Review: Fine dining out with children? Time for the ‘kids menu’ compromise to end

Often we scan the elaborate menu of the nice restaurant we’ve chosen with a dizzying array of dishes for us adults, only then to be faced with the small section consisting of something fried on the ‘kids menu’.

Being selfish, as adults, whether you working all week, or doing the harder job of raising small children, it’s not wrong to want to spend time together as a family with decent food.

As parents we face the challenge in supermarkets, with sweets at the tills and sugared boxes of cereal painted with unicorns, surely we can expect better from Dubai’s restaurant scene.

Enter Jumeirah into the debate with research that only confirms the issue. The UAE hotel chain did a study across six countries (UK, US, UAE, KSA, Russia, and Germany), it found 77 percent of parents think that hotels around the world need to provide more healthy options on kids’ menus.

Parents also said that their children were most likely to eat junk food with low nutritional value while on holiday, with the top three most eaten foods globally for young travellers being pizza – 44 percent, chicken nuggets – 35 percent and chips – 32 percent.

Responding to this and to cater to family’s needs, Jumeirah has collaborated with its lead chefs and Michael Ellis – Chief Culinary Officer and selected kids to come up with a new healthier, fun, and creative menu called FoodieKiDS menu and they’re piloting it in Jumeirah Beach hotel. The menu is served at Dhow & Anchor, Kitchen Connection and at the pool.

Jumeirah has collaborated with its lead chefs and Chief Culinary Officer Michael Ellis and selected kids to come up with a new healthier, fun, and creative menu called FoodieKiDS menu

So seriously are they taking this mission they are working with their top chefs, such as Argentinian chef Jose from the highly-regarded FIKA.

Out go the nuggets and in comes the Heritage Veggie Sticks served with red pepper hummus, guacamole and tzatziki, served in a mini watering can for added interest. For the mains, a choice of a healthy mini roast or Jumeirah Beach Hotel’s version of fish and chips, sea bass with a light buck wheat batter with baked potato wedges and garden peas.

All of the above passes the adult taste test, possibly too much so, as parent sampling is hard to resist, but you know we do have to check it isn’t poisonous – it wasn’t.

FoodieKiDS pairs nutritious ingredients with a fun touch of imagination and creativity

Happily the adult menu at the Dhow & Anchor diverts attention away from your child’s meal, with comfort classics such as shepherd’s pie and a proper roast dinner. All served up with a view of the Arabian Sea and the Burj Al Arab.

If your young one needs a little persuasion to embrace the veggie sticks, thankfully the Eton Mess Me Up with meringue and yoghurt mouse is there to provide a little bribery.

Should you need any more convincing, just take five minutes to chat with chef Jose. His passion for food is clear to see, and for once it’s great to see such culinary enthusiasm for the most important customers in our lives, our children.

No more compromises.