Had 2 great dining experiences this week, thought we could create a stickied topic to keep these in. Would make a handy guide for newbies and locals alike. Toby can play too smile


DUBAI


The Reform Social and Grill
http://www.reformsocialgrill.ae

Part of the revamped lakes club, this is a true gastropub in a great family friendly setting. Classic cooking with a focus on quality. Staff were attentive and the whole place had a very relaxed, un-Dubai like vibe.

I had beef fore rib with wild mushrooms and truffle sauce, followed by pork belly, savoy cabage and mash, eton mess and a few glasses of pimms. Portion sizes were perfect, making pudding a must. My only complaint was the too-salted crackling, but that aside the food was top notch.


Fume
http://www.timeoutdubai.com/restaurants/details/16...

Neat industrial type room on the first floor of Pier 7. International cooking with a twist - slow cooked beef cheek rendang, that kind of thing.
We had steak tartare, smoked mushroom empanada, korean lamb chops with kimchee, steak, smashed potatoes and twice cooked chips. No complaints on anything and the meat was beautiful. Deffo one to add to the regular roster if you're marina based.

Update - been 3 times now. Service is welcomingly casual but the food more than makes up for it. They close 4-6pm to smoke the meat for the evening shift. There's a seperate bar which is handy as a meeting point/pre drinks for the restaurants upstairs.


Fuego
http://www.fuego.ae/

New Mexican at Souk al Bahar. Contemporary cooking but more than a few traditional dishes as well. About as far away as you can get from tex mex. Pretty poor setting [no views or even any windows where we sat] but the food was top notch. The beef rib could have served a family of 4 and the corn on the cob was bloody epic!


Tom & Serg
http://www.tomandserg.com/

Rather oddly located around the corner from Ace Hardware, this is the cafe Dubai has been sorely lacking. Kinda Californian in the outlook and menu but with waiting staff drawn from Dubai's hipster crowd and English expat schoolkids. Friendly and easy to deal with though, so it works. Food is mainly breakfast/brunch type with a focus on quality of ingredients [the baked eggs are my new breakfast favourite]. The coffee is from RAW [roasted in Al Quoz] and hands down the best I have had anywhere for years. Try it.

Fish Beach Taverna
http://www.fish-dubai.com

Fish Beach Taverna is located right on the beach behind The Westin at Mina Seyahi Beach Resort. It has a lovely relaxed Mediterranean vibe with whitewashed walls and grass beneath your feet. Food is very good, Aegean sea fare, perfectly executed. A lovely way to spend an afternoon or evening as the weather starts to cool. Recommended.




ABU DHABI


QATAR