La boulevard
What French cusine
Where The Terrace, Sheraton Deira
Why For some fine buffet dining
Cost Dh95 with unlimited food and soft drinks; Dh125 (with beverages) every Tuesday
I admit that I’ve come to associate all-you-can-eat buffets exclusively with unapologetic, insatiable pleasure: an evening of over-satisfying my gut as opposed to savouring culinary finesse. This stereotype may arise from what I find to be a tendency for food at buffets to lean towards what I often equate with luxurious hostel food: mass produced with very little attention to detail; good, solid and gluttonous, but with little on offer to surpass my epicurean expectations.
It was this misguided preconception that ensured I was in for a surprise when I sampled La Boulevard’s buffet.
The restaurant is located in the atrium of the hotel’s lobby entrance, making it a setting that tends towards distraction. In light of this, I was doubtful upon arrival, yet once I was seated by the doting staff, the restaurant became cosy and felt almost separate from the lobby. This was not the case for my partner, who was facing the entrance, as he was frequently distracted by the people passing by.
OK, so it’s not the ideal location for a dinner where you can expect to have uninterrupted eye contact with your partner or focused conversation. But within a few minutes, my attention was also being diverted to a set of enticing looking tables.
With a sigh at the thought of my soon to be bulging waistline, I decided to keep it simple and stick to the tone of the evening – small portions that are the trademark of French dining. I started off with soupe d’asperges (asparagus soup), while my date opted for a teetering tower of tempting-looking breads (a starter which he would later come to regret). As the saying goes – especially applicable at buffet dinners – never let your eyes get bigger than your stomach.
The soup was the perfect entrée: light, creamy, but not too rich. I was tempted for a second helping but held myself back by sneaking a peak beneath several shining lids that emitted aromas of what was yet to come. I followed with a small sampling of salads – the potato salad was particularly delicious.
For once, I upheld my policy on arrival and ate as slowly as possible. My date, however, struggled to contain himself and was soon on a slippery slope towards over-indulgence. This was actualised by a mountainous helping of fondante de pomme de terre (potato bake) and filet de boeuf la rôti avec sauce d’ail (pan-fried beef fillet with roasted garlic sauce). If you’re a big eater, it will not fail to disappoint.
But if you can exercise enough self-restraint to take it slowly, therein lies the joy. In doing so, I realised that the food at buffets should never be passed over as what I had initially (and snobbishly) perceived it to be. Some dishes stood out such as the saumon poche avec caviar et Hollandaise sauce, which was a particular winner – tender, smooth with a distinct (but not overpowering) note of saltiness from the caviar.
It had all the makings of a superb à la carte main course served in a French fine dining restaurant in Paris. The poitrine de poulet aux crevettes et sauce au fromage (chicken breast with shrimp and cheese sauce) proved juicy and flavourful.
We sealed the deal with a touch of shared, hedonistically rich, chocolate cake, as well as cheese and biscuits. There were two different perspectives to be had at the end of dinner: my date had eaten to the point of exploding, while I felt comfortably satisfied
But make sure (as is the standard mantra with any buffet dinner) that you come hungry.
