Dubai: Not many football fans have the fortune of travelling to Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, the home of the world’s richest football club, but for an experience no less “real” at the cost of a paella perhaps, there’s always Real Madrid Café in JBR Walk.
Opened only last December during the Spanish giants’ ‘friendly’ visit to the UAE, this plush restaurant is adorned with wall-hangings of Luis Figo and other galacticos and has a bright green astro-turf pitch as the floor and a giant screen to boot. However, if you made your way through all that to your cosy seat, just metres away from the cool blue seawaters, you would realise the food – some real Spanish indulgence – is just as good. I kicked off my visit to the café last week with a Mahou 0.0%, a non-alcoholic malt beverage - an official drink of the club - served in style from an all-white bottle. With a sip I began with a traditional Arancini (Dh38), a ‘one bite paella’ made of ground beef finely mixed with mozzarella, lots of raisins and other dried fruits into four small balls – all deep fried and served on a bed of tomato sauce. Every bite, albeit slightly sour, is aromatic of Spanish saffron!
Steak Skewers with Chimichurri (Dh64) was next. A bite of the perfectly well done sirloin beef steak strip served with red capsicum and roast potato and you know why it is the café’s best seller. You can’t, however, leave the café without having their Seafood Paella (Dh98). With mussels, prawns, calamari and fried tomato in the mix, you have a good paella already, but what makes it great is the Italian rice that’s mushy in texture and subtly drenched in saffron and other spices.
Vegans have a host of salads to choose from, but Primavera (Dh62), a fresh dough homemade pizza topped with tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini mushrooms and plenty of mozzarella is another must-try for its wafting smell of butter. There’s nothing that beats a good meal here while watching a live Real game possibly, but getting a seat is another story, of course!
Details:
Meal for Two: Dh220 (approx)
Location: The Beach, Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), Dubai
Booking: 04-277 5625
Opening Hours: 10am to midnight
We recommend: Arancini, Chimichurri, Seafood Paella, Primavera
