Buddha-Bar Beach Abu Dhabi

If I was to summarise Buddha-Bar Beach Abu Dhabi in a few words it would be, where elegance meets exclusivity. Located at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Buddha-Bar Beach Abu Dhabi recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. Over such a short period of time Buddha-Bar Beach Abu Dhabi has created a fascinating experience of taste, music and style, creating an unmet adventure where time stands still. Utter bliss in the chic cultural district of Saadiyat Island, titillating tastes from around the world and the reverent awe awoken by the mystifying sunsets, guest have come to expect nothing less than the best from the Buddha-Bar Beach Abu Dhabi.

As the sun begins to set, we make our way to Buddha-Bar Beach. Located on the shores of the pristine Saadiyat beach, Buddha-Bar Beach has a large outdoor seating area separated into two parts, one an outdoor dining area and the other a lounge area. Inside guests can choose to dine in the spacious dining area, watch as the chefs carefully craft each dish at the sushi counter, relax in the lounge or enjoy a stylish beverage in the bar area.

Before we place our order, we enjoy our favorite mocktail. The Care Bear mocktail, and our latest obsession, is absolutely divine. This mocktail oozes flavor and finesse, a refreshing strawberry beverages topped with a thick cream, offers sip after sip of yumminess.

The Buddha-Bar Beach menu offers a selection of Pacific Rim cuisine dishes, a masterful blend of fine ingredients and spices, where East Chinese, Japanese, Thai and other Asian flavors combine subtly with a zest of the West.

To start we try the Mediterranean Style Tom Yum Soup with red snapper, king prawns, shimeji mushrooms, asparagus and wakame seaweed. A great start to our dining experience, the soup is rich, full of flavor, generously topped with seafood and ever so slightly creamier than normal Tom Yum Soup, which we prefer.

Next, we opt for the Buddha- Bar Beach Tacos from the cold starters menu and the Steamed Edamame with Sea Salt from the hot starters menu. The four crispy tacos consist of sashimi salmon, tuna, seabass and vegetables. The sashimi salmon is our favorite, although it is great to see that there is a vegetable option on the menu for guests to enjoy.

We then move onto the Deep-Fried Lobster Dumplings with Papaya Salad and Chili Oil. These are superb, as you bite into the Lobster Dumpling you first experience the crunch of the fried dumpling, followed by the aromatic lobster, then the rich spicy chili oil and finally cooled by the refreshing papaya salad.

Wanting to sample the sushi we order the Spicy and Crunchy Tuna Roll with tuna, toro tartare, cucumber, avocado, jalapeno, aioli, pickled wasabi stalk, momiji oroshi, chives and crunch red quinoa. This sushi roll offers a multitude of tastes and textures, one we would highly recommend. We also try the Spicy Soft-Shell Crab Roll and the Tempura Prawn Rolls. As enjoyable as they are the Spicy and Crunchy Tuna Roll would still be our sushi roll of choice. All the sushi is served in eight pieces.

For the mains we enjoy the Robata Salmon with yaki-onigiri, kaffir lime, galangal teriyaki sauce which comes with small rice portion. The Robata Salmon is bursting with flavor. The yaki-onigiri and teriyaki sauce add a rich underlining tone to the dish, giving it a melt in the mouth moment for guests to enjoy. Had we known the portion would be so generous we would probably have ordered a little less sushi. 

Unfortunately, we leave no room for dessert. Although those with a sweet tooth will be spoilt for choice as the menu boasts nine scrumptious desserts from Chocolate Fondant, Buddha-Bar Warm Cheesecake, Green Tea Tart to the show stopping Platter of BBB Gorgeous Desserts and Fruits.

One year on and Buddha-Bar Beach Abu Dhabi located at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort is still exceeding our expectations, from service, taste to presentation, this restaurant not only seems to be standing the test of time but pushing the boundaries. We would highly recommend Buddha-Bar Beach Abu Dhabi for lunch, dinner or just a few social beverages.

Mediterranean Style Tom Yum Soup, AED 90

Buddha- Bar Beach Tacos, AED 100

Steamed Edamame with Sea Salt, AED 25

Deep-Fried Lobster Dumplings, AED 90

Spicy and Crunchy Tuna Roll, AED 100

Spicy Soft-Shell Crab Roll, AED 85

Tempura Prawn Rolls, AED 65

Robata Salmon, AED 220

Buddha-Bar Beach Abu Dhabi, +971 2 498 8888