Bushman’s – Palm Jumeirah

One tends to forget what a long drive out it is from Arabian Ranches to the Anantara resort on the extreme East Crescent of Palm Jumeirah. But the promise of a decent steak was incentive enough for me. Aussies know a thing or two about meat. They also know their way around a grill (I resisted the temptation of saying barbie). Bushman’s, therefore, had the carnivore in me salivating before I even stepped into the place. And what a place; the restaurant is beautifully decorated with elements of the outback, from Aboriginal motifs to boomerangs – very Aussie, without being too Crocodile Dundee. There’s a picturesque but breezy sea-facing terrace which is where our party of ten settled for dinner…after we had a drink at their bar (there’s also a lounge).

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The Bushman’s menu offers something for everyone, even diehard vegetarians (salads and sides). My wife was the pescatarian of our group but was joined by another one of the girls in ordering fish, one the pan roasted seabass and the other, the salmon. I think it’s wonderful that hardcore meat places like this steakhouse offer options for vegetarians and pescatarians. Sadly, I can’t think of any vegetarian restaurants which offer meat dishes for non-vegetarians. But that is a debate for another time.

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The rest of the group spent nearly half an hour debating which steaks to order and finally ordered a combination of Wagyu Rib Eye (me), Angus Tenderloin, and the Angus Rib Eye. Sides were extra, which I felt was a bit unreasonable considering that the steaks were eye-poppingly expensive. Our food took a long, long time to arrive. Leave a bunch of juiced up on booze, blood-thirsty carnivores waiting for too long and there’s bound to be trouble. Thankfully it was limited to only one bottle breaking, no one got hurt. But still our food did not arrive.

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It’s hard to be objective when you are pissed and pissed off but contrary to what most of my companions said about the food that night (suffice that it wasn’t pretty), I loved my steak. It arrived cooked perfectly medium rare and cut like a hot knife through butter – beautifully seared on the outside, deliciously rich and juicy on the inside – pure bliss.

You will have gathered by now that our experience was marred by the unusually slow service. I think this was a one-off incident and will go back on the strength of the excellent steak I was served and the beautiful ambience of the restaurant. This restaurant is deserving of a much higher rating that it has and, in my mind at least, is one of the better steakhouses in Dubai and well worth a try.   

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.