Butch Annie’s is all about burgers, ribs and beer. Their burgers and ribs are amazing. Their craft beers are a bit of an acquired taste for the likes of us desert folk. I didn’t like any of the ones I tried, preferring the more mainstream drafts (which, for some unfathomable reason, aren’t available). The down-in-the-basement, … Continue reading Butch Annie’s – Cambridge
The Ninth Sports Café is actually a small gastro-bar (rather than gastro-pub as it’s American) on the ground floor of the Trump International Golf Club in DAMAC Hills. The whole complex, located in the Al Hebiah Third District, Mudon is something of a mini-adventure to get to as the roads have not all been completed; … Continue reading Ninth Sports Café, The – Mudon
Nelson’s is a gloriously English gastropub at the Media Rotana in Barsha Heights. Its interior is not dissimilar to the Belgium Beer Café just down the road in the Millennium Hotel, only there’s an inexplainable touch of aristocratic “Rule, Britannia!” to this one. It’s very English. And that’s not a bad thing considering that the … Continue reading Nelson’s – Barsha Heights
The Rubbing House is a picturesque gastropub situated (literally) on the Epsom Racecourse; if you’re sitting outside you can actually see the winning post. Where location and ambience are concerned, this is a very, very special pub. The food at The Rubbing House has a distinctly Mediterranean twist to it, Greek particularly. Our table ordered … Continue reading Rubbing House, The – Epsom, London
Toro+Ko is a Barcelona-inspired tapas restaurant and bar from Boston. Located in The Square, City Walk the two-story restaurant has a very funky, modern, fun interior with music to match. The main dining area is downstairs with the bars and terrace upstairs. Chef Oscar Poquet Bigorda and his team have created a collection of no … Continue reading Toro+Ko – City Walk, Al-Safa
Haozhan is a self-professed roast duck specialist restaurant. Located on Gerrard Street in the heart of Chinatown (literally a minutes’ walk from Leicester Square) it’s one of those restaurants which has red-orangish roasted ducks hanging in its display window. I thought it would be the perfect place to bring my daughter, who has grown up … Continue reading Haozhan – Chinatown, London
Vasanta Bhavan is one in a long list of South Indian restaurants with the Bhavan suffix; other notables being Saravana, Ananda and Sivestar. This Al Nahda branch on the very fringe of Dubai and Sharjah is one of four branches. Its interior is simple, presentable and most importantly, clean and cool. There’s a big glass … Continue reading Vasanta Bhavan – Al Nahda
Kateh is, without doubt, the best Persian-Iranian restaurant I have been to outside Iran. It’s miles better than anything we’ve got in Dubai. Located in one of the side streets of picturesque Little Venice, its petite ground floor and basement interior is the epitome of smart casual. It’s beautifully Parisian and Persian at the same … Continue reading Kateh – Maida Vale, London
21 Grams is an amazing little Balkan bistro in Umm Suqeim. Located in the Park Regis Boutique Hotel on the corner of Jumeirah Beach and Al Thanya roads, its interior is a refreshing exercise in elegant, unpretentious minimalism (so lacking in Dubai these days). The soul food served at 21 Grams is, as described by … Continue reading 21 Grams – Umm Suqeim
Lads is an amazing little burger joint in Jumeirah 3. It joins a segment bursting at the seams, making the impact it is having all the more impressive. The interior of the tiny restaurant is graphic, colourful and funky but I think the benches and highchairs they use will make it challenging to seat families … Continue reading Lads – Jumeirah 3
