When first hearing I was to eat at Aprons and Hammers, I was not quite sure what to expect. Aprons I could understand, hammers not as much. Once I realised it was a seafood restaurant though, it all became a little clearer. The speciality here is crabs – which you’re supposed to use your hammer to enjoy.
Being a big fan of seafood, it was a good thing I turned up absolutely starving, after what had been a very long day. One of the first things that impressed me was the fact that Aprons and Hammers is situated on the beach, on JBR in Dubai Marina. That’s sort of where you would want to enjoy seafood.
Seating is available outside, as well as indoors. As appealing as it looked, the weather would probably make outdoor dining difficult during summer months, that’s despite the jovial atmosphere of beachgoers constantly passing nearby.
Not that I was too worried though. The indoor décor is quite charming; the bright colours offer an arty, yet relaxed atmosphere.
It also claims to be the first restaurant in the UAE with hanging gardens inside. Much of the restaurant literally revolves around a couple of giant plant centrepieces. More importantly for me, as it’s situated next to the sea, Aprons and Hammers claims to have fresh fish caught everyday.
Although they offer a few alternative chicken dishes and salads, I had to put this freshness claim to the test. And I must admit, I was not disappointed. Starting with the breaded shrimp, I was surprised to find it did not taste too oily. I generally try to avoid breaded foods because of that reason, but the shrimp were succulent and worked well with the cocktail sauce.
I was far more impressed with my other starter though, the crab cakes with sweet chilli sauce. One portion comes as four small pieces (not most impressive given how hungry I was), but each one is bursting with flavour. The crab mixture inside was melt-in-the-mouth soft, and cooked perfectly. It certainly had me excited for the pièce de résistance – the actual crab cooked in provencal sauce.
That excitement had waned somewhat because of the tedious wait between the starter and the mains. It took almost 40 minutes, and my appetite was starting to fade away. A fresh strawberry daiquiri offered while I waited did somewhat help, but it was too sweet following the fish.
The crab (4 whole pieces cut into halves) arrived in a large pot, and it was time to truly make use of the aprons and hammers. One thing is for sure, it is not for those who do not like to get stuck in. Smashing away at the crab, I was reminded of a youthful impulse which we regularly try to suppress in a city like Dubai – where sometimes you feel people are more interested in being seen at certain restaurants than the food in front of them.
A little less philosophically perhaps, in terms of logistics, the hammer was a great help. It allows you to extract a great deal more crab meat out of the shell than you would normally have the patience for. For a seafood lover like me, that is worth the odd splatter generated when dismembering the crab (hence the apron!).
Again, the fish tasted soft and fresh.
All in all… as dining out becomes increasingly competitive in Dubai, restaurants realise they have to offer something unique to stand out from the crowd. Aprons and Hammers manages that, if you’re interested in having fun while enjoying fresh seafood.
