High Joint – Al Safa

High Joint is one of the latest burger joints to open in Dubai. Located in the retail section of the Qasim Mosque, typically where one would expect to find eateries in the mould of Al Ijaza Cafeteria, Al Fareej Restaurant & Bakery and Yummy Fish, High Joint’s neon signboard is not hard to find, especially at night. The restaurant itself is tiny, no more than a single counter bench. Cute? For about 30 seconds or until the next set of customers come in.

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The food at High Joint is good. I tried a stock High Burger, which I found uncannily similar to entry-level cheeseburgers from Shake Shack and SALT. For all intents and purposes, it is basically a single patty cheeseburger; be it one which is perfectly sized and easy to eat (you don’t need hinges on your jaw like some other burgers out there) and just enough to fill a heavyset bloke like me. My burger was super salty. Over-exuberance on part of the chef? An oops moment? I certainly hope so because I wouldn’t want to think all their burgers are the same.

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My wife ordered a Spicy Chicken Burger with Mango Slaw. This is a big burger, the centrepiece of which is a battered, fried chicken breast smothered in buffalo sauce (on top of which they add a tangy mango slaw). I love buffalo sauce but, in this case, it was so overpowering they might as well have called it a Buffalo Burger.

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My daughter ordered the High BBQ Wings. Unless you love BBQ sauce (to the extent that you are happy to spoon it into your mouth from the jar) I recommend you tell the boys at High Joint to go easy on the sauce. Otherwise, the wings themselves were beautifully cooked.

I found my experience at High Joint underwhelming. Was I expecting too much? Perhaps. But beyond that, I would have needed orgasmicly good burgers to have justified the claustrophobic dining space…or at least the same shock and awe which SALT gave us when it first opened on the beach. The other thing which ticked me off a little was how long the food took to be served – these are burgers for goodness’ sake, not steaks. Service though was excellent, very friendly. All this said, I think High Joint has a great future ahead. You’re going to hear a lot about this burger joint in the coming weeks. Look beyond some of the niggling points I’ve mentioned, which are most probably teething problems, and go there and try their burgers for yourself – they’re certainly worth a try. Just manage your expectations.

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Xerxes physically dines at, or orders from, each and every venue he reviews. He pays in full for whatever he and his companions eat, drink, take away or occasionally throw at each other. Xerxes accepts no money, gifts, discounts or free meals in return for reviews or favouritism. What you have read was NOT influenced in any way by the venue. Join me on Instagram @ravenousxerxes or email me on xerxes@dellara.com.