Hook & Cook – Seafood from the heart

Hook & Cook is a seafood restaurant located in The Sustainable City, with a menu of internationally inspired dishes which is quite a task to accomplish. The dishes are simple yet innovative as they are inspired by popular dishes from around the world, and while they hold a hint of authenticity, are fresh and new in flavours, variety and use of seafood across the items on the menu.

Usually such a concept would somewhat difficult to undertake, but Hook & Cook managed to not only make it work, they pull it off perfectly! Sustainable City might be far for most, but this drive is absolutely worth it.

Our verdict: Beautifully decorated venue with seafood dishes to suit any palate. A must visit.

The Food

We have to mention that their menu is presented in two ways which we thought was ingenious and very helpful. You have your standard printed menu which is across one whole board and a tablet with an easy-to-use side menu to help you navigate through the pictures of all the dishes.

Seafood Bisque [AED 35]: We started off with this delicious, flavourful soup which had just the right amount of seafood: delectable pieces of shrimp and mussels. Well balanced overall and that broth was fantastic. It comes with a side of garlic bread.

Hook & Cook Sampler [AED 90]: The sampler is a great way to try a couple of their appetizers on one plate and the portions are great. More than enough for 2-3 people. We got the sampler with Bang-Bang (similar to dynamite shrimp), Fried Calamari and Crab Cakes. All three of the starters were delicious. Bang Bang was well made with a tangy mayo coating those deep fried battered shrimp. The fried calamari was perfectly crunchy and well cooked. It’s freshness is obvious as it was not at all chewy and tasteless. The crab cakes were perfect, just the right kind of crumb coated outer layer and moist flakey filling.

Grilled Cajun & Garlic Shrimps [AED 60]: These are skewered shrimps served in a bucket with a delicious salty, garlic sauce on the side which is what the shrimp were marinated in. It was milder than expected but the shrimp was well prepared and once dipped in that sauce it was just right.

Seabass Cubano [AED 70]: We were torn between choosing the crusted salmon and the seabass, but we were thoroughly happy with our decision. The seabass had a lovely crispy skin which gave it a delightful texture, paired with the freshness of the mango salsa and that delectable Spanish rice, it’s a great combination overall.

Hamour Butter Curry [AED 55]: The classic Indian favourite which substitutes chicken with hamour. T loves his butter chicken, so this dish just clicked. It may not be extremely traditional, but the dish hits every North Indian flavour perfectly. The right amount of sweetness with the hint of spices, paired well with plain rice topped with some caramelized onions. The fish was well prepared, succulent and the dish overall was definitely one of our favourites. We can’t stop raving about it.

The Drinks

Blue Mojito [AED 25]: Sweet and refreshing and it’s got that great blue colour.

Sunburst [AED 25]: A delicious accompaniment to the meal, fruity yet not overpowering.

Earl Grey Tea [AED ]: A perfect way to conclude the whole meal. We just added some honey to it. The tea is sourced from a supplier who provides high end teas to hotels so you know it’s something special. The aroma is captivating in itself as soon as the teapot touches your table.

The Dessert

Sticky Date Pudding with Ice Cream [AED 38]: Not as sweet as you would expect. The cake itself was just moist enough and had a generous amount of dates and pecans in the batter.

Banana Cigars with Ice Cream [AED 38]: Deep fried pastry wrapped banana which had a nice crunch to it.

Both these desserts come with a nice, big scoop of vanilla gelato and a side of caramel sauce. Both of which were delicious paired with the dessert and on its own.

Service

Hook & Cook is restaurant run by a couple who like to treat you like family. The staff at the restaurant are just as welcoming and helpful. They were cheerful and extremely willing to help out. The speed of service is great, granted that there was almost nobody else at the restaurant. Still the place is small and cozy so we feel like nobody would be left unattended. Be prepared for an inviting and enjoyable experience.

The Venue

This is one of those venues you can appreciate because the decor and setup is so well thought out. The colour combination and use of textures and ocean inspired elements are paired together so well that it doesn’t come off as some random seafood shack. There’s a lot of thought behind it all and once your meal hits the table it all feels complete. Hues of navy, white and turquoise across the walls, furniture and the floor, tyre chandeliers and rope wired large bulbs hanging from the ceiling, raffia and wood paneling across the bottom of the walls and monochrome picture frames adorning the other half, with just the right amount of greenery dispersed around the restaurant. You definitely feel a European beach vibe across the space.

How to get to Hook & Cook

Hook & Cook is in The Sustainable City, which is near Arabian Ranches 2. The location is quite far and can be a deterrent for anyone who lives far away. We enjoyed the food so much that we did not mind the trip at all. Here are some of the ways to get there:

By Car: Take Al Khail Road and head towards the umm suqeim interchange and head on the D63 East. Take a u-turn at the point when the road meets emirates road, so that you are back on D63. Rake the first right which takes you to a roundabout. From here you can go straight of right to find parking.

By Cab: Tell the driver to head towards Sustainable City and ask him to drop you near the Mosque.

Public Transport: It is surprising easy to get to Hook & Cook via Public Transport. Take the metro on the read-line to Mall of the Emirates, from there catch the F32 Bus. This bus takes you right up to Sustainable City and its a very short walk from there. This journey will take about 39 minutes by bus and the interval for the busses is 30 minutes.

Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/4ZG7qqCZy7z

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