Club fed

WE ALL REMEMBER the scene. “Joey doesn’t share food!” came the Friends character’s cry after recounting his date’s attempt to snaffle a few French fries from his plate. Well, if you can relate to the dim-witted New Yorker’s sentiments, then supperclub at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray on The Palm, may not be the concept for you.

Foregoing the restaurant and club franchise’s usual model of providing a surprise menu – a veritable catwalk of dishes - for its customers each night of the week in favour of the traditional a la carte setup, supperclub Dubai has instead decided to focus on the collective method of enjoying food. Therefore, armed with cutlery and a clean plate, orders are delivered to the centre of the table and tucked into from all directions.

First off, this is a superb approach to devour your…well… supper. Presenting the opportunity to expand one’s culinary horizons by picking at a companion’s choice and then offering up your repast for tasting and discussion enhances a dining experience no-end.

The menu was perhaps not as adventurous as first imagined. supperclub, in its many locations around the world, prides itself on delivering a taste of the exotic for its dedicated fan base. Diners sit down and watch the parade of bizarre, yet exquisite flavours arrive. Dubai’s incarnation, along with the notorious entertainment, is a tad toned down, but that does not mean one of the better meals in the city can’t be enjoyed. The carte is still well above average in terms of ingredients and innovation and an open kitchen, staffed with a host of international chefs, dictates that supperclub is and will continue to be high on the list of the emirate’s top eateries.

To start, burrata cheese, with muscade squash, truffle and Yemini honey accompanied by Konobu cured yellowtail and BBQ quail. Merely rattling off the names of the meals illustrates supperclub’s more extraordinary qualities.

What can one say about such a conglomeration? The portions were ideally sized for two people to enjoy, the strange melange was pleasing to the eye and the taste; exquisite. The burrata cheese and squash probably just edged it on the aroma front, with the truffle and honey supplying a sweet and sharp tinge.

Next up came butter poached veal shin with young vegetables and pomme dauphine and a rare Wagyu sirloin with chips and a béarnaise sauce.

Once again the zest of the dishes was what really hit home. Fresh ingredients and a few chefs’ tricks go a very long way. The Wagyu was cooked to perfection and the veal shin, a cut of meat not normally found in these parts, was tender and delicious.

Once the trapeze artist performer had concluded her feats overhead (a surprisingly run-of-the-mill occurrence in the art-deco inspired dining room), a chocolate fondant topped off the evening almost as well as she did.

Call: 04 451 1100