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Superb Spanish food featuring dairy sheep…
For a dish in the capital, six months is pretty amazing. Authentic Spanish restaurants in Abu Dhabi will be few and far between until September 2022.
Fast forward about 180 days and we now have two quality options: José by Pizarro at the Conrad Abu Dhabi opened with much fanfare in March, while Asador de Aranda is the exact opposite, opening very quietly at The Galleria at the tail end of last year end of the year.
Spanish Excellence
Despite little media attention, word has spread about an obscure Spanish export that slow-cooks some of the best milk-fed lamb in the country. As such, the venue was fairly busy on our early weekday visit. Deserves to be bumped.
The decor has an old-fashioned feel: wooden columns, racing green benches, thick oak tables with leather placemats, black and white framed photos and a very odd stained glass ceiling.
But we’re not here for interior design. We’re here for what’s being cooked in the imposing all-wood clay oven: a delicious Spanish roast of lamb.
OG Asador de Aranda opened in Castilla y Leon in 1963, serving Spanish lamb specialties cooked in a wood-fired oven, and the brand has barely changed its culinary style today.
The company now has more than 20 stores in Spain, as well as some international stores in places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Spaniard and executive chef Antonio Santos has worked with the likes of Blumenthal and Ramsay and has run several Michelin-starred restaurants.
But at Asador de Aranda, he’s back to what makes him happiest—traditional Spanish home cooking well done.
why we are here
Asador de Aranda is Spanish from perfectionists: the popular patatas bravas (Dhs50), for example, are elevated to nobility, the potatoes are double-fried to a hypnotic crisp, their sauces are sweet and ripe, from quality tomatoes, The yellow aioli comes from good egg yolks and belligerent garlic.
The shell of six croquettes (Dhs55) is exquisite, and the grilled chicken inside is served with a white sauce that is rich and creamy. Just wonderful little indulgences.
Then there’s the proletarian gambas al ajillo (Dhs88), a greasy, garlicky tapas with just a touch of herbs that sends us straight into Valencia’s summer.
Then came the moment we’ve all been waiting for: a cart rolled out of the oven onto our table. Resting there is our el cuarto de asado – a leg of lamb in a traditional clay pot (Dhs380, 1.2kg).
Roasted for three to four hours, its crispy skin gives way to the tenderest, juiciest, creamiest meat, seasoned only with salt. A rare, impeccable beauty. Even our charming waiter, Shani, looks at it with pride.
For dessert, we were obliged to try the churros (Dhs48), probably the most authentic churros we’ve had outside of Spain, as it was too hot to touch.
It felt as though they were delivered to our table straight from the deep fryer, which in our opinion is the best way to enjoy them. Let them cool and you lose that all-important freshness. These are piping hot, fried and dense, served with a dipped chocolate. All kinds of not loving?
Judgment: With such delicious tapas and wood-fired lamb, Asador de Aranda is a gem hidden in plain sight. Let’s go now.
The Galleria, Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi, daily from noon to midnight. Tel: (0)2 681 4444. @asadordearanda.uae
Image: Supplied
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