You notice the polarity from the very start.

You enter Yabby - Shangri-La Doha's popular seafood restaurant - through a wide-open entrance typical of most 5-star hotel venues. Yet in an instant you find yourself in an intimate and cozy atmosphere where there won't be any guessing about what's on the dinner menu, given the shades of ocean blue that cover its walls to the giant, fish-filled aquarium situated at the center of its spacious seating area.

What's not clear however, is how this experience will ultimately unfold. It's not every day that you can walk out of a restaurant after a meal being able to say that you just witnessed how contradictions can complement each other.

The theme of 'contradictary compliments' starts with the 4-page menu. It lists what you would expect at any fine-dining experience: popular choices such as fried calimari and fresh lobster, as well as unique dishes created by Yabby's chef. The choices are plenty, and you get the feeling that no matter what you end up ordering, you probably won't go wrong. The menu itself however, is filled with cute jokes, word play, funny designs and interesting stories.

The staff are the next best indicator of how this experience will be different. They are proper, professional and know the intricate details of every item on the menu. They discuss the specific dishes as if they were discussing their hobby. Yet they also are not shy about making jokes, asking questions, making recommendations and keeping you interested in what you order by explaining exactly what it is you're about to taste. They even take the time to put the different elements of your order together right there at your table, item by item, designed to their own liking.

Naturally, the quality of the food is excellent. The fish is fresh and tasty and presented at the perfect, ready-to-eat temperature which won't keep you waiting. We ordered Yabby's signature dish - The mixed seafood Cataplana with white rice, and enjoyed every bite of it.

My personal favorite part of the meal, however, was the dessert. It broke my heart to have to actually take a bite into the cute little pink crab that was filled with frozen chocolate and topped with warm ginger. In combination with raspberries on the side, I was glad to have gone with the waiter's recommendation. Though i get the feeling that no matter what i had ultimately picked, i wouldn't have been disappointed.

You won't be dissapointed in the Yabby experience. The prices are fair, the food tastes great, the atmosphere is fun and unique and the menu has enough items on it to make you want to come back again and again to try them all.

Which i'm definitely going to do again soon. Somehow, i know that they will remember me being there. To the staff, you're not 'just another customer', just like for me, Yabby isn't 'just another seafood restaurant'.

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