Ruth's Chris Steak House & Lounge
Second Dubai incarnation of steakhouse gets mixed reception 13 Reviews
Ruth’s Chris Steak House’s early-bird deal
Get a special deal on two courses when you dine before 8pm at both venues of the steakhouse. Dhs149 (two courses) Timings: 6pm-8pm (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
Ruth’s Chris Steak House & Lounge (The Address Dubai Marina)
Offers an à la carte selection of the steakhouse’s signature dishes, such as filet Oscar-style, braised short ribs and classic New York strip. Dhs295 (soft drinks), Dhs395 (selected house beverages), Dhs570 (bubbly) Timings: 12.30pm–4pm (Friday)
Ruth’s Chris Steak House has landed in Dubai Marina, boasting (like all self-respecting restaurants these days), a bar/lounge and a bigger restaurant area than the original in The Monarch Dubai. But bigger isn’t always better, and the new instalment of the American steakhouse lacks the intimate, old-school charm of the original. What’s more, the venue feels a little too hollow – not a great deal of imagination has been invested in the decor, and the restaurant and lounge area could easily be written off as ‘just another’ generic hotel venue by anyone unfamiliar with the Ruth’s Chris brand.
That said, my date and I were impressed by how busy the restaurant was only a couple of weeks after opening. Nearly every table was full and a welcome buzz pervaded the venue. Likewise, service was swift, friendly and well-polished – no soft-opening excuses here – and we were soon being talked through the options by a knowledgeable waiter who guided us towards the ‘Crabtini’ starter and the barbecue shrimp. In this instance service was a little too swift: both starters arrived before our drinks, which we found a little disconcerting, though it meant we could avoid picking at the cold, unappetising bread that had found its way to our table.
Though served in an impractical martini glass, my crabtini proved a tasty mix of soft, sweet crab flesh and punchy citrus. My date, on the other hand, enjoyed her prawns and happily mopped up the remaining sauce, but felt that the dish lacked finesse.
The steaks arrived speedily, though once the meat, the side dishes and the condiments, had been laid out, the table felt cluttered and claustrophobic. While I appreciate that Ruth’s Chris always serves its steak on a small plate, the diminutive kidney-dish-style tableware suffocated the appearance of the meat. Though appearances shouldn’t matter, considering we were paying almost Dhs300 per steak, we wanted it to look and taste fantastic.
In terms of the latter requirement, both my New York strip and my date’s slightly more tender ribeye were cooked very well. However, Ruth’s Chris’s style of cooking steak in butter made my New York strip too rich.
I was also confused by some of the condiments – the notion of having a blue cheese crust with a steak would surely suffocate the meat of its natural taste? The sides, meanwhile were fair, though they felt as though they were an afterthought.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House has found a niche for itself in Dubai Marina, so it’s destined to do well – especially when the after-work crowd starts filling the lounge area. However, there are still tweaks to be made
in the kitchen to ensure the food warrants the custom.
The bill (for two)
1x Barbecue shrimp Dhs92
1x Crabtini Dhs92
1x Ribeye Dhs299
1x New York strip Dhs295
1x French fries Dhs31
1x Steak fries Dhs31
1x Apple crumble Dhs52
1x Sparkling water Dhs28
Total (including service) Dhs920
Time Out Dubai,
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