Gary Rhodes is a man who takes his name very seriously indeed. He is rumoured to have had a minor fit upon discovering the sign above his Dubai outpost Mezzanine had rechristened him Rodhes (a Rhodes by any other name, it would seem, does not smell as sweet). It’s also clear that his tenure as Mezzanine’s new executive chef involves far more than the occasional faxed recipe and a hefty pay cheque. Along with his surname, Gary has lent Paul Lupton from his Michelin-starred London eatery, Rhodes 24, along with sous chef Tom Edgerton. More importantly, he’s exported some of his finest dishes.
The canapés – a heart-stopping trio of deep-fried smoked eel croquettes with a serene horseradish cream; two slips of brittle puff pastry sandwiching some truffled gruyère cheese; and a foie gras that melts like ice in lava – come directly from the menu of his latest London venture, Rhodes W1. The amuse-bouche of white tomato soup has also made the trip over from west London and thankfully, on our visit, retained its startling punch. However, the majority of Mezzanine’s menu riffs on the traditionally British, in contrast to the rather more Francophile W1. There’s a wealth of steak and kidney pie, jam roly-poly and braised oxtail – think modernised Mrs Beeton rather than Marie-Antoine Carême.
That said, there was a touch of the Gallic about our starters – a lobster thermidor omelette for me and whipped brie with a truffle and watercress salad for my partner. The omelette effortlessly outclassed the flogged cheese, its generous chunks of seafood enveloped in deliciously gooey egg. The brie was pedestrian by comparison.
For the mains we plumped for a slow-roasted belly of pork and a fillet steak as pink as a bashful bougainvillea. Both were magnificent. The thick slabs of beef were moist and flavoursome, and shared a plate with a delightful kidney pudding whose pastry fell apart at the mere approach of our forks. The pork dish was even more eventful. Forcing the knife through a layer of perfectly taut crackling and ribbons of melting fat before hitting the sweet meat was a delight in itself, even before we paired it with a helping of sage apple purée. Accompanying each helping of meat was a jug of matching jus and a brace of mashed potato pots – one imbued rather unsuccessfully with spring onions, the other left delightfully virgin.
For dessert we demolished a jam roly-poly for two. The suet and sweet provided the perfect culinary cuddle, while the finest strawberry ice cream in the city was thrown in almost as an afterthought. And the delights didn’t quite end there. As we loosened our belts and prepared for coffee, a plate of airy scones arrived to nudge us into rapturous satiety.
It is telling that the elements of Mezzanine which don’t fall under Gary’s remit lacked the class of the food. The wine list is unadventurous and startlingly expensive, and although the white decor has been enhanced by the introduction of colourful slashes and some choice candelabras, it is still a little cold. The service, while prompt and efficient, was even more arctic. With staff clearly trained to the point of blind obedience, it was like being waited on by a group of OCD sufferers – plates were whipped away while the final forkful was still being savoured, and having refused bread five times we finally relented just for some peace and quiet. But these were minor gripes in light of the plated majesty we witnessed.
Much will be made of the cross-town rivalry with another restaurant run by a chef with the initials GR and, on the strength of this showing, Mezzanine has already joined Verre in the upper echelons of Dubai’s gastro scene. So while we’re not expecting Gary himself to be manning the pans on a regular basis, his name (however it may be spelt) is a very welcome addition indeed.
The bill(for two)
Lobster thermidor omelette Dhs110
Whipped brie Dhs75
Beef fillet Dhs255
Pork belly Dhs155
Jam roly-poly Dhs95
Peppermint tea Dhs18
American coffee Dhs18
Total(including service) Dhs 726
Rhodes Mezzanine, Grosvenor House (04 399 8888). Open Fri-Wed 7.30pm-12 midnight, Thu 7.30pm-1am. All major credit cards accepted.
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