I’ve been to Rodeo Drive, which opened in Jebel Ali Village in September, three times now. The first time I decorated a Stetson hat with feathers and sequins, and enjoyed a refreshing hibiscus and vanilla mocktail. The second time, sporting said Stetson, I discovered my two left feet during the cowboy boogie in a roomful of dancer friends. The third time, my daughter and I perched on beanbags in the play area to read books by Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton.
All in all, a good time was had each time – and it all started with a skillet of sizzling cheese.
First impressions
Rodeo Drive’s entrance, nestled in a little nook just past the entrance of Oaks Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel, belies its 1,300-square-metre expanse.
Loud and proud in its all-American look and feel, the restaurant has a gargantuan motorcycle and a Statue of Liberty bedecked with modern attire in the reception; lashings of tobacco-hued wood and Native American figurines in the main dining area; and arcade games and a life-size mechanical bull in the bar section.
Children are well served by a play area stocked with a trove of books, edutainment toys and a mini ball pit, while adults can test their balancing skills to hilarious effect on the bull.
A stage each in the dining and bar areas offers live entertainment – with family-friendly tunes in the one and foot-tapping country music and a bevy of line dancers in the other.
The vibe is overarchingly cheery and entertaining, a happy space if ever there was one.
The menu
A melty mix of cheeses, refried beans, beef chorizo, chilli-marinated shrimps and crunchy onions – there's much to love about the sizzling cheese (Dh85).
The dish served as my introduction to the expansive Rodeo Drive menu and was ordered on each subsequent visit. I ordered it without jalapenos roundels the second time round, but that didn’t at all detract from the piping-hot gooey goodness of the meat-beans-cheese combo that can be scooped up with freshly baked tortillas.
Another starter worth its cotija cheese is the guacamole (Dh65), a lush mix of avocado chunks and mash, with a garnish of sesame and pumpkin seeds and a side of crispy plantain adding some mouth-watering crunch that bumps up the now-standard avo dish.
As both these dishes, as well as the truffle-Parmesan fries, prove, there is no shirking of flavours on this menu. Everything comes with generous garnish or dipping sauces galore – although this ethos didn’t serve the overtly fishy Boston clam chowda (Dh55) too well.
Mains are a mix of Tex-Mex and slow-cooked fast food, with all manner of vegan, vegetarian and meaty tacos, sliders, pizzas and pasta options.
Of these, the saucy jalapeno-pesto pasta (Dh65 without protein) is a piquant pick, brimming with sun-dried tomatoes, onions and Parmesan.
The menu also has a live fire grill section, with everything from baby chicken and herbed lamb chops to short ribs and tomahawk steak.
In a bid to expand my daughter’s palate, I got the 200g tenderloin (Dh155) to share – although not much sharing happened once the fine-grained steak with chimichurri butter arrived at the table.
Standout dish – and one to avoid
I'd go back for both the indulgent sizzling cheese and tenderloin, but the latter is my pick for a menu highlight if only because I’ve never seen my five-year-old finish a meal quite so quickly. The buttery soft meat pairs perfectly with the tangy chimichurri, and is now a firm favourite for both generations in my household.
A usually beloved dish I’d refrain from reordering at Rodeo Drive is the uninspired mac and cheese croquette.
Spend or splurge
A three-course meal at Rodeo Drive can cost between Dh160 and Dh900.
On the high end of the price spectrum across starter, main and dessert are: seafood campechana in cocktail sauce (Dh95), 1,300g tomahawk with confit butter and two sides (Dh750) and Brazilian brigadeiro cake (Dh55). The three most reasonable dishes are: veggie empanadas (Dh55 for three), chicken pastor tacos (Dh60 for three) and banana pudding or churros (Dh45 each).
A chat with the chef
Chef Walter Melo hails from Mexico City and has worked in kitchens including the celebrity-studded Maravilla Los Cabos in Mexico and The Grill at Leon Springs in Texas. Closer to home, Melo brought modern Mexican fine dining to the UAE with Peyote Dubai.
The chef says Rodeo Drive follows cocina de autor, or “author’s cooking style, wherein dishes are not only visually appealing, but also rich in flavour and texture because of high-quality ingredients and preparing everything from scratch”.
He says chillies are a cornerstone of this menu, yet heat is not always the end game. “In Latin America, we’re fortunate to have an incredible variety of chillies,” he adds. “Not all are spicy, but rather they’re full of flavour, complexity and depth. At Rodeo Drive, I’ve incorporated them in soups, pasta sauces and steak marinades.”
The verdict
Rodeo Drive serves flavourful dishes with a side of uninhibited entertainment, and is suitable to visit with family, friends and out-of-towners alike.
Contact information
Rodeo Drive in Oaks Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel, Jebel Ali Village, is open daily from noon to 3am. Reservations can be made by calling 04 259 7497.
