DUBAI Thursday night and we figured we’d experiment with a new version of an old favourite. For years, the Belgian Beer Café has been a family favourite. From birthdays and anniversaries to landmark football games, the BBC was always my venue of choice.
Walking into the smoke-filled bar on a Thursday night, the aroma of food and hops mesmerised us. The darkwood bar restaurant was packed with regular punters. I walked in adamant not to order from memory. We were here to do an honest review, and that means moving on from my moule-frites and waffles regulars.
For starters, my partner ordered Fine De Claire oysters with a red vinegar. No surprises there. Belgians love their oysters, and despite their French origin, these rock oysters are a hit. Personally, they’re my absolute favourite. Having slurped down as many as I dared nick off my partner’s plate, it was my turn to share my shrimp cake brochette hoppetiser with him. In Belgium, anything served on a skewer is a brochette and these little patties of chewy shrimp, served with a side of tartar sauce provided the right amount of bite to accompany the BBC’s impressive list of brewed bevvies.
For our mains, the choice was vast and dare I say, exciting even. Reading through the list of options, I may as well have been dining at a bistro in Brussels. From Vlaamse Gehakt Ballen in Tomaten Saus (Flemish meatballs in tomato sauce) to Worst met Stoemp (beef sausage with carrot and potato mash) and Konijn op zijn Vlaams (rabbit slow cooked with Leffe Brune and prunes), the menu is as Belgian as you could hope to get in Dubai.
A fan of the cuisine for years, my partner and I instantly knew what we wanted to order. While he dug into his traditional Steak Frites, I ordered a pot of their infamous Mussels. Nature cooked with vegetables, garlic and herbs in a seafood broth, the mussels were boiled to just the right proportion with the shells invitingly open, floating in their broth, gleaming, glistening almost, ready to be ripped out of their shell, and consumed in a tasty mouthful. My carnivorous partner, meanwhile, manned up to finish every last bit of his 300gram rib-eye steak, with a side of pepper sauce and served with a hearty serving of traditional Frites, or fries. (Top tip: If you’re dining Belgian, avoid calling them French Fries. It’s a touchy issue with the Belgians who invented the fries, originally called Flemish Fries).
For dessert, I pounced on the duo of white and milk chocolate éclairs, while my partner had a Belgian Truffle cheesecake. My éclairs were as predicted: Cold, hard, Belgian chocolate over custard-filled fingers of pastry, sitting in a pool of melted chocolate. If I hadn’t already consumed my bodyweight in food and drink, I may have been tempted to order round two. My partner’s truffle cheesecake was an instant hit. First of all, every chocolate lover should know of the superiority of the Belgian truffle over all other forms of chocolate. Add that to cheesecake, one of the most likeable cakes in the world, and you’ve got a recipe for success. This popular Belgian dessert is a treat for cheesecake lovers of all tastes.
Ending the night on a cup of strong coffee, I realised how varied the menu really is. The next time I’m surely moving on from my Moules Frites to something slightly more adventurous.
Meal for two: Dh555
Location: Grand Millennium, Tecom;
Parking: Valet available
Timing: Noon to 2am
Contact: 04 429 9999 (ext8625)
