Review: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Dubai Sunday Roast
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Dubai enters the Dubai Sunday Roast battle but it's up against some fierce competition — and price points. Can it provide that One Michelin level that one expects?
This article was initially published on EatGoSee by Contributing Writer Matt Broderick on 9 March 2024.
I’m not foolish enough to enter the world of “Dubai’s Best Roast” because that would be far too churlishly subjective. But, an invite to try The Roast at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal is a chance to see how the roast compares to a) the usual Dinner fare and b) the best roast dinners I have been lucky enough to try over the past 35 years.
We can all agree on what makes a great roast. Towering, crispy Yorkshire puddings. Fluffy potato encased in a crackling, crispy exterior. Bounteous gravy, or silky, rich jus to cover your meat of choice. However, I think it’s more than that. The best roasts elevate and inspire. They encourage you to dress up and go out as a family. Love and care goes into the sides in the same way that the meat and star characters should be treated.
Dinner by Heston suggests that I will experience decadent homeliness. The things your mum cooked but with a Michelin touch. The price is a barrier. AED 495 for three courses, including the roast dinner. The menu offers some good choices, but a better way to smash down that barrier is to look at what you get. 495 for Meat Fruit, a belter of a meat dish, and Tipsy Cake, a dish revered by many? All of a sudden, 495 dirhams looks to be a relative bargain. Throw in the views, the service, the staff, and the reminiscent feeling of your Sunday Best. 495 is value for what you get. The fully booked service denotes the collective perception of the value (‘raised fist’ to you no-shows that permeate our dining scene; expect pre-payment to be taken if your behaviour continues).
The Best of British theme roars with a glass of Nyetimber’s finest sparkling, a gloriously Champagne-method English wine that will rival most Champagnes. Meat Fruit, as you will no doubt know, is a long-term favourite of Dinner. The silkiest of chicken liver parfait, encased in a mandarin jelly to look like a, er, mandarin. Spreadable on crunchy sourdough toast (ask for extra), and you have ticked off a significant culinary win. Before the roast, we receive a potato preview. Resplendent with history and nerdy facts – more, please – one single potato to represent those crispy bits from the bottom of the pan, with caviar atop a charred onion emulsion. Not since Tommy Banks served us a caviar potato at The Black Swan have we swooned over a potato (Agria, from the Netherlands, by the way). And, swoon, we do.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Dubai, The Roast
You have a choice of chicken, beef, or cauliflower. The Roasted Cauliflower sounds insane with truffle sauce. My wife chooses the chicken because of the veal and herb stuffing. Like almost everything at Dinner, it’s softer than you ever thought a chicken could be and packed with flavour in the crispy skin.
My Black Angus Sirloin beef is blushing in pink fat, beautifully rendered, and smothered in a gorgeous, rich, shiny jus. You could carve it with a spoon, and it has the texture that only a skilled chef can achieve. This piece of beef might be the point of difference between the amazing roasts of Dubai and the Dinner version.
Roasties are perfectly consistent, and the Yorkie is faultless. I had two, just to be sure. On the side are Buttered Bay Carrots, so buttery that you can only just make out the actual carrot beneath the sheen of butter and fats. Brussels sprouts with Beef Pancetta and Chestnut come with a gleeful smile from Chef Tom Allen, and you sense the care, the love, and the skill that he emanates from the food. Altogether, it’s a glorious plate of food and almost too good to be called a roast. I glance upwards at the children (including the now-VIP child who holds his father in disdain for serving non-caviar potatoes at home!) and families. It feels like a roast again.
Sundays at Dinner is a treat destination, for sure. I’ll even give up golf for those potatoes.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Dubai Sunday Roast, wine choices
What did I drink with this beautiful roast? Well, another chapter in customer service and care. While Chef Tom and I compare French holidays, he informs award-winning sommelier – Arturo Scamardella – of my love for Châteauneuf-du-Pape. While this is not available by the glass, he presents two comparable options. A deep, heady St. Emilion and a gloriously smooth Syrah from Mullineux in the Swartland region of South Africa. My eyes, head, heart, and wine knowledge tell me I will choose the St. Emilion. My taste buds, however, choose the dark cherry notes and velvety finish of the Mullineux. Another wine added to my ever-growing South Africa love list.
I must confess that I am totally stuffed and entering my first point of contention. Does a roast need three courses? Is that too much? I would never have three courses, usually. I decline the three-course option elsewhere. However, at Dinner, you have a chance to try the famous Tipsy Cake. Or, you can eat one of the two other options that just so happen to be my two favourite dessert flavour profiles of all time: Bohemian Cake (cherry, chocolate and almonds) or Lemon Tart.
I am utterly full. The decision is tough. I eat both. I hang my head in shame even as I am writing. Bohemian Cake extracts every ounce of flavour from cherries (including the almond essence found in cherry stones), binds with chocolate, and presents elegantly alongside cherry ice cream. Incredible. Lemon Tart is magnificently tart. The lemon hit tickles you to the level that it should do, but with an extra sweet crunch from the brûléed surface and the accompanying ice cream.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Dubai Sunday Roast, Would I Return?
I cannot stress enough that this is such a good roast that I am not sure it is a roast. It’s something else, a level above, and shows a Michelin-esque touch to an experience that used to be humble and stodgy. Many a roast fan will want to be stuffed full and Dinner will achieve that for you. Will I spend AED 495 every week for food only? Probably not. But, pretty much every Father’s Day (hint, hint, dear wife) or special occasion. Sundays at Dinner is a treat destination, for sure. I’ll even give up golf for those potatoes.
Matt
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Dubai Sunday Roast, How Much Is It?
Sunday Roast: AED 495 per person
Nyetimber Classic Cuvee: AED 215 by the glass
Mullineux Syrah, Swartland, South Africa: AED 220 by the glass
Written by Matt Broderick // You can follow Matt Broderick on Instagram or follow APEX Mystery Shoppers on Instagram. Matt was invited to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Dubai.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Dubai, Atlantis The Royal, Crescent Road, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. All information is accurate as of publication. You can find the latest information on Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Dubai’s website or call +971 4426 2444.
Shout you to Matt for writing this piece about Dinner by Heston. I am very grateful to him for his support!