Dubai: JB’s Gastropub – Casual JBR dining

I was in Copenhagen on Valentine’s Day, and even though Poul and I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’re always use an excuse to dine out. Before I left Dubai, we therefore went for pre-Valentine’s dinner and date night at JB’s Gastropub on JBR.

The restaurant is tucked away behind a hedge on the side of Amwaj Rotana, so if you don’t know about JB’s, chances are big you’ll walk right past one of Dubai’s most popular eateries, without even noticing. Though the hedge serves an important purpose, because in Dubai you’re not allowed to drink alcohol in public. If you’re hidden behind a big hedge, inside a hotel area, it’s a different case.

We were slightly some 30 minutes late for our reservation, so the table had gone to somebody else, but the hostess found a table for us on the outside patio instead. Poul was getting good vibes from the “braised short ribs” on the menu, but they were unavailable that evening. As a matter of fact, it turned out that all their dishes with barbecued pork were unavailable, so instead he settled for a ribeye steak with béarnaise sauce and shoe string fries. I wanted something lighter, so instead of ordering one main, I went for two starters: Messy Prawns and Grilled Octopus.

The prawns were delicious, and small bites of spicy chorizo were just great together with the intense flavor from the garlic. Unfortunately, the grilled octopus was burnt. Our table was only dimly lit, so I didn’t realize how bad it was, until I came back and saw the photos. Such a shame that nobody in the kitchen noticed it either.

When we ordered our food, they asked Poul how he wanted his steak, and he told them medium rare, but his steak came out well-done. It was still a nice piece of meat, but maybe it’s better not to ask for preferences, if you don’t intend to comply with them anyway.

I almost forgot that we also had mac and cheese. Would have been too bad not to remember, because it was excellent. It was baked and had just the right amount of cheesiness, and the serving was so big, you could have had it as a main dish.

For dessert Poul had the Strawberry Yum which was a kind of DIY sundae. It came with all sorts of toppings including small bits of popping candy. A great dessert, which was big enough for two persons to share. JB’s are known for their Adult Milkshakes, milkshakes with alcohol. I had the Strawberry Cheesecake one, and it was delicious. Ordinary milkshakes can sometimes be a bit too sweet for my liking, but the spiked ones are right down my alley. No doubt something I’ll try recreating at home.

JB’s Gastropub, Amwaj Rotana, JBR, Dubai