Margaux in Souk Al Bahar, Downtown Burj Dubai, Dubai - Restaurant Reviews

Margaux

Magical bistro near the Burj Dubai 18 Reviews

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There may not be a buzz surrounding the opening of Margaux – not yet anyway – but there should be. The chef, Julian Mercier, trained under the Michelin studded Alain Ducasse, the venue is perched on a balcony with a prime view of the increasingly magnificent Burj Dubai and there is an 800-bottle wine list. It’s the type of restaurant Dubai should fall for, and the only reason I can think of that it hasn’t is that Margaux has yet to appear on the city’s radar.

It didn’t take long for my date and I to be utterly wooed by the venue. The menu was a wiley temptress, and also a surprising one. The selection was pleasantly brief, yet every description was so beguiling that choosing what to order remained difficult. And for a brasserie run by a French chef, the options were startlingly Italian. I opted for the ominously vague four course menu. It was a concept I wasn’t really familiar with. It was neither a tasting menu, nor a set menu; in both cases you know what you’re getting. Instead, it was like ordering in the dark.

‘You just tell us what kind of main you want,’ the waiter instructed. He didn’t seem to want specifics, like, ‘the truffle beef dish looks nice’. Instead, he just wanted to know ‘beef’, or ‘fish’. I chose ‘lamb’. The remaining three courses remained a mystery until they landed in front of me. The menu as a whole isn’t cheap, but this strange, exciting, enigmatic four-course meal was comparably reasonable at Dhs395.

The first course was a nearly disintegrating slab of the creamiest and most distinctive mozzarella I have yet to encounter in this city (maybe because it was Buratta, some of the best). In parts the cheese oozed liquid, and every bite had the beautifully grassy flavour that is the trademark of truly great mozzarella. I was startled by the accompanying bowl of assorted Italian tomatoes in vinaigrette. The slivers came in bright yellows and reds, and were perfectly ripe (not what I was expecting this early in the year).

My date, meanwhile, was presented with a juicy and spoonably soft lobster claw topped with a light cream sauce with spring peas. The resultant noises of enjoyment coming from our table were so indecent, we were glad the restaurant was modestly filled. Her main, however, a slightly dry spit roasted chicken, didn’t induce the same rapture.

The remainder of the items in my surprise menu similarly came out with mixed success, which had less to do with the quality of food as the choice of dishes. Following the mozzarella, my meal peaked at the pasta course, which was a golden risotto dish that was rich with parmesan, saffron and edible gold flakes. The plate struck an incredible balance, with each ingredient bold enough to taste, and meek enough to share the spotlight. The lamb that followed didn’t have this attribute: its flavour was lost underneath the overwhelmingly pungent jus.

The finale, a grapefruit pizza, was a strange choice. Citrus lovers would be delighted. The crust was as buttery as a croissant and the grapefruit wedges were accompanied by a fine marmalade. The problem was that the dessert was too niche for its own good. I’ve never really liked marmalade, and have a passing tolerance for citrus.

I imagine most people, like me, would have preferred the chocolate fondant or cheesecake option, especially as the cheesecake, which my date ordered à la carte, was breathtaking. It was soft and silken, with a mousse-like consistency, and was served with some simple wild berry coulis. While my dessert pizza sat in front of me, barely touched, my date’s plate was licked clean.

It’s a shame that Margaux stumbled at the main course, especially as it is the one aspect of the meal every diner is guaranteed to order and, as such, the kitchen should have got it right. But so much was perfect that evening, that we couldn’t harbour any great grudge towards the place. If the kitchen could only maintain the high standards they set at the start throughout the entirety of the meal, nothing would stop Margaux from being one of Dubai’s best restaurants.

The bill (for two)
1x Large bottle Aqua Panna Dhs25
2x Glasses white wine Dhs94
1x Menu of the day Dhs395
1x Lobster salad Dhs115
1x Chicken Dhs147
1x Cheesecake Dhs39
Total (including service) Dhs815