for the BBQ Night Brunch (nothing spectacular really, but I do like the acoustic guitarist they have there).

Back onto Hyatt. The lobby on ground floor is simple but nice. I love the bulkhead features hanging off the ceiling as you enter. Loved the massive blue couches, the bubbly chandeliers, and the assortment of lime, lemons and oranges in the central cafe.

I suppose the sexiest bit of the building (and any building really), is when they use the structure as an architectural feature. The massive steel trusses around the perimeter of the building was quite impressive. It sort of reminded me Rocco Forte‘s high-ceiling bar/restaurant.

Alright, let’s get on with the food! We got upstairs to the top floor, and was placed by the windows. Nice city lights view. We both ordered a Virgin Passionfruit Mojito (which I highly recommend). That drink lasted the both of for the whole night. They used probably 3 fresh limes, diced in quarters. Fresh passionfruit, mixed with fresh mint, orange juice and soda water. Refreshing.

At 18degrees, you get a selection of Mediterrenean dishes – appetisers and mains from Syria, Lebanon, Greece, Italy, and Turkey.

I started with a “Spanakopita”, which is supposedly a Traditional Spinach Quiche with Greek Yoghurt Mint. It was…… interesting. Hahaha. The cheese cooked with the spinach was a tad bit too strong (for my liking), but when mixed with the yoghurt mint, it was not too bad. I still couldn’t stomach the whole thing though, wanted to save space for the.. *rub hands together in glee*.. Grilled Whole Lobster (Lebanese special!)

Now doesn’t that look delicious. And yes, it so was 🙂 Highly recommend this.

Back to G’s meal, he started with an Italian appetiser – Cured Beef Carpaccio tossed with Mango Salad and Balsamic Vinegar. When it first arrived it looked a bit heavy but it was actually quite alright. I guess we were both used to how Beef Tataki looked in Japanese restaurants. Italian version – something different 😉

G had the Roast Rack of Lamb (Syrian specialty) cooked with lemon zest, hazelnut, cumin, garlic and parsley. To be honest it was just okay, G was a bit surprised it was cooked with cheese (or something that smelled like it?). He devoured the whole tray anyways 🙂

We both were stuffed as by the end of that, but I really wanted to try some dessert. They did have quite a selection but we settled with home-made raspberry sorbet. Happy with the choice – it wasn’t too sweet, or too sour. It was right, perfect to end the night.

What could be better? The bathrooms. It is situated one level up and I guess because the restaurant wasn’t one of the busiest ones in town, it felt quite isolated. I don’t think they have cleaners that check on it very often – I had to flush three toilets before getting to the last one that was clean. Definitely not acceptable for a 5-star hotel. Suggest that there be cleaners to check on it every so often.

But hey, other than that. We left the hotel very happy and pretty full 🙂 Recommend you check it out for its variety of dishes and please do try the Virgin Passion Fruit Mojito!