Review by A.
Heyyy everybody! Welcome to the first post from my holiday series woo 😀
Usually when I go to Dubai, I live on burgers and…well more burgers! Seeing as I am no longer deprived of halal burgers in London (wooo, thanks new burger joints!), I decided I’m going to step away and try the different cuisines that Dubai has to offer. That’s not to say I didn’t have any burgers (I realised at the end of my trip that I actually went to 6 burger joints in 7 days…oops!) When La résidence, a beautiful French restaurant located at the Raffles Hotel, kindly invited me to try their take on halal French food, I couldn’t resist! The restaurant boasts Michelin-starred chef Frédéric Vardon and offers dishes inspired by regions across France.
My aunt and I arrived at 7pm on a Monday night, and the restaurant was extremely quiet. I hear that the atmosphere is better on a Thursday night (Le Club Social), when the weekend begins!
La résidence has a lovely Parisian flair, with leather sofas, glistening chandeliers and a concert piano.
La Résidence first served us with savory cheese choux pastries and warm bread with a choice of either salted, unsalted or ground red pepper butter. The bread was lovely! Simple, nice and warm and ready to melt the dollops of butter I slathered on.
Watermelon Juice (25 Dhs) and Fruits et Crème (35 Dhs)
For drinks we ordered watermelon juice, which in my opinion was too diluted and lacked flavour. We also ordered a cleanser, which consisted of vanilla yoghurt, almond milk, caramel and cinnamon spices topped with pineapple foam. This was a delicious drink and was extremely refreshing. It was rich and creamy but at the same time light and fluffy with the addition of the pineapple foam. I loved it!
Parisienne Style King Crab (110 Dhs)
You must know by now that I’m not really a salad lover, so I surprised myself when I decided to give the crab salad a go. (It was a starter after all… Wait till my main meal!) It was refreshing and tasty. The texture of the crabmeat was soft and the flavours of the sauce, vegetables and the crabmeat went well together.
Soft Boiled Egg (115 Dhs)
The presentation of this dish was beautiful and unique and was extremely exciting to eat. This was unfortunately followed by disappointment when I tasted it. The egg in my opinion should have been warmer, and should not have been so runny.
Rib-eye 250g (235 Dhs)
Mmm rib-eye is one of my favourite cuts of steak and is the rising star of the steak world. This fatty, flavoursome cut was definitely one of the best steaks I’ve had. Cooked to a juicy, pink medium, it did not disappoint. Ribeye consists of more fat and ohhh the fat was so good. It literally melts in your mouth and tastes amazing. I told you my main meal was going to be good!
Prawn Ravioli (135 Dhs)
My aunt decided to have a break from meat (considering all the burgers we were eating), and opted for La Résidence’s prawn ravioli. This was slightly disappointing as the prawns were too chewy and were falling out of its dumpling. Aside from this the flavours of the broth were lovely.
Crêpes Suzette (55 Dhs)
Most of the time this dish is served with alcohol, so I was keen to try this famous French dessert at La Résidence who don’t add any alcohol. It consists of a sweet crêpe with beurre Suzette, a sauce of caramelised sugar and butter with orange zest. It was served with lemon sorbet, which made for a yummy palette cleanser.
French Toast (50 Dhs)
Remember our post on Shackfuyu’s take on French toast, which has been said to be London’s best dessert of 2015? Well La Résidence’s French toast is far superior. They use a thick slice of sweet, buttery and soft brioche bread to make this amazing toast. It’s served with a generous drizzle of caramel, salted caramel ice cream and thinly sliced almonds. I was so full when it came to dessert, but I made sure I found room to finish it.
Halal French restaurants are a rarity in London, so I really enjoyed my experience at La Résidence. The staff at the restaurant were really helpful and I’d like to give a special mention to Julien and Natalie who were really friendly and made our experience at the restaurant even more special. I think La Résidence is great, but perhaps slightly overpriced for the overall experience (with the bill amounting to around £150 for two). However, the food was delicious and I still can’t get over how good the steak and the desserts were, particularly the French toast which was my favourite!
Merci La Résidence for a lovely evening
RATINGS
Telephone: +9714 396 2211
Website: http://laresidence-dubai.com
Anonymous says
The French toast sounds fab! Never thought a breakfast staple could be a desert masterpiece.
Will definitely look out for these A