ROGO’s: Speeding to your stomach

One can be forgiven for assuming that ROGO’s, the world’s largest rollercoaster restaurant, is little more than a flashy marketing gimmick, the kind of which abound in the UAE. But to do so would be wrong. Aside from amazing, high-tech ingenuity, ROGO’s offers a genuinely delicious — and extremely entertaining — dining experience.

Nestled inside the cavernous expanses of Abu Dhabi’s recently opened Yas Mall, visitors to the well-lit, spacious 14,000 sq ft, 360-seat restaurant will first notice the shiny, metal roller coaster tracks which spin, loop, and spiral over and around the customers. The rails — originally designed in Germany — are thoroughly cleaned and maintained every day, as even a speck of dust could bring orders to an abrupt stop on their way to the tables. Most impressive is a tall, tornado-shaped spiral, which progressively become smaller before arriving at the table.

In total, the restaurant is equipped with 30 individual coaster tracks which swiftly and silently whiz one’s food and drink orders to the tables, safely secured and strapped down in metal containers. The idea isn’t entirely original, as other rollercoaster restaurants already exist in Germany, Austria, Russia and Kuwait, but this is the largest, and the only one of its kind in the UAE.

To place orders, customers use tablets, which allows one to read detailed descriptions and see photographs of each item on ROGO’s vast international menu, which includes a variety of starters, burgers, sandwiches, salads, pastas, desserts and “home comforts” which include dishes such as Indian Butter Chicken, Moroccan Lamb Tagine, British Fish and Chips, and American Fried Chicken.

For my meal, I started with Vietnamese Spring Rollers, which were loosely wrapped in rice paper and served with a sweet chilli dip. Despite being small, the rollers were quite filling, like having a tightly compacted, delicious salad.

For my main course, I chose a G-Force Chicken Burger, which rode down the rails to my table within minutes of having completed my order. The burger was unlike any I had ever had. Its crunchy cornflakes coating made for an interesting combination of flavours, and it was just the right size, neither too big nor too small. Highly recommended.

The tablets can also be used to customise the order, should one decide, for example, that they’d rather not have mayonnaise on a sandwich.

For drinks, thirsty customers can choose from a selection of milkshakes, juices and ice teas, all made in-house. The ice teas, in particular, are made up of very unique combinations. My choice — a hibiscus and white iced tea with a slight hint of star &anise and cinnamon — was refreshing and as overly sweet as I had expected. I ended up having three. If one can make room for dessert — which, given the size of the menu, might be tough going — there is a selection which includes pudding, cheesecake and a chocolate fondant. I chose a delectable ice cream sundae topped with a chocolate brownie, fresh raspberries and house-made chocolate sauce, which was tasty enough to force down despite being quite full already.

Watching the gravity-powered orders speed along the tracks from the upstairs kitchen is fascinating and fun, making ROGO’s an entertaining experience for the entire family. Combined with the ample space and large tables, the tablet ordering system — which allows customers to order many dishes, quickly, all at once — encourages sharing, and is especially conducive for large groups.

The cooking staff, led by experienced, Liverpool-born executive chef Paul Owens, works at an impressive pace, and most dishes arrive at the table within minutes of placing the order. But despite the speed, this is by no means fast food.

US-educated attorney Jessica Wadih Al-Absi, the Chairman and CEO of Group JWA, which runs ROGO’s, explained that the rest-aurant seeks to combine the technologically advanced delivery system with carefully prepared, quality dishes. The Yas Mall location is the first in what Al-Absi promises will eventually be a number of franchises around the world, including Dubai.

Overall, ROGO’s offers a fun, quirky dining experience the likes of which can’t be found anywhere else in the UAE. Watching the food silently speed through the vast network of rails offers strangely mesmerising entertainment, and the superb quality of the food proved to be pleasant surprise.

bernd@khaleejtimes.com

• Food and Dining