Finz Restaurant, Beach Rotana, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
Saturday, the day before the first day of work, the last day of the weekend. (Yes, we have Friday and Saturday as the weekend in the UAE!) Some people dread the end of this day but Saturlaze at Finz gives us a reason to forget the countdown. It’s a time to sit back, relax and enjoy the good life, after all, it is still the weekend.
Welcome
My husband and I were invited to enjoy a Saturlaze afternoon with Finz Restaurant at Beach Rotana. I always love visiting Beach Rotana because it reminds me of the first few months of moving to Abu Dhabi, it was our first ‘home’ and we became quite familiar with all their facilities and outlets. Finz Restaurant is the restaurant built on the water right by the beach. Its the perfect location for a chilled afternoon, leaving you rested, relaxed and radiant.
We opted for a table outside on their shaded balcony overlooking the beach waters. The view is incredible from the restaurant. Did you know it is a fact that the shade of blue is the most calming to people? However, with the weather getting warmer and warmer each day, I am uncertain how many more outdoor patio lunches we can have.
Guests can enjoy a Saturlaze afternoon with Finz Restaurant between 2pm – 6pm every Saturday. Regular lunch menu is served prior to 2pm and regular dinner menu after 6pm.
Menu
Finz Restaurant Saturlaze comes with a simple menu. Seafood Stand, Seafood Stew, Catch of the Day and Saturalze Desserts. Simple but so satisfying!
Seafood Stand
The seafood stand was my favorite part. It came beautifully presented on a marvelous 2-tier platter fitted with all the works – oysters, mussels, prawns, shrimps, tuna tartare, hamachi tartare, and crab cocktail. The oysters, prawns and shrimps came in pairs so that meant we could only each have 1. Of the platter variety, I enjoyed the oysters the most, I love mine with a lot of hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon! The prawns were a bit over-cooked to me but they were honestly the biggest prawns I’ve seen in Abu Dhabi.
Seafood Stew
Up next came the Seafood Stew Bourride. It was quite rich and flavorful but it did take some time for it to cool down on a hot day outside. Luckily, the menu for this item as well as the Catch of the Day does change weekly!
Catch of the Day
For the Catch of the Day, there were 3 options to choose from (1) Stone Bass (2) Cod Fish (3) Salmon. I chose the stone bass while my husband opted for the salmon. It came in a perfect portion for me. A squeeze of lemon on top and its just perfect. My stone bass was fresh and tender, I wish I knew how to make it this way myself. The fish also came with ample sides such as couscous, tabbouleh, tahini and oriental rice.
Saturlaze Desserts
Lastly came the desserts, quite suitable actually for the hot day we were in. We were served with mini ice creams, mini macarons and an eclair topped with gold flakes. The ice cream was perfect for such a hot day and macarons made the day…just complete.
Beverages
From their mocktail menu, here are 3 great drinks I enjoyed during my Saturlaze:
(1)Pearls – made with pineapple juice, passion fruit puree and lime juice, topped with jelly ‘pearls’.
(2) Strawberry Lime Rose – made with strawberry puree, cranberry juice, soda water, lemon juice.
(3) Pomegranate Rose Spritzer – made with pomegranate juice, rose water, lime juice, soda water.
They also serve White, Rose, Red, and Bubbles as part of the Elaborate Saturlaze package.
My husband and I signed up for the Rotana Rewards Card last year which entitles us to 50% dining (for 2) at Rotana outlets such as Finz. We will be sure to use it at our next Saturlaze visit.
Price
For an elegant chilled afternoon decked with amazing seafood and good company, it is priced at AED 275 for the classic (mocktails) and AED 350 for the elaborate package. We all deserve a Saturlaze once in a while!
