“People always arrive with high expectations,” a member of staff at La Petite Maison explains when we say we’ve been told to expect excellence, “but really, we’re just a simple restaurant.” We nod in agreement, though the fact Gordon Ramsay is sitting at the next table tucking in to a spectacular spread of Côte d’Azur cuisine, begs to differ.
DÉCOR
The interior is as simple as the food, with an onus on understated quality. In daylight, it appears to be a smart French brasserie, but as the evening progresses, candlelight provides an intimate and romantic feel.
AMBIENCE
Whether you’re out for a romantic dinner or special occasion, there are three things that set the mood: candle light, noise and service. The problem with all three is that they’re so easy to get wrong. Too dark and you can’t read the menu; too bright and it becomes sterile. Too loud and you feel as though you’re in a canteen; too quiet and you become overtly aware of your own conversation. Too attentive and staff become annoying; too evasive and they’re equally so.
We’re not sure what the formula for these three things is, but LPM has them balanced to a fine art.
FOOD
Simplicity is LPM’s trump card. The finest ingredients are cooked to perfection, and are worthy of any other mouth-watering cliché you can think of.
We’d heard rumours that the burrata is the highlight of the starters, and while it was delicious, for us, the grilled aubergine with mozzarella, prawns & pistou was a surprising winner. Being in a quintessentially French restaurant, it would be rude not to order the snails, which are sure to delight even the fussiest of palates.
For the main event, we dined on grilled lamb cutlets with smoked aubergine and grilled tiger prawns. The tender cuts of lamb stole the show, in what was a spectacular array of savory dishes.
Though dessert was a struggle, we managed to fit in the cheesecake – we’d heard from our friends at What’s On that it’s the best in Dubai. We second that.
WHY BOTHER?
With a review like the above, why wouldn’t you?
GO FOR
Any occasion that you want to be special, elegant or romantic.
THE DETAILS
La Petite Maison | Gate Village 08 DIFC
| (04) 4390505 |
