If you’re still a little on edge about COVID but also starting to suffer from Cabin Fever/ desperately seeking some haute cuisine that didn’t come out of your kitchen or a take-out container, you might just want to add La Cantine Du Faubourg to your upcoming agenda, as did my friends and I last week (and we all enjoyed one of our best meals of the year).
I’m not new to town and therefore I’ve tried (and loved) La Cantine Du Faubourg before, in equal parts as it’s sister property Ninive, which both offer such completely different cuisines, menus and ambiences, but both satisfy almost identically. I’ve always been transparent about how Arab cuisine doesn’t excite me very much as I’m a fan of very punchy, very bold flavors, but Ninive pretty much had me and my guest floored, especially as it’s headed by a French chef (Gilles Bosquet) who is trained and experienced only in classical French, and that truly speaks volumes on what a hugely talented genius he really is.
As quoted on hotelnews.me, Chef Bosquet’s achievements include winning a Michelin star for L’Auberge à la Bonne Idée in France within two years of joining, and opening Gordon Ramsay Fine Dining and Opal by Gordon Ramsay at the St. Regis Doha.
When my friends and I wanted to meet last week and one of them suggested we revisit La Cantine Du Faubourg, I was immediately on board, and only after the first course, I regretted not having come back for so long. Here’s what we had:
The spicy beef tartare toasts, spiced with birds eye chili and topped with cilantro and crispy shallots is henceforth, without a doubt my favorite beef tartare in town, and all 5 ladies on my table agreed. Priced at AED 65, this was fairly priced.
A quinoa and kale salad isn’t something exciting enough for me to order at a restaurant (ever), but if you’re going vegetarian or want to see how a quinoa and kale salad can be enjoyable, you could order this version with apples, goji berries and parmesan, priced at AED 77.
Another salad option you could pick if you’re in the mood for salad is the peach, heirloom tomatoes, basil and candied lemon salad, priced at AED 60.
I’m here for the burrata though. The sign of a good quality, fresh burrata is that the inside should be creamy and consistent and the skin should be so thin you shouldn’t really be able to detect it. This burrata was just that, and with melon Charentais and datterino tomatoes, this plate was demolished with seconds. Price: AED 88.
A ceviche almost always tends to jump out at me when I see it on a menu, and with sesame, avocado and a sweet onion vinaigrette, this Yellowfin tuna ceviche was perfectly balanced and irresistible!
I know this meal will claim a lot of ‘favorites’, but that’s simply the truth. We loved so many of the things we had this night that it was one of those meals I wanted an encore of before I had even left. These honey-glazed wagyu short ribs with pomelo, spring onion and cilantro were crispy on the outside but melted in our mouths like butter as soon as we bit into them. Priced at AED 210, this plate was another crowd-pleaser.
This plate of lemon taglioni with a generous quenelle of Oscietra caviar was (in my humble opinion) very fairly priced at AED 230, considering the amount of caviar on it, and it was such perfect, exquisite, luxurious excellence that I could’ve simply stopped here and still rated this meal a solid 10/10. I absolutely cannot wait to return to La Cantine Du Faubourg and have this again.
But we didn’t stop there, and it (almost) only kept getting better. I’ll never not order octopus when I see it on a menu and I certainly wasn’t going to stop now. This grilled octopus with matte potatoes and yuzu dressing was tender, juicy, beautifully charred and a plate I would happily go back for. Price: AED 157.
Paella is one of my least favourite things to eat. I would never order it, so when the chef sent this out, my heart sank. I had a spoon and was instantly turned. Then I realized this isn’t a paella at all, but in fact squish’s ink risotto with grilled calamari. The surprising burst of lemon cuts through this rich dish but in a very pleasant way, and this has now become one of my favouite risottos in town. Price: 140.
Walnut-crusted Chilean sea bass with pumpkin, quinoa and parmesan sauce was another truly exceptional, stellar dish and another one of the many I would go back for. Price: AED 188
Finally- a dish that didn’t excite me: the corn-fed chicken breast with mozzarella, tomato concasśe and basil. It wasn’t bad, but just not something I would order compared to the other very impressive dishes we had. Octopus vs. chicken is a no-brainer.
Potato gratin, always a satisfying sides. Price: AED 42
My last trip to La Cantine Du Faubourg was just as pleasurable as this one in terms of food, a solid 10/10, but the desserts brought it down to a 7.5 because it was all sizzle and no steak. Think a giant martini glass with an overly (vanilla) perfumed Eton’s Mess. This time, however, the desserts had just as much ‘wow’ appeal as they were delicious. First up: a very long Mille Feuille.
And last but not the least: a warm, gooey, bittersweet dark chocolate soufflé.
The winning dishes (without a doubt and unanimously agreed upon) were the spicy beef tartare toasts, the squid ink risotto, octopus and the lemon taglioni!
