We Brits often jest about our European neighbours, yet we buy their furniture, drive their cars and eat their food in place of our own incredibly beige fare. Shamefully it’s our ancient frenemies, the French, who bear the brunt of it. But on a recent visit to Dubai’s foremost French and Italian restaurant, La Petite Maison, I was more than humbled by a culinary showcase, capitulating into a voluntary flavour coma with every polished dish – and with a little help from a few glasses of the recommended red.
A reservation at La Petite Maison is tantamount to a return ticket to the Cote d’Azur, with a comprehensive range of dishes from southern France and Italy. It’s white-tablecloth dining but the pleasantly convivial setting is void of the pretention you’d expect from one of the city’s utmost dining institutions. Even on a Sunday, every table is filled and buzzing, diners seated in a tasteful dining room that glows with subdued lighting, with contemporary art pieces adorning the walls.
The setting is classically European but refreshingly metropolitan, with a Mexican waitress and a Filipino maître d’. Our sommelier, however, is a native Frenchman; hence the recommended bottle of Heritage De Vannieres, a memorable blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Shiraz, bottled just a few kilometres from his home in Marseilles.
A Mediterranean meal is never complete without cheese and a healthy heap of burrata – Italy’s greatest export since pizza – is augmented by cherry tomato halves and lashing of olive oil. As for the grilled aubergine, it leaves the plate with a satisfying string of melted mozzarella, along with an unsurprisingly flavourful combination of prawns and pesto.To add yet more rich flavours and textures, a chunky olive tapenade is on hand between courses, served with thin and crispy slices of toasted bread, for a perfect little hors d’oeuvre that won’t dominate your stomach’s precious capacity, which is important considering what was yet to come.
Our trusted sommelier recommends a hearty rouge since he knew I would settle on the entrecôte. The 400-gram grilled rib eye is cooked to a (very French) medium, with a centre pinker than a pasty Brit who fell asleep in the sun; brimming with juicy flavour beneath its dark brown crust. Will such a bold flavour, there’s not much call for the accompaniment of Béarnaise, but a side of lightly buttered greens beans makes for a satisfying contrast of tastes.
My dining partner, less enthusiastic about red meat, settles for a whole sea bream doused in lemon juice, herbs and olive oil. It’s presented before being whisked away, filleted and promptly returned. For the finale, we opt for a true crescendo with a double helping of chocolate sweets: a salted-caramel chocolate tart with chocolate sorbet and a warm chocolate mousse with malt ice cream. With so many new restaurants vying for attention with overcomplicated recipes and wacky ingredients, La Petite Maison is a heartfelt love letter to simple fine dining, with quality ingredients, attentive service and beloved dishes.
It’s not hard to see why the restaurant makes the San Pellegrino-sponsored World’s 50 Best list – sneaking in at number 99, behind only the neighbouring Zuma as the expert-chosen best refectory in the entire Middle East. It may be sad to bid adieu to the EU, but at least I now know where to go and celebrate the best of Europe in the Middle East.
DINE:
What: La Petite Maison Dubai
Where: Gate Village 8, DIFC
Price: AED 815 for two
(without drinks)
Tel: +971 4 439 0505
Web: www.lpmdubai.ae