Were extraterrestrials to land in the UAE tomorrow, they might be forgiven for concluding that the national dish is the burger – such is the enthusiasm with which it’s received in the Emirates. The popularity of the greasy American staple here certainly cannot be disputed, which means that even Hollywood stars want a piece of the pie – or should that be bun? – when it comes to the gourmet end of the market.
Between hosting televised practical jokes, dating some of the world’s most beautiful women and stuffing his coffers with acting turns from Two and a Half Men to the Apple co-founder’s biopic Jobs, Ashton Kutcher is also behind the Ketchup chain of diners.
Not that you would immediately twig from Ketchup’s frontage in Dubai’s bustling Downtown: while slick and neon-kissed, Ketchup isn’t quite up to Tinseltown levels of glamour. And the distracting traffic noise on its popular terrace – an otherwise smart choice in the winter cool – could make even the most patient director yell “Cut!” But that didn’t put off an almost-entirely Emirati crowd that filled many of Ketchup’s outdoor tables on our visit (according to our server, Ketchup’s clientele changes throughout the day – it’s apparently crawling with expats during daylight hours).
The menu range is comparable with any number of modern American diners in the hipper areas of major US cities (New York, especially), with breakfast options served until 2pm on weekdays and an impressively considerate 5pm at weekends. Lunch, meanwhile, is covered by a small range of sandwiches. Dinner is what we were interested in, however, so we headed straight for the starters.
The Ketchup Threesome was a filling mini-plate of skinny, truffle parmesan and sweet potato fries, replete with no less than five different tomato ketchup-based dips. In truth, telling the quintet apart would have taken a world-class condiment connoisseur, but the disparate trio of fries are worth the Dh28 regardless. The Buffalo chicken wings with Louisiana hot sauce (there’s also an option for smoked barbecue sauce) felt like slightly less-fantastic value at Dh38. The micro-bucket with vegetable garnish did nothing wrong per se, but failed to leave much of a lasting impression beyond tongue-tingling tang.
Adjectives such as “micro” and “mini” were thrown under the wheels of the nearest passing car come the mains, though. The Stack – an intimidating Dh114 tower of double beef patty, beef bacon, cheddar cheese and sautéed mushrooms – presented a Man v Food-style eating challenge that we were destined to fail comprehensively. My dining partner was far more demure in skipping to the “Sea” section of the menu: the grilled salmon with mixed green salad and feta salsa triumphed over its burger competition in both sensibleness and subtlety.
Drinks can make or break a diner-style eatery and Ketchup, thankfully, fell into the former category. The refreshing Mai-Tai mocktail was hard to differentiate from the real thing. The strawberry-banana milkshake hit the spot, too. The desserts kept up that notable work, as well: the baked New York cheesecake transported you straight to the Big Apple, while its splendid fresh berry compote masked any culinary guilt. The Ice Cream Sandwich Threesome further mixed up the flavours, with vanilla bean and chocolate frozen dessert between chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies.
For the less-than-healthy eater, Ketchup can be crowned as a king of fast-food-done-posh in Dubai. Your wallet may not thank you for making it a regular destination over the lower-rent burger franchises that litter the UAE, mind you.
A meal for two at Ketchup, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, Dubai, costs Dh354. For reservations, call 04 363 8595. Reviewed meals are paid for by The National and conducted incognito
[ aworkman@thenational.ae ]
