Restaurant review: Moodgood in Abu Dhabi

Moodgood’s speciality is its moodgood, or rather, madghut – a flavourful and filling derivation of kabsa, a Yemeni rice and meat dish.

Moodgood near Muroor Road in Abu Dhabi serves Yemeni and Emirati food. Stacie Overton Johnson / The National

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