Dubai: On most days I like my food in petite portions. Friday wasn't one of those days. I woke up with a craving for meat. Nothing less than a good-old-fashioned steak would do. But not just any steak… It had to be mind-blowingly, steakaliciously, out-of-this-world meat to satisfy my carnivorous cravings. It had to be more than just word-of-mouth good. The steak had to be legendary.
With the word stuck in my head, it was natural that I gravitated towards Legends, the newly-renovated steak house at the scenic Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club.
Tastes that linger
Although warm and cozy on the inside, my partner and I were lured by views of the Creek, and chose to sit by the waterside. With the sound of the waves and the flame heaters enveloping us in their romantic glow, I nearly forgot about my meat craving and settled for my fashionably petite favourites for appetisers: a trio of Salmon and Tuna Sashimi, Roasted Foie Gras Dates and Smoked Salmon Wraps.
Presented in three delicate bowls, I was mesmerised by the sashimi: it was sliced finely enough to be mistaken for pickled ginger. It was only the roasted foie gras dates that didn't do for me what I was hoping they would. Perhaps the stuffing should have been more generous, or the dates smaller for the marriage of flavours to really simmer through.
My partner, intent on sticking to his French roots, had a lot more luck with his Foie Gras Ballotine. Served with a side of Roquette leaves and spelt bread toast with pear compote, it was near perfect with the sweetness of the pear compote balancing out the saltiness of the foie gras.
A little break and a lot of conversation later came the highlight of our meal: the steak. Living out the traditional roles of male and female, my partner opted for the largest, meanest cut of meat on the menu, the Tomahawk, while I went with the delicate Wagyu. The Tomahawk, a beef chop of 450gm, is a mission on its own, leaving little or no room left over for dessert if one was to indeed devour it down to the bone.
My wagyu striploin steak, on the other hand, was made to melt in my mouth in an easy to cut, marbled flesh. The medium-rare meat, combined with a Béarnaise sauce (a typically French sauce of butter, eggs and herbs) and a side of carrot puree was a match made in heaven.
By now, having satisfied my meat craving, I was suddenly plagued with the desire to indulge in some sweet nothings of the edible variety. I'd heard about Legends' famous Valrhona chocolate desserts, but nothing prepared me for the first mouthful. The Alpaco Chocolate Fondant was nearly a soufflé of soft baked chocolate with an alcohol-infused vanilla ice-cream on the side. The ultimate test was to break the mould and watch the creamy centre ooze out to chocolaty perfection. One spoonful in and there was nothing left to say. The Valrhona chocolate said it all for me. My partner, just as much of a chocoholic, chose the Choc Express, an iced espresso served with crispy chocolate snap and Coeur de Guanaja (a revolutionary chocolate designed to strengthen the intensity of any ice-cream, cake, or dessert) chocolate ice-cream.
To say that we were happy campers would have been an understatement. But bear in mind that dining at Legends involves the risk of overeating. But with a Wagyu so tender and a Valrhona so divine, a few extra pounds the next morning were totally worth it.
