Da Gama

Description:

• There's nothing particularly authentic about the Mexican or Portuguese food here, given that it's cooked by Filipinos and Indians living in the UAE. In addition, the dining room resembles a Dubai fantasy cocktail lounge more than any restaurant you'd find in Lisbon or Mexico City. Still, the relaxed outdoor seating and friendly service make this a good bet for an enjoyable and relatively inexpensive meal, and what the chefs prepare is pretty tasty. The eclectic menu mixes tacos, mariscos (seafood dishes), hot and cold tapas, meat skewers, rice dishes, and cataplanas (meat dishes baked and served in copper casseroles). The cataplana di frango, for example, includes chicken and sausages baked in port wine. Finish with a delicious fresh fruit crepe flambéed in cognac.

• © Frommer's 2013