Dubai: Forget fast and the furious, it’s fast and fine at the Red Apron restaurant at the Andalusian court in Ibn Battuta mall.
“That’s what we call our concept. It’s primarily for people on the move. Ready food, made with all the health freaks in mind, is laid out right in front of them. They pick and pay and then, if they have the time, they can choose to spend as much time they want here in a great environment with great music,” says the restaurant’s Indonesian senior supervisor, Surya Musbach, with a smile as warm as the two freshly baked individual pizzas on our plates.
However, if you want to spoil yourself (but only just), try their pizzas – made live in front of you. We chose two varieties – a chicken barbeque and a Margarita pizza and we were pleasantly surprised by both.
Main courses were something to look out for. Their grilled salmon was a great choice. I am told the dish is so popular that the chef has never dared to tinker with its original recipe. All that changes though is the sauce – from honey glazed to teriyaki. On the day we went, it was, however, pear and ginger sauce and I could tell why the fish on its own is such a hit. Served with rice and vegetables or grilled potatoes, it is a nice little chunk of fresh fish, you can’t leave this place without trying it.
Sipping their very stylishly done signature drinks – a pomegranate lemonade and a strawberry iced tea, we moved on to their sesame fried chicken with honey. The abundance of sesame made the crispy golden fried fillet an even crunchier delight. Another chicken dish – a Chicken Adobo – a Filipino favourite – too was round the corner. Made in the usual soy sauce to give it that perfect blackish-brown look, it was garnished with boiled eggs and chunks of juicy pineapple for a great preparation. Do have it with rice, as most Filipinos do, and you will appreciate the thickened gravy even more.
What flattered to deceive me though was their eggplant parmesan. One of my favourites, it looked good but the eggplant was diced too thin and the tomatoes in abundance spoilt the nice ‘cheesy’ bake it could have been.
However, their Fish Majboos (or kabsa) was a lipsmacker. A grilled cream dori in oriental rice preparation that’s got a fine blend of Arabic spices and lots of pine nuts, I dare say, it’s good enough to give any time-tested biryani a good run for its money.
Some sweet cravings? You will be spoilt for choice unless you know what you want in particular. From frozen yoghurts to profiteroles to blueberry and other fancy cheesecakes, there’s every kind of dessert you would possibly want, but I settled for the usual suspect: a chocolate fudge cake.
Do ask them to warm it up slightly for the perfect chocolate decadence!
Details:
Meal for two: Dh100-Dh150 (approximately)
Location: Andalucía court, Ibn Battuta Mall
Timing: 9am to midnight
Bookings: 04-442 9902
We recommend: Sesame Fried Chicken, Grilled Salmon, Pomegranate lemonade, Fish Majboos, Chocolate fudge cake
