The Selfish Bull
There’s a lot of new restaurants opening up this season - from the Palm to Bluewaters, there seems to be something for everyone.
One of the sprinkling of eateries on Bluewaters to become fully operational is the unlicensed Selfish Bull, which is word play based around the idea of surf n turf. That means you can expect steaks and seafood along with some tasty sides to compliment these two staples.
From the looks of it, the seafood is definitely fresh as there’s a large array of water tanks filled with everything from Canadian Lobster to Crab, and they ain’t small either! There’s also French Oysters and plenty of Shrimp all on display just near the wood oven which is where these delicacies will be cooked in front of you.
The overall styling of the restaurant is pleasant enough and seems to convey a semi industrial French Bistroesque vibe with indoor and outdoor seating areas. Given it’s prime location, The Selfish Bull is no doubt playing to the potential strength of the tourism audience, with this seaside hot spot now coming into its own and with amazing views of the Dubai Marina and JBR it’s not hard to see why.
As far as the food goes, the menu contains no surprises so we opt for one surf and one turf.
The Mussels in Pot for 185 Dirahms seems rather expensive. Ok, it’s a reasonable size and there’s no issues in the taste department but this comes in at almost double the price of say JB’s or Nola, both of which are Licensed and are really only just down the road.
Moving on to the Spare Rib (AED 135) and it was soft and tender with a lovely sauce that thankfully wasn’t overly sweet but in fairness a little small for the price point. Off to the side were some perfectly seasoned, crispy fries, a nicely done sweetcorn, a pretty dull Mac N Cheese for 48 Dirham as well as a decent Jambalaya Rice. The flavor profiles all go together really nicely but none of it is exactly original or inspirational. There was one original element that was big on novelty factor, which was the serving of complimentary walnuts that you crack yourself with a heavy cast iron walnut cracker. In regards to the service, it was wobbly but functional - no doubt down to the opening jitters.
Bottom Line:
While this trip was clearly more successful than the previous outing to Bluewaters, I’m not entirely convinced that this eatery possesses the same gravitas that the likes of The Maine or Nola have who have been artfully treading the same culinary path and visual style for quite some time now.
