Sontaya

Sontaya is the Thai and Southeast Asian restaurant at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island, set along the resort's waterway with a serene, lantern-lit atmosphere that makes it one of the more visually peaceful dining rooms in Abu Dhabi. The setting - overlooking water, with an outdoor terrace that works beautifully on cooler evenings - establishes a mood that the kitchen and service maintain throughout the meal. The food reads as authentically Thai rather than toned-down-for-tourists. The pad Thai is properly balanced, the satay skewers have good char and flavour, and the sweet and sour chicken delivers genuine depth. The barramundi is a standout main, and the dim sum programme is more refined than expected for a Thai-focused restaurant. The Sunday brunch follows a served format - starters and mains at your table with live grilling stations - that works well and avoids the impersonal feel of a buffet. The kitchen handles food allergies and dietary restrictions with notable competence, proactively checking and adapting dishes rather than simply removing ingredients. Service is consistently warm, knowledgeable, and well-paced. The team guides ordering with genuine expertise and gets the rhythm of the meal right, with appropriate pauses between courses. The restaurant handles celebrations naturally, with complimentary touches for birthdays and anniversaries. The overall experience is calm, consistent, and high-standard - the kind of restaurant guests return to multiple times during a single stay.