“Raclette invites guests to sit back and relax while enjoying the best of France.” MBT
Licensed French restaurant, Raclette Brasserie & Café, is located on the waterfront promenade at Mamsha Al Saadiyat offering tasty options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant’s name gives an insight into its French inspired menu that has plenty of classic cheesy flavours such as baked camembert, artisan fromage plate, fondue and raclette savoyarde to name a few.
Diners can indulge in other regional delights such as savoury crepes, escargot, vol-au-vent au champignon, salade Niçoise and steak frites. Delicious traditional French desserts such as crepe suzette and tarte tatin are very hard to resist. Those with a sweet tooth should try the Tour de Profiterole, a tower of choux buns, cream and hot chocolate topped with candy floss.
The extensive menu has plenty of non-French options including a seafood plateaux and Dibba Bay oysters, rack of lamb, chicken escalope and fish & chips. The restaurant offers several themed options throughout the week that give diners an opportunity to try different dishes alongside the regular a la carte menu. The weekend brunch is available every Saturday and Sunday, La Rotisserie Du Dimanche (Raclette Sunday Roast) is served every Sunday afternoon from noon, it’s Oysters and Sparkling Wine every Tuesday evening and there’s also the daily breakfast offer.
The à la carte menu has many choices and I personally recommend both the bruschetta flatbread and the tarte tatin served with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch sauce. Last week my friend and I tried the 3-course breakfast offer, Le Petit Dejeuner. First impressions were good with nine dishes to choose from over three courses plus water and a choice of tea, coffee or juice for an extremely reasonable AED 75 each. There’s also the option to add 1-hour of free-flowing bubbles for an additional AED 34.
We opted for the chia seeds and banana split that’s served with yoghurt, granola and berries and a healthy green smoothie. Second course options were an omelette served with toast and a green salad or galette breton, a buckwheat thin pancake that’s folded and served with a filling of cheese, turkey ham and a fried egg. For the final course we had the tasty brioche French Toast with cinnamon butter mixed berries. All the dishes I tried were good and there was so much food for a very affordable price.
The colourful restaurant has an eclectic interior akin to a tropical forest with botanical wallpaper, faux greenery covering the ceiling and rattan light shades offset by the monochrome tiled floor. Various accessories like parrots in ornate golden cages and sporadic hanging monkeys complete the theme. Indoor seating areas are spread around the entrance with more tables located in front of the central bar in the raised section. The large outside terrace accommodates more tables offering ocean views.
If you are looking for a fancy French dinner or a nice leisurely breakfast by the ocean try Racletté Brasserie & Cafe. The portions are generous, there are plenty of vegetarian options but be aware in true French fashion the cheese laden dishes are super filling so make sure to go hungry.
Raclette Brasserie & Café
Location: Lilac 5 Building, Jacques Chirac Street, Mamsha Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi
Telephone: 02 546 2277
Opening Hours: Weekdays 9am – 12am, Weekends 9am – 1am
Raclette Brasserie & Café is part of the MBT Management Group. Read more about other MBT venues in previous posts Beirut Sur Mer and TVM Abu Dhabi
All views are my own based on my experience. Unless otherwise stated all photos © Jo Brett 2022. All rights reserved.