Can the Galvin brothers’ latest venture put City Walk firmly on the foodie map?

If you’re British, you’ll likely know of the Galvin brothers. They have a critically acclaimed restaurant in London’s Harrods department store. Earlier this year, Chris and Jeff Galvin opened Demoiselle by Galvin in City Walk – a causal café with arguably the best French toast in the city. It’s with great anticipation, then, that we visit Galvin, the brothers’ second restaurant in the city. “While Demoiselle is a very casual meeting place, Galvin is a more grown up venue,” said Chris when we met up with the lads back in May.

More grown up indeed.

Galvin is split over two floors; the ground level has quite a lavish interior, but it’s still inviting without being stuffy. There’s a more relaxed lounge upstairs with a central bar and a menu that focuses on smaller, bar bites.

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While the duo man their other restaurants abroad, it’s left to executive chef Luigi Vespero to helm the kitchen. He’s worked alongside the brothers in London for many years and is as dedicated to producing quality food as they are. The menu, we’re told, isn’t designed to be shared, which for us is a very welcome concept in a city that’s all about eating ‘family style’.

The steak tartare (Dhs62) is delicious – we’d even argue that it’s best we’ve ever had. The confit egg yolk is served on the side and coupled with a tomato relish to make a winning combination. The escargot (Dhs82) is cooked simply a la bourguignonne (lightly seasoned in butter and garlic sauce) and tastes divine. Meanwhile, the beef tenderloin (Dhs248) is cooked to perfection, and served with wild mushrooms and bone marrow tarte fine. The tagine of lamb (Dhs146) is a table-wide hit – we bent the rules a little and shared the dish, which is beautifully presented on a bed of couscous with a delicate aubergine purée. For dessert, definitely order the chocolate fondant (Dhs46). Warm chocolate sauce oozes out of the centre – just as it should.

Chef Luigi has certainly done the brothers proud.

The Square, City Walk, Dubai, daily noon to 2am. Tel: (04) 590 5444. Taxi: City Walk. galvindubai.com

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