Nolu’s: An Abu Dhabi classic, updated

Like any seasoned Abu Dhabian, I have been visiting Nolu’s for years. Nothing beats sitting outside in the UAE during the wintertime, and the Al Bandar branch has a great outdoor space where you can feel a cool breeze as you munch on tried and true Afghani-American staples. 

 While I do enjoy their lunch/dinner selections, especially the Mantoo Dumplings, my favorite meal at Nolu’s has always been breakfast. Nolu’s is known for their delectable pancakes and waffles, but I have always preferred their egg selection because I find them light yet filling.

 Last weekend I woke up bright and early and went to meet my friend at Nolu’s. While the Bandar location is great for wintertime, in the hot summer months, I prefer the more spacious branch on Al Maryah Island. And if you’re worried about missing out on those beautiful ocean view seats at Al Bandar, then take a second to look at the stunning photo below.

 I was really surprised to find a couple of new items on the Nolu’s menu, so I ditched my regular order and tried the Chicken Caprese Scramble. My friend had the San Francisco poached eggs and we agreed to share an order of French Toast for dessert.

 Although the Chicken Caprese was ok, it somehow managed to have a lot going on while simultaneously lacking in flavor, so I ate about a third of it before deciding to leave space for dessert. I don’t think I would order it again, but luckily, my friend didn’t mind sharing her San Francisco poached eggs with me (photographed above).

We ordered the spinach on the side for the poached eggs because I had a feeling that there would be too much spinach for the eggs and that it would be a little watery, as it tends to be the case most of the time. That said, every bite was just amazing despite the fact that the egg was a little overdone for my liking. I think that although we did order it over medium, the fact that my friend is quite visibly pregnant encouraged the chef to cook it a little longer than we wanted. The avocado hollandaise sauce didn’t overpower the eggs so I will definitely be going back to order this meal time and time again.

We ordered the French Toast with the sauce and berries on the side- notice a theme here? I am notorious for changing orders to suit my liking and I think more people should do so when eating out to avoid disappointment. Anyway, the French toast was a good meal cincher, it was relatively crispy on the outside with a soft center; a pet peeve of mine is soggy French toast or French toast that feels uncooked and this version had none of those issues.

Overall, I applaud Nolu’s for trying out new menu items as it’s not easy to switch things out when they’ve been working well for so long. Of course, the long time favorites are still on the menu for those die-hard fans, but it is refreshing to see a well-established local brand that’s not afraid to branch out a little.