Sometimes it’s necessary to take a break from the foie gras, truffles and gold-dusted desserts in the capital and slip into a place that serves simple, good food without all the fuss. That’s just what we found at Moodgood, an unassuming eatery that’s been quietly serving Yemeni and Emirati cuisine for the past four years.
Stumbling upon this gem, hidden behind National Bank of Abu Dhabi near Muroor Road, we realised we had found a neighbourhood hotspot: the five tables and the Bedouin-style sitting areas in the bright, modestly decorated cafe were packed with locals and expats alike, mostly businessmen on their lunch breaks. My husband and I found ourselves a booth near a large window and I was surprised to find comfort in our view of the busy working world outside.
The restaurant is obviously sought out for its limited menu: three salads, eight mains labelled “moodgood” (madghut, a derivation of kabsa, a Yemeni rice and meat dish), six Emirati-inspired grills (rice topped with grilled chicken, king fish, shrimp or hammour) and two desserts (kunafa with cream or cheese).
Our waitress slid a disposable plastic cover over our table (more on this later), and then the food arrived.
The reasonably priced Dh15 fattoush salad was drizzled with olive oil, lemon and a dash of pomegranate syrup, adding the perfect amount of sweet to counter the sour. That, combined with the extra-crispy pitta bites, made this one of the best versions I’ve had.
It’s clear that Moodgood’s speciality is, well, the moodgood. Big hunks of pressure-cooked meat are set atop mounds of plain, yellow (made with baharat powder) or red (made with tomato sauce) rice and are generous enough for two people. The varieties include lamb, chicken, fish, shrimp and camel.
We ordered a Grilled Supreme (Dh50) along with a chicken and vegetable madghut (Dh35). The madghut came as a half chicken placed on red rice with large, sweet, soft chunks of pumpkin and white potatoes. The chicken was tender and moist, a feat made easier with a pressure cooker. The Grilled Supreme turned out to be a whole, grilled white fish set on yellow rice. The skin was crispy and salty; the flesh flaky and mild, though a bit dry. We asked what kind of fish it was, but our waitress couldn’t ask the chefs as “they didn’t speak English”.
Back to the plastic table cover: when we had eaten our fill and said we were ready for dessert, our waitress simply gathered up the edges of the sheet around the food, dishes and utensils and whisked the entire pile away in one swoop: efficiency at its best.
We opted for the cream kunafa for dessert (surprisingly, bint al sahn, a popular Yemeni honey cake, was not an option). I was a bit impatient when told it would take 10 minutes, but it was worth the wait. Of the many regional varieties of this dessert, Moodgood’s is the best we’ve tried. Served with a glass jar of simple syrup, the crunchy, finely shredded kataifi pastry had a delicious burnt-sugar taste and the crispy crust enveloped warm, thick cream that was impossible to resist.
The mains were delicious and worthy, but the humble Dh15 cream kunafa was enough to put Moodgood on the (short) list of places for which I am willing to go out of my way.
• A meal for two at Moodgoodnear Muroor Road (02 491 8118) costs Dh134. The branch in Khalidiya (02 665 5077) is located behind Technical Scissors. Open from 10am to midnight. Reviewed meals are paid for by The National and conducted incognito
sjohnson@thenational.ae
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
The biog
Hometown: Birchgrove, Sydney Australia
Age: 59
Favourite TV series: Outlander Netflix series
Favourite place in the UAE: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque / desert / Louvre Abu Dhabi
Favourite book: Father of our Nation: Collected Quotes of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Thing you will miss most about the UAE: My friends and family, Formula 1, having Friday's off, desert adventures, and Arabic culture and people
Liverpool’s fixtures until end of 2019
Saturday, November 30, Brighton (h)
Wednesday, December 4, Everton (h)
Saturday, December 7, Bournemouth (a)
Tuesday, December 10, Salzburg (a) CL
Saturday, December 14, Watford (h)
Tuesday, December 17, Aston Villa (a) League Cup
Wednesday, December 18, Club World Cup in Qatar
Saturday, December 21, Club World Cup in Qatar
Thursday, December 26, Leicester (a)
Sunday, December 29, Wolves (h)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs: Volvo XC40
Price: base / as tested: Dh185,000
Engine: 2.0-litre, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 250hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.4L / 100km
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
Results
Light Flyweight (49kg): Mirzakhmedov Nodirjon (UZB) beat Daniyal Sabit (KAZ) by points 5-0.
Flyweight (52kg): Zoirov Shakhobidin (UZB) beat Amit Panghol (IND) 3-2.
Bantamweight (56kg): Kharkhuu Enkh-Amar (MGL) beat Mirazizbek Mirzahalilov (UZB) 3-2.
Lightweight (60kg): Erdenebat Tsendbaatar (MGL) beat Daniyal Shahbakhsh (IRI) 5-0.
Light Welterweight (64kg): Baatarsukh Chinzorig (MGL) beat Shiva Thapa (IND) 3-2.
Welterweight (69kg): Bobo-Usmon Baturov (UZB) beat Ablaikhan Zhussupov (KAZ) RSC round-1.
Middleweight (75kg): Jafarov Saidjamshid (UZB) beat Abilkhan Amankul (KAZ) 4-1.
Light Heavyweight (81kg): Ruzmetov Dilshodbek (UZB) beat Meysam Gheshlaghi (IRI) 3-2.
Heavyweight (91kg): Sanjeet (IND) beat Vassiliy Levit (KAZ) 4-1.
Super Heavyweight ( 91kg): Jalolov Bakhodir (UZB) beat Kamshibek Kunkabayev (KAZ) 5-0.
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.9-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E620hp%20from%205%2C750-7%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E760Nm%20from%203%2C000-5%2C750rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEight-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1.05%20million%20(%24286%2C000)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 1
Kane (50')
Newcastle United 0
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
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