Offside Sports Lounge is the new watering hole on Saadiyat Island that’s pet-friendly too…

Good news for Saadiyat residents – there’s a proper sports bar on your island now. Offside Sports Lounge recently opened in the glamorous Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort and we were keen to check it out.

On the night we paid a visit, the Liverpool vs Tottenham match was being screened on a huge five metre x three metre projection — one of 11 screens in total — and about a dozen full tables were enjoying the atmosphere and nine draughts on tap.

The food menu is pure fun, all cute names and plays on words. We ordered the Superbowl truffle rings (Dhs60) to start, a vegetarian dish that was the first high score of our meal. A key was the choice of red onion, each ring coated with parmesan and bread crumbs to create the perfect crunch. Truffle mayonnaise ribboned over the top boosted this appetiser to near perfection. The Caesar azpilicueta (Dhs79) was anchovy-laden salty goodness, topped with beef bacon and a delicately poached egg.

But the top scorer of the night was the Offside wagyu burger (Dhs110), which is spectacular. The soft and buttery brioche bun is just the start: homemade dill pickles, smoked cheese, cured tomato, butter lettuce and one of those aforementioned truffle rings top tender wagyu beef. Smoosh it down, take a huge bite and keep your napkin handy — this is a messy but oh-so-worth it treat.

Unfortunately, we were so full we could only taste the Angus 48-hour short ribs (Dhs155); falling off the bone, beautifully fatty, steeped in a beautiful jus, they made a great next-day lunch. The only miss of the meal was the side of soft polenta on the ribs: we just couldn’t wrap our heads around the texture, which was much thinner than we were used to.

We chose strawberry cheesecake ice cream sandwiched between two crunchy Dutch waffle cookies. A real treat.

And in a dramatic first for the capital’s pet lovers, Offside even has a dog’s menu. There’s a doggy dish of the day (Dhs35) with rice and vegetables; house-made dog biscuits, a burger, ox chips and ‘ice cream’ in flavours only a dog could love, including salmon and liver.

Offside, Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort, Sun to Thur 5pm to 3am; Fri and Sat 12pm  to 3am. jumeirah.com