In addition to their amazing à la carte menu, there are two things one should try at La Cantine du Faubourg, their weekend brunch and their daily business lunch which is what I sampled. Based at the back end of the venerable Jumeirah Emirates Towers lobby, the interior of this fine-dining French restaurant is suave and Euro business chic. There’s an elegant bar and lounge to one end and a ceiling to floor glass-walled dining area which is flush with screen defused sunlight on the other. In the middle of all this sits a white baby grand piano (or is it full sized?).
The business lunch menu changes from season to season but basically you get a starter and a main for AED110 or a starter, main and a dessert for AED130. Now that represents some amazing value considering that dinner for two will set you back no less than AED500 before you even look at a glass of wine. The food at La Cantine du Faubourg is superb. Its menu is more playful and casual, like La Serre, rather than pretentious and snooty like La Petite Maison. The orange salmon my Spanish business partner Jose-Diego and I tried as our main was as perfectly cooked (and presented) as I have had anywhere.
Service is friendly in a professional way (which means you’re not going to be hi-fiving these guys). The servers and staff are all very presentable and almost Germanic in their exact articulation of the menu. But when you have a charmer like Jose-Diego on hand, they melt…yeah, even the guys…but especially the girls. La Cantine du Faubourg is one of the better French propositions in Dubai and well worth a detour…particularly for lunch.
Hey! Now read this –
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.