Abu Dhabi now has its first food hall. The Botanic Atrium has opened its doors on the ground floor of the souq side of WTC Abu Dhabi. The space is home to five dining options: Baan Thai; Tamarind Club (a fine dining Indian concept); Momo's for Asian dumplings; Niwaki for sushi and Feilong for Chinese fusion. It also has T's Teabar, a concept that originated in Amsterdam, where you can buy loose tea or try a mocktail menu. The idea behind the food hall is to offer guests the freedom of choice when it comes to food, meaning that diners can mix and match from the different menus on offer. Orders can be placed through an app called Coolio, so once visitors arrive, they do not need to interact with staff unless they want or need to. There’s indoor and outdoor seating as well as extra seating in the atrium of the mall. Surrounded by greenery and contemporary artwork from Dutch collective AAAFresh123, The Botanic Atrium is bright and airy. There’s a customised Rolls-Royce that’s been painted by the artists that will remain displayed in the hall. “When we visited food halls in the region, we realised that people sometimes compromised by going to the same vendor or wasted time in lines ordering at different restaurants. This is time that could otherwise be spent socialising,” co-founder Shabaz Rasool told <i>The National</i> previously. “I’ve been travelling to Abu Dhabi for years now and was amazed at how things were developing at such a rapid pace. However, we noticed that it was missing a food hall – which is why we hope this will add value to the local culinary scene.” The project by SRW Holding, has been inspired by the Harrods Food Halls in London, the Foodhallen in De Hallen, Amsterdam and the Markthal in Rotterdam.
