Mother of the Nation Festival — Pillows & Potatoes

Apertif

Just got home from the Mother of the Nation Festival that is running until April 4, 2017 in Abu Dhabi. You can catch my instareview on my instagram story (@pillowsnpotatoes) for the next day or so.

Before I jump into all the food that I got to try, I'd like to take moment to talk about the festival as a whole. It is well-organized, and they definitely learned from their mistakes last year by having several ticketing booths and recruiting a lot of volunteers as well as having extensive signage.

Although I spent 2.5 hours at MOTN, I only had time to visit a couple of clothing booths and try some food trucks. I would recommend that you go as early as possible so that you can get a decent space to park (the lot near the Nation Galleria is a good spot) and so that you can avoid the long lines. Apparently there are a lot of fun things for kids to do for some reason.

The only thing that kind of falls under an "aperitif" would be the karak tea from Tawa. At 10 dirhams per glass it is on par with other overpriced cups of karak at similar events but it is quite good and freshly brewed, a bonus on a breezy night. The bakery is more known for their gluten-free desserts and I can't wait to try those soon.

Main

I lucked out in that just about everything I decided to taste was quite good so I'll rank them in order of my preference.

1- Shmokin's Rib Plate: This was by consensus the best meal of the night. The meat was so succulent and just slipped off the bone. Despite the 90 dirham price tag, I think it is worth the price. My only criticism is that there wasn't enough sauce on the ribs and this coming from someone who is not a big fan of sauces. The sides were pretty good with the coleslaw faring well with my friends, I personally skipped the sides to make space for more food.

2-La Creme Brûlée Maison's Truffle Burger: A burger that took me by surprise, when I first got my order I was skeptical about what it would taste like but I quickly decided that I really liked it. It's juicy, the truffle wasn't as overwhelming as I thought it might be and the proportion of bread to filling was really good. At 40 dirhams, it is pretty close to the regular cost of a food truck burger.

3- Tawa Bakery Fries: I really liked that these fries looked authentic. They are freshly made and they taste quite good but I can't say that they are anything special.

4- Lobstter Roll's Lobster Roll: I can respect an establishment that focuses on doing one product well and I think that they do a great a job of doing that. At 45 dirhams a roll, it is a decent price for a roll but the reason it is low on my list is because, with all the other options, it just didn't stand out enough. In addition, I prefer my lobster rolls warm (no offense to lovers of tradition) so the cold filling did not appeal to me. The lemon wedge is a great touch and the bread is actually quite good.

Dessert

What a shame that the best part of a meal comes at the end? I'l jump right into it.

1- La Creme Brûlée Maison's Vanilla Creme Brûlée: It's no secret that my love for traditional creme brûlée is endless and this one really hit the spot. The packaging is great and the flavor is even better. At 20 dirhams a cup, I think it's a good deal.

2- Yamanote's Japanese Cheesecake: By far the most popular dish featured by my fellow bloggers, this interesting take on a cheesecake is worth a taste. At 60 dirhams for a box of 5, they're a great deal. The best part of this treat is that it's pre-packed so you can take it home with you and try it later. To me it falls closer on the side of a cake than a cheesecake but the airy texture is unique and familiar at the same time.

3- Boutique IceCream's Lotus and Cerelac Ice Cream: I wish I liked this more because it is so beautiful and it felt like watching an artisan at work but I think I may have picked the wrong flavor. I believe this was 20 dirhams which may seem like a lot for a cup of ice cream but each cup requires about 2 minutes of work so it's definitely worth it on that end. That said, it takes 2 minutes per cup and it is quite a popular stall so that does take away a little from the experience. I'd like to try another flavor from Boutique IceCream before I make a final judgement.

And that's all I had space for guys! Let me know if you agree with me or if I missed something that you love. Until next year....