Tapas, Drinks and Friendly Vibes at Vista Bar & Terrace

There are two ways to spend your evening. One, relax at home. Or two, grab a few friends or colleagues and head over to a resto-lounge where you can indulge in customized drinks and an interesting selection of tapas while enjoying good company. The Vista Bar & Terrace at Intercontinental Dubai Festival City celebrates this social essence of coming together over good food and drinks, and has crafted a new tapas menu that promotes sharing plates and friendly vibes.

 

We were really excited on being invited to try out a few dishes from this curated Spanish menu, and since they are located right next to work, there was absolutely no way we could refuse. Let’s find out more on what we ate and drank at this Vista!

 

If you haven’t witnessed the fire and water show at Dubai Festival City yet, the Vista Bar & Terrace offers a great outdoor seating to view this magnificence.

We were presented with a selection of mixed nuts while we waited for our drinks.

Young & Beautiful

Served in a chilled bowl-esque glass over a bed of ice, the ‘Young & Beautiful’ cocktail at Vista Bar & Terrace really makes you feel true to the name. As we ordered our first round of drinks, our server Unni Krishnan made sure he noted our preferences in terms of flavor and ingredients in detail. This was communicated so well to the mixologists, we were honestly very impressed with the final product – first with its presentation and second with the taste.

Fresh raspberries, which were in abundance on that particular day at Vista, were muddled along with elder flower to create a creamy rosy blend, that soothes you with every sip.

Loved the chilled mint and raspberry garnish. Added a little berry to every bite.

Cinnamon Lemon Sour

Where on one hand, the pretty me sipped on the ‘Young & Beautiful’, my guest for the evening ordered something more manly and strong. This cocktail comes infused with sweet and sour flavors of cinnamon and fresh lemon, giving it a part woody, part citrusy taste.

Conceptualised around winter vibes, this drink makes the perfect accompaniment to Vista’s beautiful terrace seating, especially during cooler evenings. It is served with a crystallized sugar stick, just in case the sourness gets a little too tangy to handle.

Peppers & Feta

Our first dish off the new Tapas menu at Vista Bar & Terrace were these cherry peppers served with feta cheese and olive oil.

One very interesting thing about the tapas dishes at Vista is the style in which they are served. The presentation is absolutely raw and earthy highlighting the simplicity that brings people together to experience different flavors on a plate. We will look at the different plating styles as we move through this tasting, but for now, look at how pretty those pepperinos look in the sardines can.

Stuffed with whipped feta and garnished with oregano, dry mint and basil spices, they are lightly cooked, just enough to give them a rustic feel yet retain all that juiciness. The pepper brings about a Middle Eastern influence to this tapas.

Tenderloin

There’s only some things in life that can be well done medium well. Didn’t get it? Well, this medium well cooked tenderloin from the tapas menu at Vista Bar & Terrace was so well prepared and presented, it perfected in every way.

Torched with controlled fire to achieve the medium well doneness, this piece of juicy steak was basted in soya, and served with savory mushroom soil that replicated sweet cocoa powder. A garnish of teriyaki Japanese mayo with some truffle, and a drizzle of sweet and sour apple vinegar added more flavor and tenderness to the meat. Try this tenderloin tapas if you are a meat fan.

Salmon Rusk

Adding more truffle to our treat, we went ahead with the Salmon Rusk. This was served with beetroot, honey, and truffle of course.

   

Smoked with chicory wood, the Salmon on this tapas dish is marinated for three days. It is beautifully layered with pure organic Greek honey, sour yogurt and balsamic over an olive rusk.

Much like a toast, this tapas combines creaminess and crunch in every bite.

Shrimps Ceviche

Next on our tapas selection was the Shrimps Ceviche. As Chef Nikolas brought this beautifully plated dish to our table, he explained the plating of the tapas menu. It uses the concept of mixing earthy, basic colours and textures of wood, marble, tins, glass and more. Like this Ceviche that came in a chilled glass bowl frozen with water inside.

The notable part of this dish is that it’s made with fresh Omani shrimps. The Chef himself selects these from Sharjah fish market by making a daily trip to the Emirate. The raw shrimps are mixed with everything sweet, sour and citrusy – mangoes, cucumbers, peppers, tomato, oranges, and so much more. Avocado cuts the cholesterol of the shrimp, while mint and olive oil drizzle adds a little Arabic twist.

Tacos

Our third set of dishes from the tapas menu were these irresistible tacos. Put together in a very unique fashion with a clothes clip, these were stuffed with real goodness.

We tried Steak Picadillo which came with red pepper and tomato filling. This taco uses the inside skirt steak marinated in Picadilly sauce. It has a not so chewy and mildly firm texture, making it the perfect accompaniment with tortilla.

Since we all know my love for shrimp, this taco came with mango slaw, mayo and charcoal grilled shrimps. It was topped with coriander leaves to open up your palate. The shrimps were marinated in smoked Spanish paprika, flavored with Japanese mayo and finished with mango for a Caribbean touch. So much global fusion “wrapped” up in one taco, no?

I would have loved it had there been a chicken option for tacos. The tapas menu does not have any chicken options. This could be slightly difficult for those who don’t eat beef or seafood. But they do have some good veggie options to indulge in.

Bombay Velvet

The Bombay Velvet cocktail at Vista Bar & Terrace highlighted the abundance of raspberries in their kitchen.

Another customised creation, this drink combined fresh raspberries muddled with classic sour and a touch of lemon.
Does anyone else notice the smile?

Pineapple Pressé

As refreshing in taste as it looks, the Pineapple Pressé at Vista Bar & Terrace combines fresh sweet pineapple juice with passion fruit and little sour touch of kaffir lime.

This one’s a great choice if you’re planning to indulge in non-alcoholic drinks.

Fiesta de Tapas

Don’t miss out on the Saturday brunch at Vista Bar & Terrace – Fiesta de Tapas – which is designed to replicate a Spanish fiesta with live tapas stations and more.

Watch as the interiors transform into a live kitchen. While the terrace turns into a bar serving some of the best sangrias, gin and tonic and lots of sparkling wine from Spain. Did you know, Vista offers 20 different types of gin? So get there on the 25th of February and sample some of the best Spanish on offer.

Get a non-alcoholic package for AED 150, and an alcoholic package for AED 250. The Fiesta de Tapas will run from 12:30 to 3:30 pm. But wait, there’s more. Indulge in their happy hours from 4 to 6 pm and enjoy great discounts.

Vista Bar & Terrace

Location: Lobby Level, InterContinental Hotel Dubai Festival City, Festival City, Dubai
Contact: 04 7011111