You can see the regality of St Regis Dubai from miles away. Recently opened on the 20th of November this year, the architectural brilliance of this hotel is nothing short of spectacular.
From the palatial exteriors boasting of a glamorously lit up driveway, to the spacious marbled foyer showcasing spiraling golden stairways, a visit to St Regis is like reliving the glam of the fifties and reminds me of the luxurious backdrops from The Great Gatsby.
We were at St Regis last night courtesy Zomato UAE, and got to try out the newly opened J&G Steakhouse with an enthusiastic group of foodies.
I feel totally bummed out my camera died on me, and had to rely on poor quality photos of the camera. The photos on this post therefore do no justice to the beauty of St Regis. I will have to go back for proper clicks… and more of the J&G Steakhouse yumminess!
J&G Steakhouse is named after Michelin star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and offers his scrumptious steak-dominated creations in a beautifully up-class, sophisticated setting. The restaurant features a classic-style long, wooden bar at the entrance and the seating is all deep wood and somber leather.
We started off our J&G Steakhouse experience with a live demo on martini mixing. The bartender at J&G has a gorgeous Ukrainian accent, and this, topped with the stunning setting, added to the ‘posh’ factor of this session.
Best of all, we got split up into teams of four and had to come up with the most flavorful martini mix to impress our judge bartender! Lucky for us, we had Ramy on our team, who happens to be quite the nifty mixologist! He created a dry martini with an artistically twisted zest of lemon, and won our team first place :-)
While working on the mixes, we had delicious nibbles on the side. On the left is a bowl of J&G’s Black Truffle Comte Cheese Fritters. These breaded dumplings are stuffed with oozy cheese and ‘oh so flavorful’ truffles! Pity they disappeared so fast, I could have easily had a whole stack of these to myself!
We moved on from the bar to the ‘meat bar’ of the restaurant. Here you can choose from a variety of fine cuts of meat, the most premium being grade 7 Australian Wagyu beef (the staff tells us this will soon be upgraded with the 9+ variation).
We met J&G Steakhouse’s Chef Daniel who gave us a brief intro to the meat bar.
Apart from meats, you can also choose from a beautiful variety of seafood including crab, oysters and shellfish.
We started off the meal with a palate cleanser. Here is J&G’s Coconut Sorbet with Yuzu Foam, two of my favorite flavors in one refreshing slurp! It has a mild saltiness which I love, and you can really get a whiff of that gorgeous yuzu zestiness with every dainty spoonful.
For appetizers, we were served a very fresh, flavorful Tuna Tarte. It was served with finely sliced avocado and radish, the later adding a tinge of heat to an otherwise cold, mild palette. To top it off, the entire bowl was spooned down with drippings of a spicy-sweet ginger marinade.
The other appetizer on the table was J&G’s Grilled Prawns with Red Papaya Mustard and Cumin Honey. The prawn pieces were so meaty, moist and well seasoned that I almost ignored the dressing on the side. Loved the play of honey sweet with a hint of spice.
For the main course, we were introduced to this monstrously huge 1.4 kilogram Australian Black Onyx Tomahawk Steak. We were in meat-lover paradise!
As if this succulently meaty, well-marbled beef was not a treat on its own, a server came to the table with a total of 50 different varieties of mustards to choose from as a side!
I decided to get creative, and made a mix of my own. I asked for the Peppercorn Mustard whipped up with Dijon, freckled with chili peppers and a bout of chili oil. I’ve christened this the Tezzy Mustard Mix :-)
For side dishes, we were offered steamed broccoli with melted parmesan, asparagus spears, and grilled mushroom.
The other main dish on the table was J&G’s Soy-Glazed Short Ribs with Apple Jalapeno Puree and Rosemary Crumbs. The ribs were coated in a decadently sweet, sticky Asian-inspired dressing and the puree on the side provided a recluse from all that richness. Sour Granny Smith green apples with jalapeno is such a delightful combination of flavors! I would have to say I enjoyed the puree just as much as the ribs!
For dessert, we had J&G’s Cheesecake and Salted Caramel Sundae.
The cheesecake was really dense, and the deceptively small portion size is really satiating.
However, J&G’s Salted Caramel Sundae was my favorite sweet treat for the night. Their salted caramel ice-cream has the rich aftertaste of Dulche Leche, and the saltiness accentuates the caramelized flavors beautifully. An equal-sized dollop of cream sits next to the salted caramel should you wish to mix it up to bring down the rich sweetness. I found the addition of caramelized popcorn on the side rather delightful! Just wish this portion size could be doubled :-)
A big ‘thank-you’ to Zomato UAE for having us at this absolutely stunning venue with equally stunning food! So happy to be a part of the Zomato clan #ZomatoMeetup
I plan to be back at St Regis real soon, and next time I promise to be armed with my camera for better clicks, so stay tuned :-)
For more information on St Regis Dubai, visit their website. The glamor quotient will impress the hell out of your dinner date!
