Let's Thai Abu Dhabi

My own experience of eating Thai Food has only been from a franchise type eatery in South Africa and a few places while in London. Thai Food is known for its fresh ingredients , coconut milk and subtle flavours. Nothing of what I had eaten previously could prepare me or my taste buds for this explosion of flavour.

Sontaya is a South Asian eatery that is found in the beautiful ST Regis Hotel which is found on Saadiyat Island. Our gorgeous host walked us through the beautiful hotel and into Sontaya. Walking into Sontaya one is surrounded by pillars and water features it felt like one was entering a Zen Zone. The decor was simple and elegant and not distracting one from the gorgeous surroundings.
Sontaya means Sunset and I can only imagine how spectacular a sunset can be seen while sipping one of the Signature Cocktails while over looking the infinity pools that seemed to merge within the Arab sea. The staff looking after us were very attentive to all our needs and at no time did we need to ask for our glasses to be topped up or more bottled water to be brought.

For Starters , Alex suggested that we sample all the starters on the menu. Sharing platters arrived with the most beautifully plated food. It was pretty good that our group were all part of a Media Trip and totally understood that we took pictures before we ate anything. After a few pictures of everything it was time to tuck in.
Each dish had such complex flavours and textures and yet everything worked together so well. The addition of cashew nuts to several starters made each dish even more divine. All ingredients were of the highest quality and prepared so well. I tasted Deep fried Soft Shell Crab for the first time and I loved it.
The cocktail menu was something else. All the popular cocktails were available and a selection of Signature cocktails as well. Most of the cocktails were Vodka based and infused with South Asian flavours like Ginger , Lime and Lemongrass. These flavours were very refreshing especially in the heat.
After the table of starters , we were given freedom  of the menu. Everything sounded so good and if the starters were anything to go by then the rest of the menu would be amazing. Some of us opted for main meals while the others opted to satisfy their sweet tooth. I chose a Tiger Prawn Yellow Curry served with Jasmin Rice. The portion size was huge and the prawns were the largest I have ever seen. Plating of the dish was beautiful and foam was part of the garnish. We all ended up having tastings of what we had ordered. I was rather impressed with my dish and really enjoyed the flavours. Cuisine from South Asian countries aren’t very big on Desserts normally there is a sticky rice pudding or fruit fritters served with coconut ice cream and fresh fruit. This was defo not the case at Sontaya a small menu of 5 Desserts were offered at this point I was too stuffed to even consider something sweet. But Desserts were ordered by the group and boy was there so much of a WOW factor. The sticky rice came out with what look like a candy floss mountain at least 20cm high. Once the dish was placed down a syrup was poured over the candyfloss and it literally magically disappeared to reveal a sticky rice mound on the plate. Talk about a WOW factor.
With stuffed tummys , a ton of amazing pictures we left our Zen zone of Sontaya. We bid our hosts farewell and thanked them for an unforgettable meal. It was time to met our driver and head of to our Arabian Nights Desert Adventure.
Are you a fan of Thai Food ? What is your favourite Thai dish?
Be Inspired !
Ciao