Gordon Ramsey’s Hells Kitchen Dubai
Gordon Ramsay's Hells Kitchen at Cesar's Palace in Dubai offers a Friday brunch, which is carved with his signature all over, from the decor to the food offerings. There is an option of seating outside and it was no surprise that place was soon filled up. The booking experience, while efficient was a tad misleading with the lady insisting that no beach wear, and certainly no shorts or slippers. We did see a few men in shorts and slippers, and upon asking the staff about the dress code were informed that it applies to the dinner service only and not the brunch.
Attendance at arrival was warm, cordial and very welcoming. The staff clearly knew their job and our waiter, Jassab from the India, (we may have the name spelled wrong), was very helpful and attentive. During the course of the afternoon Ryan, (from South Africa) also came up and was a delight to talk to. The drinks offerings were balanced and while for a non alcoholic customer an additional mocktail to the two on offer (in addition to juices) might have added to the variety, there was nothing to fault on that front.
The problem with most brunch offerings is that too much is offer on the starter side of things, so one never gets to the main course. Not so at Hell's Kitchen! While the starters were all a buffet service, there is a choice of a la carte offering of Gordon Ramsay's signature dishes. The starters were an array of small portions ranging from salads, cold cuts, sliders and three stations for hot and cold starters. In the salad station was more along the lines of making your own starter, as was the tartare station where the choices were between a beef and tuna tartare. The hot station served up bit size offerings and the chicken wings were perhaps the best we have ever tasted. The fish and chips, again small manageable size helpings were each in their own little basket and the cod was cooked to perfection. If one were a vegetarian the hot station could be seen as a bit of a let down, but we were informed the chefs, who were on hand, could prepare a vegetarian option within seconds. Personally to avoid any shy vegetarians from being disappointed it would have been nice to have had some small preparations at the hot station prepared.
By the time we had been around all the stations we felt satisfied and not over full, the trick being in the servings of the starters being just the right portions. We chose the beef wellington and the crispy salmon for the main course from the a la carte menu. The beef wellington is considered one of Gordon Ramsay's signature dishes and it certainly did not disappoint. The helpings were just perfect and the beef simply melted in your mouth. The crispy salmon was not dry and each mouthful was a heavenly explosion of taste.
The deserts were plentiful and while the plethora of colors on display appealed to the sweet tooth of children, for an adult it was only after a taste a few of the deserts on offer that one realized the depth at the desert station was enormous. There was a sincere effort on the deserts and not just some cakes plonked down for the guests to slice through. There was a section to make your own trifle but we did not see anyone using it. Perhaps having a staff member there to help you make the trifle would have encouraged more guests to the trifle section.
The cheese and bread station was simply divine. The selection while not extensive was well put together and one could have dined on the cheese offerings alone. A first class act indeed! Towards the end of the afternoon there was a draw for a few contestants to compete in a small cooking competition and that in itself got many guests to their feet.
Over all the ambience was brilliant, vibrant, lively and welcoming. The live band duo was not loud and yet lively enough to have people singing along towards the end of the afternoon. The staff were attentive and perhaps the best trained across the board. Around 4.30 PM the management did inform people that the restaurant will close as they have to prepare for the dinner service. This was a bit of a let down and one wondered if extending the closing to 5.30 PM would have been possible.
Hell's Kitchen certainly deserves another visit and one is tempted by the dinner menu, which while pricey certainly judging by the brunch suggests would be a class in its own.
Attendance at arrival was warm, cordial and very welcoming. The staff clearly knew their job and our waiter, Jassab from the India, (we may have the name spelled wrong), was very helpful and attentive. During the course of the afternoon Ryan, (from South Africa) also came up and was a delight to talk to. The drinks offerings were balanced and while for a non alcoholic customer an additional mocktail to the two on offer (in addition to juices) might have added to the variety, there was nothing to fault on that front.
The problem with most brunch offerings is that too much is offer on the starter side of things, so one never gets to the main course. Not so at Hell's Kitchen! While the starters were all a buffet service, there is a choice of a la carte offering of Gordon Ramsay's signature dishes. The starters were an array of small portions ranging from salads, cold cuts, sliders and three stations for hot and cold starters. In the salad station was more along the lines of making your own starter, as was the tartare station where the choices were between a beef and tuna tartare. The hot station served up bit size offerings and the chicken wings were perhaps the best we have ever tasted. The fish and chips, again small manageable size helpings were each in their own little basket and the cod was cooked to perfection. If one were a vegetarian the hot station could be seen as a bit of a let down, but we were informed the chefs, who were on hand, could prepare a vegetarian option within seconds. Personally to avoid any shy vegetarians from being disappointed it would have been nice to have had some small preparations at the hot station prepared.
By the time we had been around all the stations we felt satisfied and not over full, the trick being in the servings of the starters being just the right portions. We chose the beef wellington and the crispy salmon for the main course from the a la carte menu. The beef wellington is considered one of Gordon Ramsay's signature dishes and it certainly did not disappoint. The helpings were just perfect and the beef simply melted in your mouth. The crispy salmon was not dry and each mouthful was a heavenly explosion of taste.
The deserts were plentiful and while the plethora of colors on display appealed to the sweet tooth of children, for an adult it was only after a taste a few of the deserts on offer that one realized the depth at the desert station was enormous. There was a sincere effort on the deserts and not just some cakes plonked down for the guests to slice through. There was a section to make your own trifle but we did not see anyone using it. Perhaps having a staff member there to help you make the trifle would have encouraged more guests to the trifle section.
The cheese and bread station was simply divine. The selection while not extensive was well put together and one could have dined on the cheese offerings alone. A first class act indeed! Towards the end of the afternoon there was a draw for a few contestants to compete in a small cooking competition and that in itself got many guests to their feet.
Over all the ambience was brilliant, vibrant, lively and welcoming. The live band duo was not loud and yet lively enough to have people singing along towards the end of the afternoon. The staff were attentive and perhaps the best trained across the board. Around 4.30 PM the management did inform people that the restaurant will close as they have to prepare for the dinner service. This was a bit of a let down and one wondered if extending the closing to 5.30 PM would have been possible.
Hell's Kitchen certainly deserves another visit and one is tempted by the dinner menu, which while pricey certainly judging by the brunch suggests would be a class in its own.
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