“Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.” Orson Welles
So what are the ingredients for a successful business lunch? A stylish venue in an impressive location? Tasty menu options that are not too heavy for an afternoon back in the office? A dining companion in business attire perhaps? Well luckily for me, BOA steakhouse located at Eastern Mangroves Promenade have introduced a two-course business lunch menu ideal for the time conscious diner, so I invited the suited and booted other half to join me in his lunch hour as my guest to try it out.
BOA Abu Dhabi is the Middle Eastern version of the renowned steakhouse that’s a celebrity hang out in Los Angeles. Like it’s West Hollywood and Santa Monica counterparts, BOA here in the capital offers a delightful menu of steaks, seafood and salads that has gained popularity for its selection of cuts of dry-aged steaks and it’s Friday table style brunch. The business lunch, offer from Sunday to Thursday, is an extension of its lunch and dinner menus, offering those looking to eat good healthy food with daytime time constraints for a very reasonable AED 80 for two courses.
The business lunch is centred around offering more health conscious options that satisfies the tastebuds as well as the waistline with choices of salads, soups, fish and steaks served with an array of vegetables. The menu changes weekly (example here) ensuring that regular lunchtime customers can try a different option on each visit and encouraging guests to return to conduct their meetings in the relaxed environment that BOA offers it’s clientele. Whereas the options may be more limited to suit the price (guests can opt from the standard lunch menu if they prefer at normal cost), the portions are not and the food itself, the presentation and the service is top notch. I must just mention that each dish looked amazing with the garnishing catching the eye; the tuna tartare with delicate flowers, perfectly rolled and cut vegetarian wrap and the steak presented on a bed of brussel sprout leaves. Diners can choose to add a dessert at additional cost but in a rare out of character moment I actually declined and had a coffee instead.
Coinciding with the celebration the restaurant’s two year anniversary in the region, BOA is launching a new menu from Sunday 1st May that is available for both lunch and dinner and features some new additions to the popular dishes. Executive Head Chef, Marco Lucentini has devised a menu that includes the famed BOA steaks but also offers new seafood dishes, healthy salad and vegetarian options, perfect for those non-meat eaters like myself to accompany their carnivorous friends and family.
Steak connoisseurs seek out BOA as the it’s the only restaurant in the capital to offer dry aged steak that is celebrated for its rich and intense flavour and texture. The menu certainly satisfies anyone’s choice of cut from Petite 40 Day Dry Aged New York Striploin to Australian Master Kobe Striploin and everything in-between, cooked just the way you like it. The selection of new dishes includes (among others) Seared Japanese Beef, Halibut Carpaccio and Pan Seared Duck Liver, Lamb Rump Casserole and a roasted Cod Fillet accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes, truffle cheese fries, creamed spinach and a personal favourite of mine grilled jumbo asparagus. BOA’s signature sweet treat, the Smore’s dessert will still be available along with a baked Alaska and a homemade mascarpone cheesecake.
Diners can select to sit inside the contemporary restaurant itself or outside on the terrace which has stunning views across the mangroves and the city skyline. The restaurant interior is colourful and elegant with its curved leather booths and striking autumn-esq glass wall decorations. BOA has an extensive wine list to choose from, the bar and lounge is a nice area to relax and enjoy a drink or two and is also the location of the Thursday evening supper club. The terrace is well-appointed to take in the views across the marina but a tad warm for me at lunchtime this time of year but still pleasant in the evening for a sundowner.
The business lunch option is available all year round (except during Ramadan), a cost effective, quality and healthy alternative to escape your normal routine, entertain guests, conduct a business lunch or socialise with colleagues but also perfect for non-business folk who are looking for an elegant lunchtime destination.
BOA Steakhouse
Location: Eastern Mangroves Promenade
Opening Times: 12.30pm to 1.00am Saturday –Wednesday and 2.00am on Thursdays, Friday 12:30pm – 5:00pm and 6:00pm – 1:00am
Telephone: 02 641 1500
Email: reservations@boaabudhabi.ae
Website: www.boaabudhabi.ae
I was invited to review the BOA Business Lunch. All the views are all my own. Unless otherwise stated, all photos on this page © Jo Brett 2016. All rights reserved. Last three photos used courtesy of BOA Abu Dhabi and Eastern Mangroves Promenade
Read my previous post Review: BOA Steakhouse Supper Club