Dubai: New Year’s Eve at JB’s Gastropub

Happy New Year! For the first time in years, Poul was not working and we were both in Dubai, so we decided to celebrate New Year’s Eve at JB’s Gastropub on JBR. JB’s is just about as close as you get to a local neighborhood restaurant on notoriously touristy JBR, and I like the casual, pub-style atmosphere of the place.

Our last meal of the year started with an amuse bouche with cornbread and goat cheese. I think it came straight from the fridge, because it was so cold you couldn’t really taste the goat cheese, which was a shame. I think it would have been better served at room temperature. We then had a starter with scallops, prawns and barley, and a starter with duck and red cabbage. Two very different creations, but both were delicious and there wasn’t a single crumb left, when we were done.

After the starters, the staff came around with champagne popsicles to clear the palates before the main course arrived, which I think was a nice little detail. Both Poul and I tend to eat very fast, so to slow down things a bit, we had another glass of wine and asked the kitchen to hold our mains a little longer.

For the main course, we could choose between beef tenderloin or monkfish. We both chose the tenderloin, determined to savor every bite of it, as we have decided to cut down on meat in 2020, so god knows when we will be having steak again. We had asked for the steaks to be cooked rare, but mine was medium and Poul’s was well done. I think the long break between the starters and the mains, was a little hard on the steaks, but the meat was of such a good quality, that it was tasty and tender, even though it was overcooked.

For dessert we had raspberry sorbet and a big chocolate tart in the shape of a clock dial. The raspberry sorbet was scrumptious with a very berry-dominant flavor, but the big bad clock dial was just too heavy, and neither Poul nor I (nor any of the guests at the neighboring tables) managed to finish it.

Though overall, I think it was a very nice meal and the NYE package with open bar was great value for money. The staff was super nice and very attentive, and if any of them were unhappy with working on a New Year’s Eve, they did a great job hiding it. If we are in Dubai for New Year’s Eve next year, I think we would celebrate at a restaurant again, and if JB’s Gastropub has the same offer next year, maybe we’ll be back.

JB’s Gastropub, Amwaj Rotana, JBR, Dubai