The Agency

From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2009

The Agency makes bar food so fancy it shouldn’t really be categorised alongside the greasy burgers and adhesive nachos served up in most other boozers.

It is perennially busy (the terrace gets particularly chocca in the winter), which is testament to its quality. The wine list is an oenophile’s dream, with grapes from across the planet and prices to suit most budgets (though there are many more choices at the higher end).

The offering is so lengthy, that the lack of an index seems a thoughtless oversight. The food (or ‘Bites’) section of the menu is more compact. Classics such as the meat cold cuts and the cheese board are presented simply, with decent condiments and ample bread (with more offered if you run out).

Other dishes are more artistic. The bourbon and mustard glazed chicken comes chilled, in four pinkie-sized twirls of meat balanced on a thin rack. Each goes in less than two bites, but offers the most delicate hints of heat and sweetness.

Other items come in equally dinky proportions, but offer well-considered blends of taste (the chorizo paella is particularly good, but hoovered up in three scoops). Ultimately, people come here for the wine, but the food is excellent.