|
Time Out
Dubai Staff on Wednesday, 16 May 2007 |
 |
It was like something out of a beauty pageant. From a
tranquil table on the softly lit terrace outside The
Sapphire – the newly opened restaurant and bar at Century
Village – we watched the young women sashay across the
decking and through the doors, where some attempt at a
swanky party was gathering pace. The luxuriant, flowing
hair, the pouting, glossy lips, the pushed-out chests and
the belt-narrow mini-skirts were competing for attention
with my fish and chips – a rack of chunky, fluffy potato
wedges crouching under a fillet of pan-fried salmon drizzled
in chilli sauce. |
The pink, moist flesh glistened in the moonlight, its sweet
scent filling the air with tempting promises of guilty
pleasures. And the fish wasn’t bad either.
Whatever this army of stunners was here for, it evidently
wasn’t the food. Many of them looked like they hadn’t eaten
in weeks. Which was a shame. They could have filled their
thigh-length boots with The Sapphire’s grilled jumbo prawns,
for a start. A fine catch of stout crustaceans was
complemented by a zingy green papaya som tam salad, which
was riddled with hot peppers and studded with crushed
peanuts. Equally as appetising was my grilled hammour satay,
which offered skewers of succulent smoky fish shrouded in a
hearty dollop of nutty sauce next to an addictively tasty
grilled pineapple salsa. Both starters looked the part, but
they had the personality to match.
As more stiletto heels stabbed at the terrace decking, a
surefooted waiter approached with our main courses. The Thai
green curry was a creamy crowd of tender chicken pieces,
squishy Thai aubergines, chunky lemongrass shards and
crunchy bamboo shoots with chilli and fresh coriander
leaves. It was soon mixed in with a bowl of steamed plain
rice and made scarce. Similarly, precious little was left of
my fish and chips – a dish as simple as Paris Hilton and
twice as satisfying as her prison sentence. And it wasn’t
long before more attractive treats were brought to the
table.
Following a grinning waiter’s gushing recommendation, I
chose the sticky date pudding. It arrived in a close,
spongy, fruit-packed lump plonked in a sweet caramel sauce
next to a blob of smooth, white vanilla bean ice cream and
it duly disappeared in a flash. Meanwhile, across the table,
a wedge of kaffir lime cheesecake and blueberry jam was
being attacked and dispatched with surprising celerity.
Those party-going girls didn’t know what they were missing.
The bill
(for two)
Mineral water Dhs17
Jumbo prawns Dhs55
Grilled hammour satay Dhs30
Sapphire fish and chips Dhs60
Thai chicken green curry Dhs65
Cheesecake Dhs25
Sticky date pudding Dhs25
Total (not including service) Dhs277
The Sapphire, Century Village, Aviation Club (04 286 8520).
Open daily 5pm-12 midnight.
All major
credit cards accepted.
Reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff on Wednesday, 16 May 2007 |
|
|
|
