Dubai's Western Steakhouse

Drooling at the prospect of a solid steak dinner after last month's endless rounds of Iftars, I hopped in my car and headed down to Crowne Plaza Festival City, with grand plans to eat at the Western Steakhouse.

Reasons: I love Festival City. I love steak. And when I think about eating, I sometimes lose my sense of direction. That's why when I got to the new hotel, I was informed that Western Steakhouse is in the other Crowne Plaza on Shaikh Zayed Road. (I'm sure I am far from being the only person this has happened to. Hopefully.)

The night wasn't a total write-off (I had deep-fried cheese and asparagus swimming in butter at the Belgian Café instead). And I made it to the Western later that week, and I'm glad I did too.

The older Crowne Plaza's atmosphere - serviceable yet homey - appeals to me. Despite being one of the city's older hotels, you'll always run into a interesting collection of characters, and there's some outlets you just can't beat, whether you're looking for quirkiness (Harvester's Friday karaoke night), a quick and fun meal (Wagamama) or a no-nonsense steakhouse (Western).

Case in point: the night I was at the Western, there's the usual pairing of older guys and much younger, um, ladies, as well as groups of friends. Yes, the carpet clashes terribly with the rest of the interior, but the place is comfy and genuine, which is pretty unusual in this town.

That sincerity extends to the endearing wait staff, who won me over instantly when they brought our one Caesar salad (a starter) in two separate bowls (we had indicated we were sharing). In most places, you'd get a big bowl and two forks.

The salad was a great opener - it's been a while since I've gone that route, and although it meant I passed up an artichoke soup with duck liver, I loved the light, creamy dressing, crisp bacon and croutons and - hurrah! - freshly shaved Parmesan. And, boy, do anchovies get my appetite going, although there's only a hint here, so don't shy away, anchovy haters.

Snaps again to our lovely waitress, Charmaine, who warned us the mains were quite substantial. The selection is big enough to be interesting - grilled fish and lobsters caught my eye, as did the lamb or the seafood for two to share.

My dining partner's duck breast was crispy-skinned and meaty, doused in a flavourful sauce with lush chunks of porcini mushroom. (Also known as the cep in France, where it's considered the king of mushrooms, it's got a wonderful smoky, meaty flavour.

At this time of the year, markets in France are overflowing with giant specimens, but you can pick up dried ones here which are perhaps even better - less hassle and even more flavour.)

No prizes for guessing what I had - the ribeye steak. Like meat? Go for the ribeye, and forget fillet and New York strip. Don't be put off by the fat marbling the meat; it adds a juicy texture and out-of-this-world meatiness.

The 250g version at the Western is small enough to enjoy without feeling too guilty: it's a thin slice of beefy heaven. Yum. Top it off with a seared slice of duck liver (as I did) however, and it goes into rich, smooth heart-attack territory.

Yum-o.

Creamy cauliflower gratin had crisp-tender florets in cheese sauce - so '70s it's cool again. The potato gratin, often creamy, here appeared to have been baked with thin cream or milk, but it didn't affect the flavour one bit - browned bits on top, melting garlic potato underneath.

Our one regret? That we went for the chocolate-pecan bourbon cake as dessert, thinking it would be a moist, melting pudding-y kind of sweet. It's more like a dry layer cake, and we were a little disappointed we'd passed up the cherry pie. Based on the rest of the meal, we'll be back again, and that pie is mine.

Checklist

Where: Western Steakhouse, Crowne Plaza, Shaikh Zayed Road, Dubai.

For reservations call: 04-3311111

Must-have: Caesar salad, ribeye steak, duck with mushroom sauce.

Verdict: 3 stars