Bateaux Dubai in Bur Dubai, Dubai - Restaurant Reviews

Bateaux Dubai

In October we took a trip on the Al Mansour Dhow and predicted that its position as Dubai’s premier dinner cruiser was in jeopardy due to the imminent launch of the Bateaux Dubai 14 Reviews

Meal Deal

Bateaux Dubai’s dinner cruise

Try a four-course dinner on board this high-end floating restaurant, which cruises down Dubai Creek. Dhs350 (food only), Dhs470 (selected beverages) Timings: 7.45pm-11pm (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday)

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In October we took a trip on the Al Mansour Dhow and predicted that its position as Dubai’s premier dinner cruiser was in jeopardy due to the imminent launch of the Bateaux Dubai. That launch has now taken place, and the Al Mansour has been well and truly knocked off its waterborne pedestal. Where Mansour is a battered old codger, likeable but noisy and unsophisticated, Bateaux Dubai is a next-generation pleasureboat, a sleek creek-cutter which zips through the water like a turbo-charged otter. Inside it’s deeply luxurious, from the fine-dining layout to the baby grand piano and the glass walls and ceilings which give open views of the city at night. Most importantly, dinner on the Bateaux Dubai is cooked to order by a team of chefs, locked away in a below-decks galley.

Arriving smartly-dessed and starving one Tuesday night in Ramadan, we took our place among the well-heeled, spot-lit guests and having made our order we headed up on deck to see the sights. Once outside you can gather round the rails at the side or head to the chilled-out viewing platform to loll in a comfy chair and let the breeze churn up your hair. Either way, the views of waterfront Dubai on offer during the two and a half odd hours of cruising are stunning, from the glowing Ruler’s palace to the lazer-raked, hotel-filled skyline of Deira.

Having quit the deck and regained our seats, we knocked back a plate of tasty canapés and a beaker of frothy pumpkin velouté and tucked into some fine if not astonishing starters. A plate of Mediterranean tapas was filled with grilled peppers and tasty stuffed aubergine and a blue crab and vegetable cake made with smoked almond milk was a textural joy with a nuanced fishy flavour.

The Bateaux Dubai chefs really pulled the stops out with the mains: my ‘seven hours baked lamb’ was rich and fulfilling, lightly scented with garlic and cumin and matched with mash for the ultimate comfort food effect. A boneless quail pastilla was the true winner, though – a light case adding texture to delicious plump game meat, offset by an ingenius blend of sautéed potatoes and tender ripe mangoes.

We rounded off with a quartet of miniature crème brûlées, scented with coffee, vanilla, thyme, rose and camel milk, pleasant enough but without the traditional burnt-sugar top. A thick apple tart with ice cream and a couple of coffees rounded things off perfectly. Our evening was excellent even without booze and entertainment. When the wine starts flowing and the piano kicks into tinkling life, the Bateaux Dubai will be one of the city’s finest evening options.

By Rob Orchard