Equity Magazine August 2017 Issue

GASTRONOMY
BRITISH CLASSICS
2
MARINA SOCIAL
Training with top chefs including Ferran Adrià at elBulli
and Marco Pierre White, and launching Gordon Ramsay’s
Maze in London, gives you an overall understanding of
the Food and Beverage business. Jason Atherton gained
plenty of experiences from these culinary stars, launching
his own restaurant group, The Social Company and
picking up a Michelin star and accolades for his flagship
outlet Pollen Street Social soon after. The brand has
since been operational in Hong Kong and Shanghai, with
the next natural step being the Middle East, and where
better to launch than in Dubai? The InterContinental
Dubai Marina is home to the Social Room, an elongated
dimly-bit bar with perfect fruity and classic cocktails, with
the sprawling dining outlet Marina Social set towards the
other side. Atherton’s creativity comes through with the
starters featuring substantial portions of goat’s cheese
churros with truffle honey and a chunky succulent beef
tartare with egg yolk jam, mixed tableside, and served
with a dollop of horseradish cream. Up next, we dug into
shredded chicken dumplings with crisp chicken skin, sunk
under a moreish seductive foam with white onion and
tarrago, to enhance the aromas and flavours. Chunky
cloud-like pieces of potato gnocchi were served with
mushrooms and a full-bodied wild garlic puree that
gradually creeps up. The Munchies tasting menu followed
on with a tear-apart slow-cooked BBQ veal short rib
accompanied by mashed potato, perfectly done
Yorkshire pudding and honey glazed carrots that offered
a bite with nutty texture from the crumble atop. The
delicate juicy duck breast is best enjoyed as one big
morsel with the baked kohlrabi and truffle creamed
savoy cabbage beneath it. New dishes have been added
to the menu showcasing seabass with coco beans and
green asparagus with a two-hour slow cooked egg.
Desserts feature a chocolate coated banofee-style bar
and gelati accompanied with a fun guess-the-flavour
game. The mango, banana – tastes like pudding –
lemongrass and parsnip were our favourites. A dessert
trolley rolls around as you are about to depart, to create
a complimentary box filled with jelly, brownies, tiramisu
macarons and marshmallow, to take home. It’s a lovely
little touch that makes the meal even more memorable.
Need to know: Tasting menus range from Dhs325+ with
grape pairing available. An a la carte menu is also
available. Call +971 4 446 6664.
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EQUITY