One expects a magnificent menu and silver service at Abu Dhabi’s fine-dining restaurants, but Teatro adds theatrics and a wholesome team spirit to elevate the experience further into the realm of finest fine-dining!

I’m not sure how much I should say, as I would hate the spoil the surprises Teatro is preparing for you – including a series of fantasmagoric new-age cocktail creations which will blow you away!

But at minimum, please allow me to posit that this little beauty of a sake-based concoction is in line for future bartending awards…

I’ll be back on the 25th of September with more details, when the exciting new drinks launch, but for now trust in Teatro’s brilliant mind behind the bar, Jason Van Tonder – a virtuoso of elixirs!

However you put it, the pure passion and focused expertise of the team is the obvious engine that drives the Teatro experience.

Within the dining halls, Teatro wraps mystery and sophistication with a comfortable and eclectic feel, and Ms Victoria Scherfner is there to assist and guide you.

The decor and design is magnificent, and also keeps you a little on edge, as if there’s a surprise about to happen, a new act about to unleash a plot twist – it’s a very clever and unique scenario.

And the wall-to-ceiling open glass wine cellar is as much part of the decor as the fully-stocked bar at the entrance… you just know you are in for an unforgettable evening at Teatro!

Yet it is the team – the humans of Teatro – who steal the show.

Because what good are stage props without the cast, the team of actors who are preparing to take you on an adventurous epicurean journey with them, across the imagination and through the senses?

And in the case of Teatro, the scene is set with a delightful menu which compounds that feeling of the unexpected-about-to-occur, with specialities from various, even contradictory, cuisines!

I see sushi and risottos… grilled steaks on high flame and tuna tartare… and I no longer know what’s going to happen!!!

Well, this for example…

A sushi tray as long as the table, preceded by a welcome touch of the softest focaccia with choice olive oil and balsamic vinegar…

… and accompanied by the most amazing Alaskan King Crab croquettes!

And then you start to wonder – where am I? – as the sushi is the juiciest and most flavorsome ever!

Truly epic…

And as each morsel entertains the palate, your eyes just close, and all conversation stops, as your brain reels from trying to come to terms with the layers of exceptional tastes and textures.

You are enthralled, speechless, and carried away on a theatrical production of taste – each bite tickling your fancy and whispering its story into your soul.

And that was just the starters!

The staff smile as they re-arrange the dishes, as they know the culinary ecstasy you have just been through, and they know that was just the prelude, and act two is on its way.

They also know this dinner is going to be so memorable for you, and I think they genuinely enjoy that.

Because service at a fine-dining establishment is incredibly difficult to get just right – you’re too formal, and it becomes uptight for all; you’re too chirpy, and there can be eyebrows of too much familiarity raised.

But Teatro is blessed by a team of professionals with genuine characters, and you can feel they are within a space where they can allow their personalities to shine – as professional characters, of course, within the framework of five-star impeccable service – but still as their real, genuine personas.

We thoroughly enjoyed the interaction at Teatro, and we knew right away that this was going to be our “go-to” place whenever the occasion for a special and sophisticated meal presents itself.

And for the mains – if it suits you, definitely Teatro’s steaks!

Not only a steak, but a master’s selection of beef cuts, from Tomahawks, to T-bones, to Wagyus like there’s no tomorrow – and prepared with skill, on open flames, to your cooking preferences with perfection – and served and garnished with wonderful sides, topped with luscious butter, and overall the experience is simply exceptional.

I very much doubt a better steak could be found.

For other options, plenty to choose from, including delicate seafood creations, such as this Miso Seabass – outstanding!

And even if your heart sings for an encore, you may find it difficult to proceed to desserts – simply because of the generosity of portions, but also because you don’t want the evening to end.

I’ll leave the dessert menu for your predilections, suffice it to say it’s not yet time for the final curtain!

Overall, for an unforgettable fine-dining experience in Abu Dhabi, at the Park Rotana, Teatro restaurant presents an evening of gastronomical surprises and haute cuisine, delivered within an exciting venue by genuine and professional staff – indeed, representing the best of the refined dining the UAE’s capital city has to offer.