An esca-pade to remember

In this month's Bon Appetit, an American food magazine (behold! there is such a thing, although inevitably there is a hint of snobbery about everything they do, especially when they get a superstar chef, Thomas Keller, to cook down-home fried chicken), a writer devotes several pages to a cherished institution: the neighbourhood restaurant.

She postulates that the presence of a good eaterie on your block, or at least within walking distance, can be a surrogate family in these fractured times: the owner will greet you with a kiss on the cheek; the barman will already be mixing your favourite drink; and you'll read the familiar menu again, like a well-thumbed novel, before ordering some simple, satisfying dish.

The Americans do it very well - they love to eat OUT - as do most European nations, who simply love to eat. Here in Dubai, however, it's almost a dirty concept.

Why open a comforting, reasonably-priced restaurant with simple food when you could have fawning waiters, starched white tablecloths, poorly-executed dishes crusting over on a buffet table - and a whopping bill to present to the lonely customer at the end of it?

Suspicious staff

All of you out there hollering about More Café, I hear ya. It's a great place, but it's still a chain. Jumeirah's Smiling BKK is a great neighbourhood Thai. But when I'm thinking of a local place, somehow Italian or French food always enters into the equation, perhaps because of its inane simplicity. (The Bon Appetit writer sings the praises of one such dish at her local: halved plum tomatoes oven roasted with salt, oregano and olive oil, served as a heavenly starter with goat's cheese and bread.)

That brings me nicely to Esca, which is the Qamardeen Hotel's Italian-flavoured all-day restaurant. It's not styled like an Italian (thank goodness - I've already had the misfortune to dine at Romano's Macaroni Grill).

My dining partner didn't like the towering burgundy drapes; I didn't mind them, as they gave a little warmth to the vaulting, hotel lobby space. (A bit less AC would have helped with that too.)

The wait staff seemed concerned, nay, suspicious when I didn't take them up on their offer of the evening's buffet. I've eaten Esca's buffet at lunch; it makes for a good, fast business lunch in sunny surroundings. But I wanted to see what the chefs could put out on the a la carte menu.

And that's where things took a strange turn. The one-page menu had a list of dishes but no indication of which were starters or mains. (A word of advice to menu writers: Don't confuse your customer. It gives us indecision and indigestion.)

The waiter became as confused as us when I asked for what turned out to be two mains. If I wanted a starter, I could help myself to a salad from the buffet, I was told, but that would have involved me getting out of my seat, and I don't do that for salad. They were, however, flexible enough to split a main course between two of us for a starter.

So, a few minutes later I had two pillowy ravioli gently steaming under my nose, bathed in a light broth and surrounded by crisp-tender vegetables. It wasn't at all what I expected from the menu's description of duck ravioli. Had I ordered it as a main course, I would have been disappointed, but as a starter, the rich roast duck, shredded and stuffed into delicate pasta was just perfect - light and soothing.

Endless fresh bread

While we waited for main courses, we tucked into an endless supply of fresh bread, tomato butter and tapenade. I'd chosen veal shanks with saffron risotto, my partner went for lamb chops. Veal was tender and falling off the bone, if a little dry, which is often the case with veal. The risotto was a creamy match for the chunky tomato sauce in which the meat had been cooked.

The lamb chops are not quite what you see pictured here, our photographer having visited a day after me. Mine were individually coated with a dry breadcrumb and herb crust, and rather well-done for my liking. The garlic spinach served alongside was delicious, and I could have had second of that, but the dry lamb itself was in desperate need of a sauce.

Tarte tatin is a bistro classic, neighbourhood restaurant cooking 101. When I ordered, I was told by the waiter that it would take some time; since it should be cooked to order, I was fine with that.

What I got was this: a cold, pre-cooked shortcrust pastry case, filled with sautéed apples so cold my teeth ached, and topped with mascarpone. That's not tarte tatin. The apples should be darkly caramelised, the pastry should be puff and the whole thing blazing hot out of the oven.

Not a very neighbourly way to serve dessert, which of all things, if I crave, I want to be homely and comforting, like school-canteen cornflake tart with custard or crepes with chestnut cream.

So desserts are not Esca's thing, although ravioli is. Don't confuse the waiters, and you'll be happier. Go there for the good lunch buffet - it's a business, not a family place.

Checklist

What: Esca, Qamardeen Hotel
Where: Near the Burj Dubai
Telephone: 04 428 6888
Must try: Duck ravioli
Chill factor: The AC is on max, so take a sweater
Timings: 6.30am-11.30pm