Mercedes E500 Coupe - Latest W212 E-class in Abu Dhabi!

Even amongst all the gorgeous cars in the city, this latest W212 Mercedes Benz E500AMG stood out! I spotted this at Khalidiyah. Nice profile, great looking front, and a super evolution of the E-class "big small eyes" (as the chinese describe it!) nose :-)

Updated! Thanks to YJ for noting that it is in fact a ... Coupe!



Production 2009–Present
Assembly Sindelfingen, Germany
Predecessor Mercedes-Benz W211
Layout Front engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Engine 5.4L V8
Transmission 7-speed automatic

Wikipedia history ... The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a range of executive-size cars manufactured by Mercedes-Benz in various engine and body configurations. The E initially stood for Einspritzung, (German for fuel injection); a new feature in volume production vehicles at the time that the E-Class first appeared, with the E as a suffix to the engine nomenclature (e.g. 220E) in the 1950s. It was not until the launch of the facelifted W124 that the E was used as a prefix (i.e. E220) and the model referred to officially as the E-Class (or E-Klasse).

Wikicars.org ... Codenamed W212, the next-generation E-Class will arrive for the 2010 model year, with the estate version (codenamed S212) expected for 2011. It was also decided upon to rest the CLK-Class name in favour of selling it as an E-class coupe.

Nalukettu is a Keralite indian restaurant, Marina Club - Abu Dhabi

S and myself went to Nalukettu once again over the weekend, only to find out that the Keralite Indian all you can eat buffet was only served on Thursday nights. No bother, we ordered ala-carte anyway. The meal below, including two pitches of beer came up to 100 AED (RM$100) per head.

Add: Nalukettu - Marina Club, near Abu Dhabi Mall, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Tel: +971 2 6444 395


Some starters ... 22 AED for a plate of spicy chicken. Slurrp :-) perfect with beer!


And for our mains, we chose the Cauliflower stir fry (Slightly deep fried with a coating of sauce, really good!) and a Chilly chicken stir fry ala Chinese (Decent ... but well spicey!).


Chapati, roti (3 AED each) and Pilau rice ... I liked the rice (It was about 12-16 AED, for a huge portion, enough perhaps for three!). And the bread was so similar to Roti Canai :-)




ps - The main reason we come here, the reasonably priceed beer! 54 AED for a pitcher of Fosters, or 18 AED per pint if you prefer to order it by the glass.

Fuddruckers ... What!?

I had to rub my eyes, and do a second take, when I saw the name of this burger joint!



Add: 1st Flr, Marina Mall , P.O.Box 32846, Abu Dhabi
Tel: +971 2 681 8160

From the corporate website...
Back in 1980, a simple Texan began a singular quest. He searched high and low seeking the best that a hamburger could be. He hungered for perfection in an imperfect world. All he found were warmed-over compromises between bland slices of bread. The burger culture had sullied an American institution.
Then in the still of a sultry summer night, a voice spoke to him, “Let them build it and they will come.” While he wasn’t exactly sure what the message meant—and there were no follow-up communications—the Texan did the only thing he knew to do.
Finding mediocrity unacceptable, he took a wrong and made it right. He took the frozen and made it fresh. He built his own burger and his own burger place right in the heart of San Antonio, Texas. And then because the man had a sense of humor, he named this place Fuddruckers.

Marina Mall and Ikea, Abu Dhabi

Another mall in Abu Dhabi ... My first visit to the Marina Mall.


Marina Mall is a shopping mall located in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It houses over 400 stores, including a hypermarket and cineplex.



There's a 9 screen cinema / cineplex ... and, no shortage of posh shops here!
Rolex, Omega, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, YSL, CD, Gucci, Todds, Coach, Diesel, Boss, Armani, Bvlgari, Tiffany & Co. Austin Reed Burberry Carrefour Chanel Etam Ferrari Store IKEA Elle Mercedes-Benz Showroom Paris Gallery Perfumes, Watches, Bags, Sunglasses and other Luxury accessories Plug-Ins Sanrio Versace Woolworths Yves Saint-Laurent Zara

Opening hours, and all details above from Wikipedia ...

Stores operate 7 days a week from 10 am to 10 pm with exception of weekend allowing additional 1 shopping hour till 11 pm.

There's even an Ikea alongside, which I have yet to visit!

India Palace, Salam Street near Adnoc - Abu Dhabi

A colleague brought us to this posh indian restaurant one evening ... It was a good meal!

Add: Salam Street (Opposite ADNOC FOD HQ) in Abu Dhabi
Tel: +971 2 644 8777 (They also do delivery)
Opening hours: 12pm - 3pm, 7pm - 11:30pm





The Briyani Chicken was really good, the Aloo Gobi was perhaps the best I have ever had (As good if not better then those I have eaten in Mumbai, India in 2005) ... the roti's were good too :-). We also had some really good Dhal, and various starters whose names escape me!

Yin Yang - Mongolian BBQ, Marina Mall at Abu Dhabi

Food here in the Middle East can best be described as limited, european-like, and very pricey. Here's a simple lunch at the fancy Marina Mall, in Abu Dhabi.

Add: PO Box 41006, Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi
Tel: +971 681 8151


I chose the Chicken and Beef BBQ combo, served with a choice of vegetable fried rice or noodles. Price ... A frightening 30 AED or RM$30. Ouch! A small 7-Up is an equally painful 4 AED. Taste-wise it was rather average, but hard to be choosy in these parts ... sigh!

Nalukettu serves a Keralite indian buffet, Marina Club - Abu Dhabi

Add: Nalukettu - Marina Club, near Abu Dhabi Mall, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Tel: +971 2 6444 395

The Fri-Sat weekend is here :-) The night started off with some Heines and Fosters at NRG Sports Bar in the Le Meridien ... About 22-24 AED (Think 1:1 for conversion to ringgit, and you won't be far wrong) per pint here, not bad!


A colleague had recommended Nalukettu, which specialises in Keralite Indian food. I was surprised how packed it was, and that it was serving an all-you-can-eat buffet. For 49 AED (RM$49), you could eat as much apams, rice, noodles, fish/beef/lamb/chicken dishes and curries and stews, as you want! Not bad :-) Food was firey hot, very tasty and good in general.


We had pints of Fosters as well, which were reasonably priced at 18 AED, whilst the exotic India beer called Haywards 500 (Strong at 7% alcohol content) was 22 AED per bottle.



ps. We will definitely be returning here for another lads' night out!