Iftar fatigue setting in? Why not end your fast with something a little less traditional.
Now into the second week of Ramadan, my friend and I weren’t in the mood for yet another endless buffet of the same options you find seemingly everywhere else. What a welcome surprise The Butcher Shop and Grill turned out to be.
In keeping with the times, we were greeted with refreshing jalab. We were pleased to find the restaurant retained its signature nibbles — bread with boerewors in a tomato and onion gravy. For Ramadan they’re offering a menu for two that is, in a word, exceptional.
A smooth lentil soup was followed to the table by a giant green salad with tomatoes and cucumbers that are not only the right colour but also taste the way they should.
Then came the reason for our visit: a grill platter. Fresh, big prawns are the “surf” in this surf and turf. The rump steak, a beautiful piece of meat with perfect colouring, was tender and juicy and succumbed to the slightest encouragement from a knife. The lamb chops — four in total — are simply spiced to maintain the meat’s flavour.
This being The Butcher Shop, we expected the red meat to be outstanding. It was. But the chicken was better. On skewers, it had been marinated and had a smoky, herby flavour.
In another nod to Ramadan, Umm Ali is one of the dessert options. We, however, had the sticky toffee pudding, which here is made with fruit cake.
They say change is like a holiday, so go on and try something different for iftar.
At Dh199, the Ramadan menu for two is great value for money. Iftar is served until 9pm. The restaurant is also serving its a la carte menu.
The iftar menu is served at The Butcher Shop & Grill Mirdif City Centre (04 4280740) and JBR (04 4281375).
