Foodle

Another day, another beautiful chuletón @charrua_madrid 🥩🔥

I’ve been to a lot of great restaurants over the years, but very few come close to Charrúa when it comes to the vibe and ambience. The space is split into two super cool, dimly lit dining rooms, each centred around an open fire grill. Tables are either perched on raised mezzanines or set on the ground level, giving it real depth and theatre. It’s a stunning set up!

As for the food, it’s all about wood fire. Seafood, meat and vegetables cooked over embers. We ordered a good mix - the Charrúa Selection Chuletón Vaca Gallega, melted provolone, cecina, turbot + lots of sides and starters.

Everything was good, but nothing quite blew me away - especially having hit some similar spots across the week.

The chuletón here had great flavour but was slightly chewy and tough. The turbot was a touch over but loved the garlic and smoke running through it. Starters and sides were strong across the board.

For wine, a young, velvety bottle of @bodegasvegasicilia Valbuena 2020, a beauty!

I’d absolutely go back - love the place and the energy. It may just have been one of those nights where the mains missed the mark slightly. Still a killer spot. Definitely recommend. Less

Suadero @taqueria_elprimo_dubai 🌮🇲🇽
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Great little taco spot in Dubai, led by Mexican-born chef @jon_collin , who’s brought an authentic taste of Mexican street food to jumeirah.

Very good guacamole, a tight selection of sauces and a menu that knows exactly what it’s trying to be. My favourites here are the suadero - black Angus brisket slow cooked for 24 hours, chopped and finished simply with diced onion, coriander and house sauce. No heat added by default; you build heat yourself at the table, exactly how it should be.

Their Corn tortillas are soft, warm and properly structured. Always the difference between a decent taco and a great one.

The oxtail birria and consome is rich and deeply spiced, layered with dried chillies and proper depth - the kind you’d expect from a traditional style birria, not an over-Americanised version. Queso fundido is a must too, especially if you load up their flour tortillas with a little charred jalapeno salsa.

And the churros with soft serve? Big win. Seemingly simple, but executed properly.

The vibe is casual here: red-and-white tiles, open kitchen and tacos assembled over a hot flat top right in view. A nice neighbourhood taquería energy rather than a polished gimmick. This is a great addition to the Dubai scene. Less

I was invited to @theraredxb Brasserie & Bar, a restaurant that tries very hard not to be classified as a steakhouse. I was there to try some new, ahem, steak from the world-famous Bodega El Capricho – a place in Spain that has become near-mythical among meat aficionados worldwide.

One of the star dishes on the menu that night was the beef satay. The dish was made from the tender, highly marbled and flavourful meat that is found between the ribs, marinated in a rich tangy peanut sauce.

@thesahilanand explained that he had this same dish on the regular menu, and it never sold. The reason? Its name. He named it after the technical cut, so on the menu it read:

“Beef Intercostals, coconut satay, pickled shallots, crushed peanuts.”

The dish just wasn’t moving – and in fairness, I don’t think I would normally order beef intercostals without encouragement. So Sahil changed the name. Simply called it Beef Satay. Guess what? It flew off the grill. Same thing happened to another dish. Another well-marbled and tender beef cut. He named it:

“Oyster blade steak, Salsa pebre, Amarillo chilli”

Again, didn’t sell. “Nobody wanted ‘oysters’ with their steak,” Sahil explained. So again he used another name it is commonly known for – the Flat Iron steak. Bingo – people connected with it and started ordering it.

As he was telling me this, I was bouncing up and down, desperate for him to finish, so I could crowbar my favourite story into the conversation. When he paused for a sip of wine, I saw my chance.

“Patagonian Toothfish!” I blurted out enthusiastically, proud as punch and delirious with excitement that the conversation had led me to my favourite story. Sahil took another calm sip of wine, and nodded.

“Exactly,” he said, “Chilean Seabass.”

I said nothing and ate some more intercostal satay. Less