The name of the restaurant was Hatam. Located in the Marina Mall, we sat in balcony seating at this Iranian restaurant. We started with a few orders of hummus and Iranian bread. The waiter brought over a plate of raw veggies and cheese to wrap in the bread with hummus. The greens were delicious. The salads were simple yet mind blowing with toasted pita chips and a sweet vinaigrette. The rice came with dried berries, it was flavorful and aromatic. For my entree, I had the kebab trio with fish, lamb, and chicken. I ignored the french fries on my plate because, well, this is Abu Dhabi not McDonald's!!!!
Let's not forget, this is a dry country so water was my cocktail of choice. It's amazing how much money you save on a dinner bill when you don't order drinks! This opened my eyes to a new way of living that I could bring back to the states with me. But I won't.
As we were exiting the restaurant I noticed the booths were very private with curtains that can be drawn to conceal guests. The purpose of this is to allow the local women in full burkas to expose their faces while eating without men and other patrons seeing them.
This was my first experience in Abu Dhabi and already it's quite another world. I think I'll be back!