Some people get really excited about seeing a shiny new Ferrari or a gleaming motorcycle. But you know you’re in the company of serious foodies when a brand new grill is the primary topic of conversation.
That’s the case at the new Weslodge Saloon, where a 3.6 metre beast of a grill dominates the open kitchen, ready to churn out steaks and whole spit-roast shoulder of lamb (take note, guys — not that dry imitator of food that is leg of lamb; shoulder, the underrated, juicy, fatty, best part of the animal).
When I stopped in, however, there were three cauliflowers spinning on the spit section of that grill, which tells you something else about Weslodge: This is not your average steak house.
“We like to refer to it as a modern American saloon [with] spirit-forward cocktails, a rugged and refined menu; the refined being the snack menu, big bursts of flavours in single or double bites,” says Icon Legacy Hospitality CEO Hanif Harji, the creator of the Weslodge concept, which originates from Toronto, Canada. (The restaurant is a partnership between Icon Legacy Hospitality and INK entertainment.)
In the kitchen of this restaurant and bar at the top of the JW Marriott Marquis’ tower B is executive chef Ben Heaton, the chef behind the rugged-yet-refined dishes they have been plating since the over-subscribed opening party ten days ago (Tyga showed up, FYI).
“There are a lot of very small, intricate, refreshing, acidic dishes,” says Heaton of his menu. “This is the kind of place you can come and have a cocktail and a few bites, or go to the other side and have a large piece of meat. We have a lot of steaks from Australia and the US, cooked over charcoal and hardwood on a grill that I’ve never seen in Toronto — let alone Dubai. It’s a pretty special piece of equipment. We wanted to design the kitchen around it.”
Heaton is also evangelical about salads — his offering is broad and features plenty of acidic, herby flavours — a flavour signature that he extends to other dishes, such as their fried chicken — which, of course, he says is the best in the market.
“The chickens are from France, 1.2kg each, we brine them, then cook them sous vide [in a low-temperature vacuum] in buttermilk, then fry them... they are super juicy and super crispy and we are pouring a hot-sauce-honey all over the top of it. It comes with a tart, acidic Brussells sprout slaw.”
You can’t open a restaurant in Dubai these days without having a lobster roll on the menu, and that’s the case here — although it’s a little different in that it’s a hot roll (a classic lobster roll is cold lobster salad on a hot buttered roll). “Ours is made with house-made Parkerhouse rolls, an American-style milk bun, [the lobster is] poached, tossed in a mornay sauce, which is a cheese sauce, with black truffles. We have a celery slaw on top of it.”
“It’s called the fork and knife,” chimes in Harji, referring to the size and richness of the dish. Lobster also pops up in a poutine, a classic Canadian dish of fries, cheese curds and gravy: Here, the meat is lobster, the gravy is from lobster stock and the curds are replaced by a herby Bearnaise sauce.
“Out of all of our tastings, that one was gone, licked,” says Heaton.
This is the first of five restaurants Harji is opening in the UAE, to be followed by an Eastern Mediterranean restaurant on the 71st and 72nd floors of the same tower. The other three concepts he remained tight-lipped about.
Expect to pay Dh280-320 for dinner at Weslodge, which has a large bar, live DJ and incredible views from the floor-to-ceiling windows. “We want to offer a luxury service at a reasonable price,” says Hanif.
