Galito's Flame Grilled chicken - Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi

As a father, I am often compelled to eat something in a mall because I have an 8 year old. Hunger is hunger. Having long abandoned food courts (although I must say that Dubai and a mall or two in Abu Dhabi have some quality options in their food courts), we have committed ourselves to trying to eat better. Ubiquitous American fast food chains are not part of our lives, but one still has to eat in a mall. Having heard of the South African flamed grill chicken company that is Galito's, I had to try them. Galito's prides itself on the freshness of its product, with no preservatives - in fact they claim that they do not use frozen chicken.





Galito's has managed to get prime terrace seating at Yas Mall, with views of Ferrari world, but more aesthetically, it is right by the fountains which entertain guests every half hour. It is dazzling and colourful; enough to mesmerise. It offers the best of options, especially with the coming hotter months there is enough indoor seating for diners to enjoy its chicken. 



While my favourite item on the menu was not available - the Chicken livers - I opted for the Chicken satay with peri-nut dip. With a strong Malay population in South African, this dish clearly paid homage to them. The nutty sauce is a little sweet, which was a great counter to the overall heat coming from other dishes - a lovely dish not found on many menus. The classic Galito's Peri peri peri chicken was what I wanted - juicy and tender chicken with my choice of spicy heat,  giving me a fine piece of flame grilled chicken. For the really hungry, the Espetada looks amazing - espetadas are skewers of chicken or shrimp on them. We had a portion of both. I loved watching the sauce drip down both the shrimp and the chicken. Wow. 


Espetada
My daughter's Honey Chicken strips
Apart from the chicken obviously, another highlight was definitely the mocktails. Colourful and fruity, it was worth ordering three for the table to see the  colours. I recommend the Laranja and the African Blues - the former a wonderful sweet sour experience of orange and strawberry, while the latter brings together lychee and peach. I am not  a mocktail aficionado by any stretch of the imagination, but these were the best mocktails I have had. To end off the evening, for dessert we had the Sticky Toffee pudding. Indulgent and decadent. Very cleverly they have teamed up with Bloomsbury who has created the dessert menu.




Galito's is an ideal restaurant for families that will take away concerns of bad mall food. They offer great tasting chicken especially, that also eases fears of oily food. It is flame grilled after all. I particularly liked the experience because of the setting. Malls can be soulless, merely copies of other malls, but sitting outside, I was able to appreciate this location. Good food and a great view - now that is a fabulous evening. 

The essentials

Galito's
Yas Mall,
Abu Dhabi
(also at Al Wahda, Marina and Dalma mall)
02 615 6000

A meal for three will cost approximately 150-200AED











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