Review: Eva Beach House

A beautiful new spot for beach days and long, leisurely lunches…

Palm West Beach is fast becoming one of the best spots in the city for sun-soaked beach days. But the jewel in its crown is The Club, a sleek new building set to house nine globally-inspired concepts. The second to open its doors, after SAN Beach, is Eva Beach House, bringing a slice of Tulum’s boho-chic shores to the top of The Palm.

The venue is a vision, which is no surprise when you take a glance at founder Aiza Ussenova’s other concepts: the ultra-Instagrammable Italian restaurant Mura; and Saya Brasserie, the pretty collection of cafes decked out in endless shades of pink. For Eva Beach House, it’s a much more subdued, earthy palette, but the same attention to detail is impeccable throughout.

Large in size but cleverly separated behind alcoves and archways, inside a bright pink bar and lounge leads round to an open kitchen that faces large booths for big group lunches and dinners, then into a more formal indoor dining area. Billowing white curtains, rattan chairs and soft furnishings of rope and macrame in cream and buttery hues make it feel like a beachy wonderland.

Outside, the same colour palette dominates for the alfresco restaurant, and the plush sun loungers that flank the edge of the pool. Then there’s the beach, with relaxed lounge seating, oversized cushions and rows of sun loungers dotted at each end with plush cabanas.

There’s a duo of experiences to enjoy at Eva. On our visit, many guests choose to perch up for a day on a burnt orange lounger, retreating from the heat under an ivory parasol and darting between there and the temperature-controlled pool. Service is quick but not intrusive, and a concise edition of Eva’s full menu is served to those not wishing to move from the beach and pool.

Those that, like us, choose to sample the restaurant dining experience for lunch are treated to an extensive menu of hot and cold starters, a dedicated raw section, pasta, pizza, plus separate fish and and meat options, as well as a dedicated sushi list. It’s extensive and varied, blurring the lines of Greek, Spanish, French and Italian cuisines, with pan-Asian influences added for good measure.

All designed to share, we opt for a perfectly plated cheese and charcuterie board (Dhs120), piled with Mediterranean meats, cheeses and a basket of freshly baked Catalan bread. While all very good, cubes of cheese dipped into the truffle honey makes for the tastiest way to start our afternoon feast. There’s plenty of salads to choose from for those looking to eat a little lighter, but you won’t be disappointed when ordering the king crab salad (Dhs190), with fresh crab meat tossed in a punchy horseradish served on layers of babygem with jumbo asparagus and shredded apple. Our last starter is the slightly disappointing crispy octopus (Dhs85), which is a little overcooked and tastes a little more rubbery than we’d have liked.

The swift-to-arrive truffle and mushroom pizza (Dhs155) has us quickly forgetting about the octopus. With its perfect ratio of tasty topping to perfectly cooked base, it’s one of the best truffle pizzas we’ve ever eaten. From the fresh fish counter, we choose the carabineros jumbo prawns (Dhs160 each) with a side of crunchy broccolini (Dhs55). The prawns are fresh and full of flavour, although a little on the pricey side for what you get.

Service is friendly and welcoming, and the well designed spaces make this an ideal new spot both for beach days and long, leisurely lunches.