At a recent dinner party, conversation turned inevitably to the credit crunch and someone raised the issue of restaurants across town being universally empty. At this point I couldn’t concur, having been, the night before, shoe-horned into the last remaining table, mid-week, at Le Classique, Emirates Golf Club. And there’s a reason for that… Newly refurbished with a chic fresh face, Le Classique is an insider’s top tip for innovative French fine dining. 

 
Chef Francois’ pledge to his patrons is simple…

“My love and passion for cooking good food with selective and unique ingredients has made me offer every food-lover my creations and a touch of flair to every dish in this menu. Bon apetit mes amis. ” Francois Porte

 

And from the hors d’oeuvres to the wicked choice of deserts, he holds true to his promise…

 

 

This is not one of those menus where your favourite option leaps from the page. My friend and I both deliberated before choosing, relegating other dishes to ‘next time’.

 

We started with a ‘Terrine de Fois Gras’ and ‘Timbale de Coeur de Saumon, Salade de Torteau at Crevette du Golfe’ ; simply put, duck liver pate and a seafood medley.  Both were perfectly prepared and we also very much enjoyed the Grand Marnier sorbet that followed.

 

For the main course, whilst my guest had opted for ‘French Duck Breast cooked pink and served with Black Currant Duck Jus’, I had followed my nose. When we entered the restaurant, a nearby guest was watching his dinner being prepared for him at a mobile cooking station. Just mention the words “fried in butter” and other concepts such as “I thought you were being good” seem to drop out of my mind ;-) I ordered “Filets Mignon”; tender medallions of beef coated with Szechwan pepper, sealed in butter, flamed with brandy and served in green pepper sauce. The plate was prepared at the table, with the accompanying sizzling and aromas. The steak was perfect and the sauce delicious.

 

The waiting staff have found the right balance between attentive and unobtrusive, and were helpful with menu choices. Usually resisting deserts, we couldn’t help ourselves and ordered Crepes Suzette and the cheese board. Oh well…. an extra fifteen minutes on the run tomorrow!

 

This is fine dining and prices reflect the quality of the offering. A la carte, starters are AED40 – AED85, main courses AED50 – AED210 and desserts from AED45. The ‘menu degustation’ offers two courses for AED195, three for AED220 and four for AED250 per person, with a choice of some ten starters, six main courses and a good selection of deserts. A decent bottle of white wine can be purchased from around AED200. So all in all, given the experience I would have to say, reasonable value for an extremely pleasant evening. Warmly recommended.