02-05-2025
Em Sherif Sea Café in Abu Dhabi
If you know anything about Lebanese food, then you'll surely have heard of Em Sherif – a fine dining multi-course experience in Beirut with plenty of casual iterations all around the region.
And luckily for us, the excellent Em Sherif Café has a home on the Abu Dhabi Corniche, with its popular sub-brand is a seafood-focused concept called, well, Em Sherif Sea Café.
This seaside spot inside the Rosewood Abu Dhabi on Al Mariyah Island, which overlooks the capital's bright turquoise sea. Expect sun-bathed during the day and dimly lit at night in its spacious dining room.
The space, although lacking a bit of atmosphere (the Arabic elevator music doesn't exactly elevate the vibe either), is prettily decorated with cerulean blue tiles depicting waves while little fish, crab and seashell motifs are found all over the place.
(Credit: Em Sherif Sea Café)
The bar, in particular, is striking, with hundreds of pots and pans suspended above the marble countertops. While an impressive cellar, which lines the entire left wall of the restaurant, offers up an interesting selection of grape from the region and beyond.
The menu is packed with Lebanese dishes you'll know and love – cheesy saj, silky hummus, zingy tabbuleh and much more. However, the majority of the menu features classic Lebanese seafood dishes, as well as a couple of popular European plates (think carpaccios and lobster linguine, to name a few).
Highlights include the samak rass asfour, a bright and tangy Middle Eastern fish stew with the tiniest herbiest pieces of fish. For something a little heartier, moghrabiyet el bahr is a twist on the traditional Lebanese dish made with round semolina pearls and packed with calamari, shrimp and sea bass. A dish that easily transports you straight to Lebanon.
The sayadieh, in particular, is a must-try at the sea cafe. It offers an aromatic dish that's exceptionally well-flavoured. Fish is sautéed until golden brown, then layered over a fragrant bed of spiced rice. That rice is infused with a mixture of caramelised onions, garlic and a blend of cinnamon, allspice and cumin. It brings an added layer of depth and warmth to the dish, which is topped with toasted pine nuts for a little extra crunch.
(Credit: Em Sherif Sea Café)
If you fancy something lighter, the delicate raw red sea bream offers a refreshing and clean bite, while the more Med-leaning shrimp Provencal, rich with garlic and herbs, showcases Em Sherif's skillset at stepping out of their Lebanese speciality and tackling the European stuff with gusto.
Finish with a warm em Ali that's baked in vanilla-infused milk. It's rich, creamy and wonderfully bready.
Whether you're in the OG Beirut restaurant, the café at the Corniche or right here on Maryah Island, Em Sherif never misses the mark when it comes to the food.
