Entertainment | Music
Chow down in Dubai
When it comes to food, do you want to slow down or speed up? Here's a list of restaurants that could be just right for your taste.
- By Debi Sen, Nitin Nair, Ashley Hammond, Tom Allen and Amy Benjamin
- Published: 23:33 January 30, 2009
Dubai Classic: The Cellar
When it comes to setting the mood, The Cellar gets it right the moment you get there. Choose to sit on the terrace overlooking the lake or walk in through the Gothic wooden door and into a large indoor dining area.
The arched ceiling, wooden beams and stained glass windows may remind you of a medieval guildhall or even quaint chapel, but that's till you see their impressive wine cellar.
An established spot on the Dubai gourmet trail, The Cellar's menu is global with a fair bit of exotica. For starters we tried the seared Boston king scallops doused in a butternut foam and drizzled with a burnt butter and pine nut sauce – spongy bits of scallops, with roasted pine nuts made for a crunchy and nutty mouthful.
Moving on, I try the rack of milk lamb. Infused with herbs, served on a leek and potato rosti and smothered with red wine, the meat was succulent and flavourful. My partner tries the whole baked seabass stuffed generously with scallops and lobster.
Sprayed with a champagne saffron foam this dish was quintessentially fine-dining – exotic, stylish and tasty. The desserts cap it all – pineapple panacotta soused with berry sauce and a dreamy, gooey chocolate fondant. Splendid. The Cellar at the Aviation Club, Dhs450 (approx.) for two, 04-2829333 – NN
Fast Food: Kebab Factory
When a waiter asks you “Are you aware of the concept of dining here,"hold back any sarcastic response. ‘I chew, I swallow, I pay, I leave,' was what I had in mind too, but wait, what the dining staff mean is that you are going to be bombarded with as many kebabs as you can stomach.
Whether veg or non veg they are going to come at you thick and fast and you may need to hold them back and take some time if it all gets too much.
They showcase their entire selection of kebabs, salads and sauces and if, by the end of the onslaught, you want to try any again, you're more than welcome but I bet you'll be too stuffed. You get the finest, most succulent kebabs straight off the conveyor belt from the open- plan kitchen, hence the factory reference.
Then, once you can't cram anymore in, they bring round the biryani and after that, dessert. Never in all my visits have I made it to the end, but taste and satisfaction-wise The Great Kebab Factory is always a clear winner and an instant hit for dining with friends, due in part, to the novel concept.
It is a high quality fast food joint of north Indian origin, which just so happens to be a winning formula in my eyes.
What's more, if you want them to slow down or speed up on the service, staff will happily oblige. The Great Kebab Factory, Dubai Mall, Dhs250 (approx) for two, 043398481 – AH
Get Hooked: Fish and Co.
Getting to Fish and Co. is an experience in itself. You are within spitting distance driving parallel to Shaikh Zayed road, yet the car's hurtling down an unpaved, dusty road.
If you have to open a restaurant and hide it in a little nook on SZR, you better hope the food's good enough for people to make the effort.
Fortunately for Fish and Co., the second of the Singapore-based casual dining chain in Dubai (they already have a branch open in Deira) gets it right – a simple, unpretentious ambience and great seafood.
For starters, we try the jumping squid with paprika, squid rings the size of bangles in a house marinade disappeared in no time.
For the mains, we try the seafood platter king prawns, calamari, hammour fillet (all grilled) and mussels served in a pan with veggies.
This, incidentally, is their signature dish. However, the reason I'm going back is the grilled jumbo prawns – massive portions, grilled perfectly and served with vegetables or rice or both.
What ticks the boxes for this eatery is the fact that the fish is extremely fresh, the marinades subtle such that flavour abound. Like salmon?
Try the baked salmon with lemon crust thin crust on the outside, pinky and flaky on the inside. Perfect for seafood lovers. Fish and Co., Millennium Towers, Dhs200 (approx) for two, 04-343 9171. – NN
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