Review: 99 Sushi Bar and Restaurant Abu Dhabi

Has it earned a place in the Michelin universe?

Last year’s announcement that the Michelin Guide would be coming to Abu Dhabi for the first time sent anticipatory shock waves to the city’s restaurant network. How many coveted stars will be plucked from the heavens and placed on the fruits of the capital’s thriving dining scene?

The answer came in November. With 42 restaurants featured in the inaugural guide, 3 of the city’s elite restaurants are considered above the rest, earning a spot in the global Michelin-starred zodiac.

99 Sushi Bar and Restaurant is one of them. A Japanese fine dining restaurant with roots in the gastronomic melting pot of Madrid. The Abu Dhabi outpost is housed inside the Four Seasons Hotel on Al Maryah Island, and this Friday afternoon, the hotel’s secluded waterfront terrace already oozes glamour.

We were invited to the 13-course Buyeo tasting menu (AED 950 per couple), which splits the restaurant’s signature dishes in two. 13 courses, 13 food and craft events, 13 reasons why we want 99 Sushi to live up to its fiery reputation.

soy art

The voyage departs from the coast with a pair of chu-toro (tuna belly) hosomaki slices, but before tasting, we pour a lake of soy sauce. It was an alluring sorrel, and unsure of the etiquette of drinking soy milk in Japanese restaurants, we lifted our plates and nervously looked back to see if anyone was looking.The brand’s culinary director, chef Ruben Guerrero, caught us red hand. He nodded. allow. Let’s take a sip. Fermented aromas of caramel, brandy and honey. It is in this seasoning detail that we find the first reason.

Plates were exchanged and we were faced with a second and third course (and reason). Edamame, but not as we know it. Roasted in wagyu beef fat, togarashi, and truffle, this simple bean is elevated to a whole new level. An augmented reality where finger licking is almost inevitable. And oysters, with yuzu pearls and foam. Intense polar flavors and texture points harmonize on the palate.

Reasons four and five arrive. Sake tiradito, a Nikkei Crudo salmon combo with a crispy crust and inky truffle mayonnaise and coriander oil. It’s subtle, tenacious, and refreshing. The restaurant’s capumiso soup, a fusion dish with miso, tofu, chives and truffle at its core, is an astonishing achievement in terms of palate experience. Complex simplicity, mille-feuille with ever-changing flavor tones.

lucky number 13

Next up are uni (sea urchin) tempura rolls; false nigiri (potato croquettes with Wagyu tartar); toro flambé; carabinero nigiri; and foie & maguro zuke. Compound “causes” cascade onto our busy desktops.Fatty tuna nigiri Yamato spirit grade otoro nigiri sushi game-buffet No-nonsense in culinary intent, the artful plate of carabinero (prawns) alone constitutes a treasure trove of Barberian palates.

The last appetizer was Robata Wagyu Beef Skewers. Served on a box-shaped konro-style grill, aromatic smoke wafts from tender beef above. It’s pure drama, smoke and skewers, textures and tones, a cabaret show of intense olfactory stimulation, and the result is a meaty dish worthy of a standing ovation.

Our culinary journey ends with an extremely light Japanese soufflé served with caramel ice cream. It’s an understandable metaphor for what happened in the past. Artful themes and flavors are paired intelligently with forms to contrast and enhance the end result.

Verdict: This menu is a masterpiece. This restaurant is one of the few in the area that dared to do things differently and managed to do so with a flawless track record.

Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi, Al Maryah Island, noon to 3.30pm and 7pm to 11.30pm. Tel: (02) 672 3333, @99sushibaruae

Image: Supplied

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