EXPERIENCE A CULINARY ADVENTURE TO PERU AT COYA ABU DHABI

Foodies will adore this Modern Peruvian cuisine !

After London, Miami and Dubai, we are delighted that the Peruvian restaurant COYA – awarded twice best restaurant of the year in Dubai – has made its way to Abu Dhabi. We visited this spot right after the opening and were lucky enough to get a large overview of the COYA menu.

If you fancy decor you will love this spot

Located close to Four Seasons Hotel at Al Maryah Island, we first walked through a corridor entrance before accessing the restaurant. It reminded us of a typical hacienda with the old pink colour on the walls, hanging plants from the ceiling or the vintage rugs on the floor.

For our first visit, we opted for the outdoor terrace facing the sea. Typical Peruvian mirrors, large terra cotta pots, colorful handcrafted cushions- we loved the decor and atmosphere with the traditional touches from Peru.

The indoor restaurant is wide and divided into different rooms including a private dining, a large bar and an open kitchen where you can observe ceviche starters getting prepared. Vintage wrought iron balustrades brought from Peru are used to divide the restaurant and give more privacy, an amazing dark blue paint covers the walls and gives a unique personality to this spot.

 

Foodie Connoisseurs will be in awe

If you are not familiar yet with the Peruvian cuisine, it mixes different influences including Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Spanish and West African cuisine. Having lunch at COYA with a friend originated from Peru, we got a deeper insight about how COYA masters Peruvian dishes, using typical and traditional ingredients (different corn such as Choclo, black purple Morado, and different pastes such as Aji Panca, Aji Amarillo, Aji Limo…), while bringing some fusion into their recipes.

For our starters, the table was filled with a mix of ceviche, fresh salads and a bowl of edamame. Our preference was for the fresh and tasty Dorada Criolla, a sea bream ceviche prepared with aji amarillo, crispy corn and coriander. The kale addicts will adore their interpretation of the kale salad. It is very fresh thanks to the passion fruit vinaigrette, the goji berries and pomegranate add a sweet taste balanced by the grated manchego served on top. The edamame at COYA is an absolute must-try as they have a wonderful smoked taste while the Aji Amarillo, yellow pepper and crispy garlic bring a unique flavor.

Before moving to the mains, the team proposed us to experience Anticuchos – marinated skewers fired on a charcoal grill and usually served as street food in Peru. We enjoyed them, especially the vegetarian Setas prepared with spongy forest mushrooms flavored with Aji Panca and parsley.

For the mains, we loved the melt in the mouth Lomo de Res, a Spicy Beef which is one of their best-sellers. Our second favorite was The Salmon A La Brasa that was marinated for three days and lovely paired with the golden beetroot puree (a first for us).

A fabulous dessert selection

Be aware you should leave space for desserts as their selection is fab. The refreshing Sundae de Maiz was excellent and paired well with the fresh pineapple, sweet corn ice cream and pop corn prepared with caramelized cajou nuts.

The Chocolate Fundido is a pure delight with roasted white chocolate ice cream, passion fruit mousse and coconut pops exploding onto the palette.

If you wish to try something typically Peruvian, then go for the Chicha Morada, a revisited traditional street food drink served as a granite. It was our first time tasting the Peruvian purple corn colada that was served with passion fruit and red berries. It is the perfect pick to end on a light and refreshing note and we enjoyed this blackberry-ish taste.

Their cafe also serves the old-fashioned and hard to prepare ‘Alfajor’, a very typical biscuit filled with Dulce de Leche.

In other words, don’t waste time and book a table soon. COYA is a fantastic new addition to the Abu Dhabi gourmet scene !

Psst, they have already launched their Friday Brunch and also started a business lunch priced at 130AED all inclusive. For booking, please email [email protected] or call +971 2 306 70 00.

COYA ABU DHABI | The Galleria, Al Maryah Island Abu Dhabi

Lunch:
Sun – Thu| 12PM – 6pm
Friday Brunch | 12:30PM – 4PM
Sat | 12:30PM – 6PM

Set Lunch:
Sun – Thu | 12PM – 3:30PM

Dinner:
Sat, Sun, Mon, Wed | 7PM – 1AM
Tue, Thu, Fri | 7PM – 2AM

Pisco Bar & Lounge:
Sun, Mon, Wed | 12PM – 1AM
Tue, Thu | 12PM – 2AM
Fri | 12:30PM – 2AM
Sat | 12:30PM – 1AM

 

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