Fuddruckers @ Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi

I belong to an odd breed of the female species - the kind that enjoys steak. No no not those fake chicken/fish steaks they have going around these days but the old-fashioned sirloin, T-bone, rib-eye and the like - the stuff of old cowboy stories.

I've been suffering intense steak cravings for a couple of weeks now - my body must have been signalling a necessity for red meat. Abu Dhabi's not particularly world-famous for its steakhouses and Fuddruckers being primarily a burger-joint, I wasn't expecting much from it on my visit there the other afternoon. However, desperate times call for desperate measures and finding steak and shrimps on the menu was the decision made right there for me!

The staff at the Al Wahda Mall branch were incredibly professional, quick and polite and I enjoyed the experience much more than I had anticipated. We had a lovely welcome by the waitress at the door who quickly placed us at the perfect spot, and didn't mind us being picky at all. Afternoon lunch rush was handled with ease, and not only were they attentive and quick to respond, the manager even popped by our table just to find out if everything was to our liking and if anything was needed. After my week of dealing with...let's just say not polite people, this was a refreshing change, and needless to say I was impressed.

My iced tea came first, and after tasting one too many overly sweetened drinks, this one was a welcome refresher. Syrup on the side, and a fresh lemon wedge allows you to get your drink perfectly attuned to personal taste; something impossible to achieve with a readymade drink.

We requested for a quick-as-possible service, and although we definitely didn't expect to be given preferential treatment just because we asked, we were pleasantly surprised to find our meal arrived at our table relatively quick with no compromise on quality whatsoever.

My long-anticipated steak was absolutely amazing, with just the right amount of spices and cooked to perfection, still juicy yet well-done, with the brown glaze of meat that had been taken off the grill at just the right time. The shrimps were smaller than I expected in size, but made up for that by quantity, and although I expected them simply grilled, they came with a most tantalising sauce probably made up of tomatoes, peppers and spices drizzled over them. The steamed veggies had a good variety and a very interesting spice powder sprinkled on top. The powder was sprinkled almost completely on a single courgette slice, and I would have much preferred it to be evenly distributed, but in view of the meal as a whole, I let this small inconvenience slide. A surprise treat awaited me under my veggies - perfectly transparent, sweet and savoury grilled onion rings and I shudder at the thought that I might have missed them completely had I chosen to not eat my veggies! The garlic bread was highly boring, too soft, mildly sweet white bread. I couldn't say it was bad-tasting but it definitely left room for improvement in terms of the type of base bread used.

The baked potato was absolutely massive, and definitely provided an amazing first impression based on looks alone. Perfectly browned skin, and piled on high with cheese, sour cream and bacon. I'm quite happy the sour cream was too sour for my taste, the bacon bits were too crunchy and the cheese seemed to lack taste - I ended up eating just the potato which was perfectly cooked and quite flavourful on its own, saving myself some guilt.

My lunch partner ordered a chicken ceasar salad, which was average as far as ceasar salads go - I definitely felt they could have had more variety in there. The quality of the chicken was what made the salad - moist and soft with a lightly crisp brown glazed top at just the right temperature. The extra-large croutons added crunch and flavour and completed the salad so that we ended up feeling very satisfied with our meal.

I'm already planning my next expedition there - I'm hoping it comes soon, and next time I hope I remember to carry my camera and  remember to take pictures before the food disappears!

Location: Al Wahda Mall, Airport Road. Top floor of the food court

Price Range: AED 100-150 (For two)