The National by Armenian American chef Geoffrey Zakarian is one of Dubai Expo’s ‘never seen before’ options and it is totally worth a visit, says Ipshita Sharma.
The Al Wasl Plaza is at the heart of Dubai Expo and right there, next to the heart is The National, Chef Zakarian’s baby. A weekend afternoon when the heat outside demands a walking break is the perfect time to take a look at what this New York restaurant has to offer.
The menu is a fantastic amalgamation of Italian, Spanish Mediterranean and modern American cuisine. There is also a great drinks list for those so inclined, but we get virgin mojitos to beat the heat – one yuzu and one peach. The drinks are refreshing and perfectly tart and sweet respectively.
We are met by Sam, the General Manager who drops in his food recommendations as he gushes over the team here in Dubai. The laidback decor and the comfy seating is soothing as we look over a comprehensive yet well-priced menu to choose our starters and main courses.
To begin with we get the white gazpacho, the watermelon and heirloom tomato salad and the oyster. The white gazpacho, which is distinctively different from the red version, was refreshing and the ricotta, grapes and almonds gave it a lovely finish. Poured at the table, it was a great way to start the afternoon. The watermelon and heirloom tomato salad was tangy, sweet and fun. The highlight of the starters however, was the incredibly well-cooked oyster. Grilled to perfection, with a silky potato confit and some chillies to give it another layer of flavour, it was the dish of the day. This was the first of Sam’s recommendations so we knew we were good hands having trusted him.
Being refreshed by the starters and having whetted our appetite with the octopus, we moved on to the main course. Another of Sam’s recommendations, the branzino was one of the choices with a lamb burger being the other. We had to try the burger since it is such a big part of The National’s experience.
The branzino is a work of art, expertly cooked with a slightly spicy and tangy salsa on top and a lettuce and chicory salad on the side. The skin is incredibly crispy inspite of the salsa and the whole dish is a delight to eat, especially when liberally drizzled with the grilled lemon that is served with the fish.
The lamb burger is also superbly grilled and tzatiki dressing is delicious. We do have to make a special mention of the fantastically crispy chips/fries that comes with the burger. We were reaching for them long after our tummies were full.
Now while our tummies were full, we had to make room for dessert so that’s what we did by sharing just one fruit cobbler served with homemade vanilla ice cream. Made with apple, berries and stone fruit and served surprisingly hot, this dessert is warm, comforting and the perfect food version of a security blanket and we were left feeling as snug as a bug in a rug!
The Good: Fantastic way to get NYC cravings satisfied in Dubai
The Bad: Some of the desserts weren’t available but they’re working on it
The Trendy: This is one of the few chosen #neverbeenseen restaurants featured by @eatatexpo which is Dubai Expo’s official food page.