Seafood obsessives will have no trouble making the trek to Abu Dhabi (an hour isn’t a trek, we’re just lazy) for some quality seafood grub, but for those of you less inclined to make the journey, you’ll be thrilled to hear that Flooka has a Jumeirah branch too. The menu is the very same, so we have faith that the quality is of a similar standard. Anyway, we happened to be in AD for the evening so we stopped by to check it out. 

The menu is made up of Mediterranean seafood with a distinctly Lebanese twist, and both branches have similarly stunning waterfront locations. To be completely honest, we absolutely loved our meal at Flooka…here are a couple of reasons why:

The location is stunning

The location alone is worth the trip. If you’ve ever dined at the Eastern Mangroves Anantara Hotel before, you’ll remember the cluster of restaurants located in the pretty, sheltered courtyard. Flooka is a little bit more secluded; set apart on a large open deck overlooking the mangroves where, on a clear evening, you can make out the iconic Reem Island Gate Towers in the distance. The restaurant boasts a couple of powerful outdoor air-con units, we arrived before sunset and it was perfectly pleasant to dine alfresco…despite the temperature being in the mid-thirties.

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It’s all about the mezze selection at Flooka

Hot, cold and seafood mezze take up the majority of the menu, so if you want the full experience I fully recommend ordering a whole load of starters to share (or just scoff them yourself if you’re flying solo). Our first taste of Flooka was the fresh crab meat served with lemon dressing; light and fresh. We also loved the fish ratatouille with tomato, hot red pepper and coriander, the deep fried cheesy prawn croquettes, (YUM) but the highlights were the prawns deep fried in vermicelli and the fish sausages (amazing), which alone are worth a return visit.

Made to order fish was the order of the day

After such a larger starter selection, the mains are kept simple. Available fish are displayed on ice, then made to order and cooked how you like. Our order was simple; beautiful, fresh large prawns  and butterfly cut, open fried hammour cooked with garlic and coriander. Simple straightforward dishes, but both were absolutely delicious. 

A light dessert to finish

Like the mains, the dessert options are pretty simple too. A mix of Turkish biscuits, Arabic sweets, fresh fruit or a selection of ice creams. We tried ashta, a traditional Lebanese ice-cream and funky-monkey, which was loaded with cookie pieces, perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth. 

The Important Bits:

Starters from AED 24

Mains from AED 67

Desserts from AED 22

Also don’t miss Thursday night paella, which runs from 7 pm in both the Dubai and Abu Dhabi branches. AED 70 for a plate of paella or AED 100 with two glasses of grape.  

Call the Flooka Abu Dhabi team on 02 441 8244 or the Flooka Dubai team on 04 346 1111 to book.

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