Situated on the Palm Jumeirah, the Dukes Dubai has officially opened its doors and along with it, it's headline dining concept The Great British Restaurant. The 5 Star Dukes Palm Jumeirah is the Sister Hotel to the award-winning Dukes London - both owned by Seven Tides (of Anantara The Palm fame) and promises to be a destination where quintessential British charm meets cosmopolitan luxury.  While the Mayfair edition is classically Londonian, the overall architecture of the Dubai property regrettably does nothing to convey the beautifully sophisticated interiors which were skillfully delivered by interior design firm AKH Design. With the Dukes London being ineffably British it was always going to be interesting to see how a Great British Restaurant in Dubai would stack up.

GBR promises to bring the absolute best of British cuisine to the table along with a selection of classics with a unique twist - all with fantastic views of course. Upon arrival it is immediately apparent that a sincere effort has been put into the look and feel of the restaurant, it is dripping with style and offers a lush yet refined visual-scape that sets the tone perfectly for a lovely afternoon or evening. It is truly impressive.

There are two large kitchens that overlook the dining area that is smattered with floor to ceiling dark blue drapes, ornate light fittings and a mix of booth and traditional seating areas. Black and white prints adorn the walls and large black candelabras give a real high end feel to this rather large area, which one can imagine being a brilliant Brunch destination. 

This is an all day dining concept that seems to have set itself high expectations. As a celebration of classic British cuisine you can expect hearty roasts with all the trimmings, fish and chips and some classy sweets. The service staff are impeccably dressed and extremely friendly and also very engaging and professional. The table setting and cutlery are first class, while the menu itself is produced on a nice formal stock, both elements offering a real sense of traditional refinement that is in line with the pitch.

The ambience is calm and inviting, affording one the opportunity to indulge in a leisurely meal amoungst fine surrounds. Unfortunately, the slight set back in this alluring spot seems to be that the food does not quite reach the same elevated level as the ambition of the restaurant, which is a shame.

Take for instance the starters, consisting of a Prawn Cocktail (65AED) and Tomato Salad (45AED). Both read well but turned out to be much less successful than how they were presented in the written form. The Tomato Salad promised what sounds like a wonderful combination of a basil puree with a whipped feta, there was no evidence of either. The Prawn Cocktail looked quite nice but was a very basic interpretation and a real let down, lacking in any discernible punch or flavor. The addition of beetroot while quirky, was not enough to transform this appetizer into a winner. The clear star of the initial table side offering was in fact the Sun-dried Tomato Bread & Rosemary, Salted Butter which was stunning. Beautifully baked, soft fluffy bread with an excellent butter just can't go wrong and thankfully it didn't. 

Moving on to the mains and what else could you possibly try than the most quintessential of British fare than the veritable classic Fish and Chips? At a mind boggling 125 Dirhams, expectations are instantly set high at such a price point and everything is going to have to be perfect for the dish to be considered a success. Alas, it was firstly (and surprisingly) served with no lemon (really?), while the thrice cooked chips would have seen Heston Blumenthal have a melt down. Sadly, the said chips were literally inedible due to being soaked in oil. The fish itself was reasonably nice (and thankfully not overcooked) with the batter not too dense, but at the same time no where near as light and fluffy as it should have been for a fine dining version of this classic at 26 quid. The accompanying bed of green peas and tartar dipping sauce were nice but not enough to save this one. 

Moving to the slightly less British, the GBR Burger (90 AED) was a decidedly middle of the road adventure that lacked presentation and oomph. The one bright spot of this item was the home made relish which was simply superb and went a long way to saving an otherwise unimaginative burger.

To be clear, due to the lovely ambiance and outstanding service, this was still a thoroughly enjoyable outing almost in spite of the food but it shouldn't be that way - if you are celebrating great British fare then let the food be the hero.

Ultimately, despite the best of intentions (and aside from the bread), the actual food served on this occasion was not nearly refined enough to be considered five star dining - especially considering the price point. Perhaps this is also part of the issue in so far as when a restaurant takes this approach it sets expectations a lot higher and being a renowned name even more so.

Having said that, it is hard to nail British fine dining and many would be contenders in the city have fallen by the way side in more recent times. The Dukes offers the best chance yet to deliver on the premise due its heritage and stature, so no doubt there's some potential yet to be unlocked at this very swish destination. Let's hope so.

Whether this visit was just a case of opening blues remains to be seen. All of the ingredients for success are there and over time, one would hope that with a lot of fine tuning and finesse in the kitchen the product will reflect the ambition of the property which is definitely worth a visit.

Have you been to The Dukes and The Great British Restaurant?

How did it stack it up?