Following on from her review of The Ivy, Frances Cottrell continues her culinary tour of Dubai with a visit to The Rivington Grill.
The London Rivington Grill neighbourhoods of Shoreditch and Greenwich don’t instantly draw parallels with decadent Dubai, but the city now boasts two Rivington Grill sites catering for expats longing for good modern British cooking.
We visited the Downtown restaurant, overlooking the Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building), which you enter through a shopping centre in the centre of Downtown. The main restaurant lacked a little pizazz, and so we were thrilled to be seated on the balcony overlooking the Burj and the wonderful fountain display which punctuated the meal with a spectacular show every 30 minutes.
The food is a solid offering of classic British dishes served in a modern-ish setting and composition. The steak tartare, I was told, was excellent, and my starter of a seared beef salad served in a Yorkshire pudding was absolutely scrumptious. The unusual feature of the pudding almost fulfilling the role of croutons, and giving a meaty flavoured crisp to the dish.
The mains were agreeable, and my dish of Atlantic prawns was juicy, but lacked a sense of adventure. The Tandoori spatchcock chicken was a little more courageous and was certainly tasty but again remained firmly conservative.
The chocolate pudding was a fail-safe staple, and ticked the sweet-tooth box adequately, and it was a perfect excuse to remain at the table and catch another fountain display. The Rivington Grill may lack a little soul like many of the venues in Dubai, but what it lacks in personality, it makes up for in location.
The Burj and the fountain show is the most incredible view in Downtown Dubai, and there can’t be any other restaurants with as good a vista for it. So, yes, book a table, but make sure it’s outside.
Address: Rivington Grill, Souk Al Bahar, Downtown Burj Khalifa
Phone +971 4 423 0903
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