The Agency

This swish venue at the Madinat Jumeirah makes bar food so fancy it shouldn’t really be placed alongside the greasy burgers and adhesive nachos served up in most other boozers Discuss this article

© ITP Images

This swish venue at the Madinat Jumeirah makes bar food so fancy it shouldn’t really be placed alongside the greasy burgers and adhesive nachos served up in most other boozers. It is perennially busy (the terrace gets particularly full in the winter, which is testament to its quality. The wine list is an oenophile’s dream, with grapes from across the planet and prices to suit most budgets (though there are many more choices at the higher end). The offering is so lengthy that the lack of an index seems a thoughtless oversight.

The food (or ‘Bites’) section of the menu is more compact. Classics such as the meat cold cuts and the cheese board are presented simply, with decent condiments and ample bread (with more offered if you run out). Other dishes are more artistic. The bourbon and mustard-glazed chicken comes chilled, in four pinkie-sized twirls of meat balanced on a thin rack. Each goes in less than two bites, but offers the most delicate hints of heat and sweetness. Other items come in equally dinky proportions, but provide well-considered blends of taste (the chorizo paella is particularly good, but hoovered up in just three scoops). Ultimately, people tend to come here for the wine, but the food is excellent.

• Previous reviews
  • 17 March,2009- reviewed by Time Out Dubai staff
  • 26 March,2008- reviewed by Jeremy Lawrence
  • 12 March,2007- reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff
  • 17 October,2005- reviewed by Matthew Lee
  • 01 September,2004- reviewed by Matthew Lee

Time Out reviews bars anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.