The best beef short ribs I have ever tasted. That is my top takeaway from Tatel, the latest addition to Downtown Dubai’s burgeoning fine-dining circuit.
The restaurant opened at Hotel Boulevard, Autograph Collection last month and has hit the ground running, living up to its promise to serve up haute Spanish cuisine in an ambient 1920s-style venue. Co-founded by football, tennis and basketball superstars Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal and Pau Gasol, the brand launched in Madrid in 2014 and has since expanded to Ibiza, Beverly Hills, Mexico City, Riyadh and Valencia.
It arrives in Dubai with a big reputation, one that has been growing around the world. Indeed, USA Today lists Tatel as a fine-dining establishment worth flying to. An hour-long drive from Abu Dhabi must be worth the effort, then, I conclude. And so my dining partner and I drive down Sheikh Zayed Road from the capital, arriving at Tatel intrigued to find out what all the fuss is about.
Where to sit and what to expect
After being greeted like celebrities at the grand double-door entrance, we are escorted inside to a marble-topped table for two. It is still bright outside so our eyes need to adjust as we enter a luxurious and charming interconnected space dimly lit by the soft glow of antique-style ceiling and table lamps.
Cobbled flooring, plush chairs, dark wood panelling and the rich, warm hues of maroon create an intimate, ambient atmosphere. The dining area has an open kitchen and there are private spaces available for a VIP service. Tatel also has a garden terrace that will be open in the cooler winter months and that frames Burj Khalifa as a picture-perfect backdrop.
Our immediate backdrop, though, is a small stage where a pop duet later begin a set, their warm, rhythmic sounds of Spain giving off Mediterranean beach resort vibes.
The menu
Jose, our charming waiter from the Dominican Republic, talks us through the options and offers to make recommendations. The menu has meat, vegetarian and seafood dishes, each prepared with Spanish-imported and local ingredients, he explains. We take up his suggestion of signature dishes to share for a quintessential Tatel experience.
Crusty warm bread and Spanish olive oil arrive first before we tuck in to Iberian Cecina croquettes (Dh70), beautifully served from a bed of hot stones. Crisp golden potato stuffed with cured beef and rich bechamel sauce stimulates memories for my taste buds of haggis and peppercorn sauce. The prawn (Dh70) and mushroom (Dh65) croquettes are equally delicious, while the Cecina de Leon Iberian cured beef (Dh125) is an excellent cold starter choice for those who – like me – appreciate the full flavour of traditional dry-aged Spanish jerky.
Sticking with signature dishes, our evening highlight comes next. Arroz Tatel con costilla de vacuno (Dh340) is a sharing platter of glazed slow-cooked beef short ribs served with rice. The marinated melt-in-the-mouth meat apparently takes 18 hours to cook in the oven, locking in the lip-smacking flavour. I’ve enjoyed ribs in more than a few locations, but nothing comes close to this. The sharing platter, however, leads to a passive-aggressive fork fight for the flaky and flavoursome final mouthful.
I win and concede some Jasper-grilled asparagus (Dh55) in return. It is an ideal side dish accompaniment to the sensational ribs. We are already more than satisfied, but Jose insists we try Tatel’s famous cheesecake, nuestra famosa tarta de queso (Dh65) for dessert.
Incredibly creamy with a crisp coating and gooey centre, the traditional Basque region speciality is quickly devoured even though we are already full to bursting.
A chat with the chef
Head chef Alejandro Maestro is a man who clearly lives up to his name in the kitchen. He arrived in Dubai after two years at Tatel’s Riyadh branch and five spent where it all began in Madrid before that.
Brimming with enthusiasm for this exciting new project in Dubai, chef Maestro isn’t giving away any secrets about his majestic ribs recipe but is delighted with my feedback. “We have done a deep search into the available produce to ensure we are sourcing the absolute best and bringing the real taste of Spain to Dubai,” he says.
Price point and contact information
Appetisers start at Dh60, mains start at Dh95 and desserts start at Dh50.
Tatel is open from 7pm to 1am from Sunday to Wednesday, and from 7pm to 2am from Thursday to Saturday. Reservations can be made by calling 04 215 2121 or visiting tatelrestaurants.com.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
