Vintage

Through the imposing, sphinxy doors at Wafi, next to Carter’s and the spanking new Asha’s lies Vintage, a small, snug but still classy wine bar with a legendary list of bottles, printed in a book-sized menu 1 Reviews

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Through the imposing, sphinxy doors at Wafi, next to Carter’s and the spanking new Asha’s lies Vintage, a small, snug but still classy wine bar with a legendary list of bottles, printed in a book-sized menu. The décor is comfy and chic – deep leather sofas in one corner and a sit-up bar dominated by an extravagant mural in the other.

As well as having more wine on offer than you could comfortably work through in three lifetimes, Vintage also offers perfect drinking food; rather than being a location for a few cheeky glasses before the main event, it’s the sort of place you could happily settle in for the evening. A little Vintage food ringbinder is stuffed with oodles of tempting, imaginative dishes.

The cunning F+B guys at Wafi have a special arrangement with an import firm which means they can offer a genius selection of cheese.They have a chunky board of live fromage on offer, from which you can select five of your favourites plus chutneys and bread for Dhs55. Specialities to look out for are Livarot, Shropshire Blue and the fiendishly nice Irish Milleens.

On our most recent visit we felt in need of something a bit more filling after our cheese, and ordered an oven-fresh pie with steak fries. Though not a subtle dish, it was exactly what the doctor ordered – a lid of thick flaky pastry topping a delicious mix of braised beef, mushrooms, shallots and red wine sauce. Scaling down on the stodge, we went a bit fishy with a selection of Scottish salmon, which came smoked, tartared and gravlaxed. The perfect complement to our hearty glasses of white, it was accompanied by beluga caviar and plenty of torn-up baguette.

After a break for wine-fuelled chit chat, we had a fatty end to our meal, with discs of foie gras matched with sweet and sour cherries. Again, it wasn’t overly elaborate, just good quality ingredients thrown together on a platter, perfect for substantial wine-bar dining.Brilliant.

• Previous reviews
  • 17 March,2009- reviewed by Time Out Dubai staff
  • 26 March,2008- reviewed by Jeremy Lawrence
  • 03 March,2008- reviewed by Jeremy Lawrence
  • 12 March,2007- reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff
  • 30 April,2006- reviewed by Time Out Dubai
  • 01 May,2004- reviewed by Rob Orchard
  • 01 January,2004- reviewed by Rob Orchard

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