Palm Grill in Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek, Deira, Dubai - Restaurant Reviews

Palm Grill

Does the Time Out award-winner still offer vfm (value-for-meat)? Discuss this article

Meal Deal

007 Night

Two for one Martinis all night. Over 40 types of Martinis to choose from. Licensed to thrill, pianist Scotty Wright performs live from 7.30pm (Thursday)

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30 pounds. 42 euros. 60 dollars. The currency doesn’t matter – it’s the equivalent of about 220 Creek crossings, or an armful of Karama’s finest genuine fake Rolex watches. On the other hand, it might buy you a buckle, two buttons and a zip on a Fendi handbag at Harvey Nicks, or 45 minutes’ kip in the Burj Al Arab’s broom cupboard. Of course, these are all ballpark figures, but in terms of value, it’s roughly the same as the 200g Australian Angus filet mignon at Palm Grill. The Dhs220 hunk of meat at the Radisson SAS Deira Creek Hotel is certainly an extravagance, but is it really worth it? We sharpened our incisors and went along to find out.

We were initially struck by the emptiness of the former Time Out award-winning restaurant, yet we were still seated within eardrum-perforating distance of the noisy kitchen. Soon, however, the dulcet tones of the head waiter smoothed over the din, and we settled down to some complimentary miniature naan breads and an even smoother goose liver pate. Next came the oysters, which presented three plump and juicy fresh molluscs next to three baked ones – in Gruyere cheese, spinach and béarnaise sauce. And then there was my delicately drizzled shrimp cocktail, which featured sweet cherry tomatoes and a couple of hefty prawns.

Up until now, our spending-to-enjoyment ratio had been satisfactorily in balance, but my 300g US ribeye tipped the scales somewhat. The slab of meat was thick, juicy and blood red inside, but it was tough enough to patch up a leak in a nuclear submarine. While I was chewing like a bionic cow, however, my dining partner was relishing the amazingly tender and beautifully deep-crimson filet mignon, which appeared to cleave itself at a mere glint of the knife. Yet even this majestic slab of steak was marred by the occasional, and not insubstantial, string of fat. After spending Dhs420 on meat, we’d expected more.

We were thankful that the side dishes were very good – the grilled asparagus was crunchy, buttery and robustly flavoursome, while the wilted spinach was sprightlier than its name suggested. And the desserts duly followed suit – albeit after a lengthy wait. When they finally arrived, mine was a rich, fresh and perfectly pert cheesecake with an assortment of blushing berries, while my friend indulged in a sticky yet flaky apple tart that was far better behaved than my ribeye. And that was the problem – since a steakhouse lives and dies by its meat, we couldn’t help feeling short-changed.

The bill (for two)
2x Evian Dhs48
Shrimp cocktail Dhs60
Oysters Dhs70
Wilted spinach Dhs20
Grilled asparagus Dhs20
200g Australian filet mignon Dhs220
300g US Ribeye Dhs200
Cheesecake Dhs40
Apple tart Dhs28
Total (including service) Dhs706