Traiteur in Park Hyatt Dubai, Deira, Dubai - Restaurant Reviews

Traiteur

Juicy steak spot in Deira - order wisely 3 Reviews

Meal Deal

Traiteur

There are four brunches available. Dhs295, gets you food and non-alcoholic beverages. For Dhs425, there’s food, beer and wine. Dhs550 buys food and champagne. The Premium Brunch costs Dhs1500 and includes pick-up and drop-off in a hotel limousine, food, champagne, and premium selected spirits, beer and wine, as well as a gift from the patisserie Timings: 12.30pm-4pm (Friday)

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Decor rarely moves me. Food does, which is why I have this job. There have been times that I’ve been so moved by a sliver of fish or a melting cut of meat that I’ve nearly surrendered to the futility of trying
to describe it (I may have given up, if my pay check didn’t depend on it). But I don’t think I’ve yet been so completely taken in by a restaurant’s surroundings that I’ve felt the true uselessness of words in the face of indescribable beauty. That is, until I visited Traiteur, an achingly romantic restaurant at the Park Hyatt that recently relaunched, shifting its focus from vaguely European to strictly French. The space is expansive, the lighting low and the colour theme all soft creams and mahogany. But no single detail can do justice to the overall effect. Though even the most effusive adjective shrivels at the door of Traiteur’s majestic entrance, for the time being let’s just say the setting is splendid. And the food is good.

As I soon discovered, the Traiteur experience is dictated by how deftly you order. It’s not one of those venues where every menu item sings. Some hum elegantly, while others only manage an out-of-tune whistle. To my ire, my date seemed to make all the right choices on the night we visited, while I seemed to make all the wrong ones. At least we started on even footing; we opened with a shared seafood platter that was so large neither of us could see over it. The ice-packed tray held a cleanly split lobster and a spread of langoustines, crab, monster prawns, mussels and oysters. The selection was brilliantly fresh and, though filling, felt clean and healthy. My only qualm was that I wasn’t in love with the choice of marinades: the best was a herby vinegar that brought out the flavours of the fish perfectly (there just wasn’t enough of it). I was least impressed with the Marie Rose sauce, which tasted primarily of ketchup, and lacked the sophistication I expected from such a high-end venue.

This is where things got mixed. My date gloated over her perfectly prepared herb-encrusted lamb. The tauntingly pink chops withered on the tongue, and a smooth mint puree gave it a punch that inspired
a reverent pause in chewing. It was a dish that demanded savouring. Her potato grain was also infuriatingly en pointe. Thin slivers of spud came in a rich, creamy cheese sauce and were crisped to a seductive brown
on top. My meal was limp and uninspiring in comparison. An order of black cod felt wet and flabby on the tongue, and tasted bland, in spite of a fizzling flop of foam that topped the fillet. My spinach side, meanwhile, felt thoughtless; the leaves were served whole in a watery cream sauce that did them no favours.

The desserts we chose were equally adequate. A lemon meringue tart could have done with a lighter crust, but was otherwise a faithful version of the classic. My date was excited about the crêpe suzette, particularly because she was curious about the Grand Marnier ice cream that came with it. The ice cream itself was subtle – the liquor flavour was more of an aftertaste. While the crêpes were good in their own right, they were much less subtle and much more boozy. When eaten together, the frozen scoop was completely lost.

These complaints, though, are quibbling. Romance trumps food at Traiteur, and that’s okay with me. It’s not cheap, but it’s not outrageously priced either, which should make it a popular choice with young lovers wanting to hold on to their life savings when seeking a sense of occasion.

The bill (for two)
1x Large Acqua Panna water Dhs26
1x Seafood platter Dhs260
1x Lamb Dhs150
1x Black cod Dhs150
1x Sauteed spinach Dhs25
1x Potato gratin Dhs25
1x Crêpe suzette Dhs50
1x Lemon tart Dhs50
Total (prices include 10 per cent service) Dhs736