British seafood with a twist in town

Dubai: The Wheeler’s of St. James’s restaurant in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), which opened its doors here in January, is a branch of the popular British seafood restaurant that has been thriving in the UK since 1856.

But out here, there’s a slight change in the offerings. The menu has been updated with a European twist to cater to different palates.

Asparagus (Dh75), roast quail breast and leg (Dh85), crab and ginger salad (Dh90), Irish crab claws (Dh105) for starters; roast pear and bresola (Dh60) quinoa and grapefruit (Dh50) as salads; mussels mariniere (Dh98), fish and chips (Dh110), grilled organic salmon (Dh155), fillet of local bream (Dh145) for mains — could it get any less British?

We began our meal with obsiblue shrimp ceviche with aloe vera and shaved artichokes (Dh145), marinated burrata and tomato tart with kalamata olives and rocket pesto (Dh80) and the qasabi tuna tartar with sesame oil and soya dressing (Dh85).

The obsiblue shrimp ceviche was a great choice for starters. The flatly done shrimp was smooth and went down easily. Dressed with herbs and pomegranate seeds, the dish had a mix of flavours, and more importantly, it was light, and left sufficient space in the tummy to enjoy the mains and dessert.

However what disappointed me was the wasabi tuna tartar with sesame oil and soya dressing. It was a tad too acidic for my liking. But the marinated burrata and tomato tart with kalamata olives and rocket pesto surprised me and the crunchiness of the tart made the dish more appealing. For the mains we ordered the Wheeler’s fish pie topped with mashed potato (Dh105) and the oven baked cod with pepper coulis and sauce Grenoble (Dh175).

The fish pie, topped with mashed potato, was utterly delicious. It was irresistible and I just couldn’t stop eating. It was definitely the dish of the day for me.

My colleague who opted for the oven-baked cod was not disappointed either.

To end the meal, we ordered the chocolate fondant (Dh50).

As we dug into a slab of chocolate, hot sauce started to ooze out from it and to cool it down, I scooped some vanilla ice-cream and mixed it with the warm sauce. It was a delicious end to a memorable meal.