Verre by Gordon Ramsay and other Dubai, United Arab Emirates Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: Verre by Gordon Ramsay

That Gordon Ramsay sure does get around - he even has a restaurant in Dubai. Verre by Gordon Ramsay serves up Modern European cuisine, and was recently voted Restaurant of the Year by the Dubai TimeOut magazine. Verre was conveniently located in our hotel, the Hilton Dubai Creek, so it seemed appropriate that we dine there one evening.

This is a stylish restaurant with subtle lighting and impeccable service. We very much enjoyed our meal there, though one or two of the dishes we chose were not up to the level you would expect from Mr Ramsay's brigade.

After we were seated and were perusing the menus, some snacks appeared, including sesame bread sticks, spring rolls, cheese puffs, and croutons to dip into creamy pots of perfectly pureed mushroom and foie gras pate. After we ordered, an amuse bouche was presented, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was (a salmon concoction perhaps), and I forgot to take a photo.

Favorite Dish: To start, I had the Yellow Fin Tuna two ways - marinated then seared and carpaccio with pickled white radish and soy dressing. This was beautifully presented and very good quality tuna. Alex had the Sautéed foie gras with pear and saffron chutney, Madeira lentils and carrot foam. The flavours were great, but unfortunately the foie gras was very stringy, more so than we had ever seen before.

Main course for me was the Line caught halibut with lobster and herb risotto and lobster bisque. The fish was perfectly cooked, though I just found the dish too rich and nothing special at all. Alex had a bit more success with the Castaing duck breast, creamed cabbage, pancetta, wild mushroom tortellini with morels bouillon, which included a generous serve of perfectly pink duck. The dish was good, but not outstanding.

Next was the pre-dessert, which was a small glass with three layers - the bottom layer had mushy raspberries, the middle was yoghurt, and the top layer was a raspberry granita. It was a great palate cleanser.

But the best was still to come - dessert. Pretty full by this stage, we decided to share, and we couldn't go past the Pistachio soufflé with mint chocolate ice cream. The last time we had a pistachio soufflé was at our wedding dinner, so this one had a lot to live up to. Well, it surpassed it - this was the most delicious soufflé we had ever eaten, made even more special by the accompanying ice cream which was made with fresh mint. Gordo, you've still got it!

ps. Forgot to mention the petit fours - dark & milk chocolate truffles, and some fruit jellies. They were a bit of an anti-climax though after that amazing soufflé.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Phone: +971 4 2271111
Address: Hilton Dubai Creek, Beniyas Road, Deira, Dubai
Directions: Located on the 1st floor of the hotel
Website: http://www.gordonramsay.com/dubai/
Other Contact: info.creek@hilton.com

Restaurant Name: Sahn Eddar at the Burj Al Arab

A trip to Dubai wouldn't be complete without getting up close to the Burj Al Arab, the iconic 7 star hotel. Unless you are staying there, the only way to get inside is to pre-book a visit to one of the hotel's bars or restaurants. As you can imagine, dining doesn't come cheap here, so one of the more economical options is to go for afternoon tea.

Booking a few weeks in advance, the only afternoon tea slot available was at 5.30pm in the Sahn Eddar Atrium Bar, located off the hotel's lobby. We arrived early, which gave us plenty of time for taking photos outside, and then inside the lobby area. There are a couple of dancing fountains that could have entertained me for hours, and two massive fish tanks with tropical fish. Then you look up, up, up inside the atrium, amazing at the colourful interior.

Camera's away then, as no photos are allowed in the bars or restaurants (to protect the privacy of the exclusive guests). We were seated at a window table with views out of the front of the hotel and to the beach beyond. We opted for the regular afternoon tea, not the special 'Festive' afternoon tea, and sat back to enjoy the exclusive, piano accompanied, atmosphere. Service was good, except that we had to ask for a glass of water three times.

Favorite Dish: The afternoon tea itself was a bit disappointing - certainly not up to the standard of a fancy afternoon tea in a London hotel. There was the usual sandwiches, scones and cakes, but nothing special.

I guess we were expecting something better from the "Best Hotel in the World"....but I suppose they don't have to try too hard, people are going to flock there anyway.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Phone: +971 4 3017600
Address: Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Road, Umm Suqeim, Dubai
Website: BAArestaurants@jumeirah.com
Other Contact: http://www.burj-al-arab.com/dini

Restaurant Name: Legends Steak House

Legends Steak House is located in the clubhouse of the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. I do love a good steak, and as Legends was rumoured to serve up some of the best in town, plus it was located close to our hotel, it seemed inevitable we would end up there one night.

We arrived by taxi, and as it turned out the driver dropped us off at the wrong part of the complex. No problem, a golf buggy was arranged to ferry us to the main club building where Legends was located. This was the type of top class service we received the rest of the evening.

The restaurant is housed in a plushly decorated room, perhaps a little too 'mens club' for my taste, but who could fault those large, comfortable chairs. Eating inside, we were unable to enjoy the Dubai Creek views, but am sure the terrace is very popular on summer evenings. We were however, able to enjoy the amiable piano man, who played a mix of Christmas carols and Sinatra classics, though his occasional unusual singing did make us snigger a little.

Favorite Dish: We skipped starters, wanting to get straight to the meat. I am a lightweight, so ordered the small Rib Eye steak with steak cut chips, while Alex ordered the large size Angus Tenderloin steak with fries. Both steaks were excellent, with the Tenderloin the stand out - a melt-in-your-mouth kind of steak, perfectly pink and juicy. A bottle of Californian Cabernet Sauvignon was the perfect accompaniment.

Desserts were beckoning - well we couldn't leave as the piano man hadn't played all of our requests yet. Alex had the Apple Crumble, which he really enjoyed. I had the "Trio of Chocolates", which consisted of two Chocolate truffle tartlets, with chocolate covered ice cream balls and chocolate sauce. I was certainly chocolatey, but not as good as it sounded or looked.

We very much enjoyed our evening at Legends. It has that "special occasion" feel about it, but don't let that put you off, as the prices were reasonable and the service friendly enough to make it feel more relaxed than it looked. And there is that kooky piano man.

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Theme: Steakhouse
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: +971 4 295 6000
Address: Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Deira, Dubai
Website: http://www.dubaigolf.com/dcgyc/Dining/Legends.aspx
Other Contact: creekfnb@dubaigolf.com

Restaurant Name: Apres

Apres is a bar and restaurant located in the Mall of Emirates. It is actually connected to the neighbouring Kempinski Hotel, which means that it has an alcohol licence. Besides being quite a nice looking place, the main draw card for Apres is that it has large windows that overlook the Mall of Emirates indoor ski slope - Ski Dubai.

During a shopping expedition at the Mall, we headed to Apres for some lunch. We were seated at a table by the window which had excellent snowy views.

Favorite Dish: We wanted a fairly light lunch as we had a big dinner planned that evening. I ordered the Roasted Pumpkin & Feta Salad, and Alex chose the Gnocchi with tomato and balsamic. We couldn't resist a glass of wine too. We did enjoy our food, but the main reason we would return would be for the view.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: +971 4 341 2575
Address: Mall of Emirates, Sheikh Zayed Road, New Dubai
Directions: Kempinski Hotel, attached to the Mall of Emirates
Website: http://www.mmidubai.com/apres/index.html

Restaurant Name: Basta Art Café

The Basta Art Café is located in the Bastakia Quarter, close to the Dubai Museum. We had lunch there after a visit to the museum. The café is located in the courtyard of a traditional Bastakia house. It is certainly a lovely setting and was enjoyable on a warm winters day, though I am not sure how it would be in the summer months.

Favorite Dish: The menu consisted of salads, filled potatoes and sandwiches. We both ended up ordering the same thing - a cous cous salad with chicken, sweet corn and cashews. The salad was a good size, though I was expecting more cous cous and less lettuce I think. The price was reasonable though, and the shady courtyard a nice place to relax (just watch out for the bird poo on the seats and tables!).

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: +971 4 353 5071
Address: Al-Fahidi Street, Bastakia, Dubai
Directions: Just south of the Grand Mosque

Restaurant Name: Café Havana

After shopping till we almost dropped in the Deira City Centre Mall, we needed some sustenance. We headed to Café Havana, as I had read it was a good place for a snack and some people watching.

Café Havana is a large café/restaurant on Level 2 of the mall, located on the way to the cinemas. We were warmly greeted and advised to chose any table we liked. We opted for one on the edge of the café, which was a good vantage point to check out our fellow diners and also the passing shoppers.

Favorite Dish: The menu was quite varied, but not particularly Cuban (if that is what you were expecting from the name of the place). We just wanted a light snack, and decided to share a Club Sandwich, which came with a big pile of fries.

The food was average, but the seats were comfortable, and I would be tempted to return to sample one or two of the decadent looking cakes from the cake trolley.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: +971 4 295 5238
Address: Level 2, Deira City Centre, Deira, Dubai

Restaurant Name: Grano Coffee

Grano Coffee is a small chain of coffee shops that sell coffee, drinks and light snacks. We came across one of the shops whilst shopping in Wafi City Mall and stopped off for a drink.

Favorite Dish: We were attracted by the colourful décor, but more so by the laptops sitting on some of the tables. Turned out Grano doubles as an internet café, and for a very small fee we could use one of the laptops at the table of our choice.

We ordered coffee and relaxed for a while, catching up on news from home. We didn't eat anything, though I noted that they did have some tasty looking cakes.

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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: +971 4 324 4181
Address: Ground Floor, Wafi City, Dubai
Website: http://www.granocoffee.com/