A recent trip to Abu Dhabi to see very good and old friends presented an opportunity to check out Salt Bae's new restaurant Nusr-et. It's famous enough with Man City players popping in there for a meal on a recent trip.
The chef Nusret Gokce is also the Ainslie Harriott for a new instagram generation with clips of his elaborate salt sprinkling all over the web! Like most restaurants it was housed within a top hotel in the city. There was promise from the moment we walked through the door... pieces of dry ageing meat were displayed in cabinets on the walls.. meat was effectively the art! The fact you are reading this magazine you must love meat like works of art.
The waiters all had gaucho style moustaches which as the night went on was all part of the theatre of the place. It was pure meat theatre...
I asked the head waiter to just serve us what the kitchen was proud of. Proud they should be. We started with Carpaccio of beef... prepared at the table with again great theatre. A curious dish called meat sushi was next... thin bits of what looked like wagyu beef were wrapped over fat and then blow torched at the table, more theatre yet more great taste.
They insisted on serving a goats cheese salad because they fly the cheese in fresh daily on Turkish airlines, I'm not a big salad fan as a meat head but it was SOOOO good. The highlight of the main courses was a whole rack of lamb served with minted dry ice erupting at the table. It was then expertly cut into cutlets and a fillet at the table very dramatically, and sprinkled with the signature Salt and dried oregano. Theatre theatre theatre.
Beef short ribs also fell of the bone. We were stuffed by now but they wouldn't let us leave without the Turkish airlines delivered baklava and hand churned ice cream.
I wanted to hate this place if I'm honest... wanted it to be all theatre and dodgy meat. But it smashed it on all levels, quality of the meat, the cooking, the Turkish ingredients and I hate myself for this.... but the theatre made it all come together.
The bill was eye watering but that's Abu Dhabi for you. If it pitches it's new London branch at Hawksmoor or Temper prices you definitely should go to the theatre!!
Jon Rolls @R0LLSY
Meat Me in the Desert
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