The best beef short ribs I have ever tasted. That is my top takeaway from Tatel, the latest addition to Downtown Dubai’s burgeoning fine-dining circuit.
The restaurant opened at Hotel Boulevard, Autograph Collection last month and has hit the ground running, living up to its promise to serve up haute Spanish cuisine in an ambient 1920s-style venue. Co-founded by football, tennis and basketball superstars Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal and Pau Gasol, the brand launched in Madrid in 2014 and has since expanded to Ibiza, Beverly Hills, Mexico City, Riyadh and Valencia.
It arrives in Dubai with a big reputation, one that has been growing around the world. Indeed, USA Today lists Tatel as a fine-dining establishment worth flying to. An hour-long drive from Abu Dhabi must be worth the effort, then, I conclude. And so my dining partner and I drive down Sheikh Zayed Road from the capital, arriving at Tatel intrigued to find out what all the fuss is about.
Where to sit and what to expect
After being greeted like celebrities at the grand double-door entrance, we are escorted inside to a marble-topped table for two. It is still bright outside so our eyes need to adjust as we enter a luxurious and charming interconnected space dimly lit by the soft glow of antique-style ceiling and table lamps.
Cobbled flooring, plush chairs, dark wood panelling and the rich, warm hues of maroon create an intimate, ambient atmosphere. The dining area has an open kitchen and there are private spaces available for a VIP service. Tatel also has a garden terrace that will be open in the cooler winter months and that frames Burj Khalifa as a picture-perfect backdrop.
Our immediate backdrop, though, is a small stage where a pop duet later begin a set, their warm, rhythmic sounds of Spain giving off Mediterranean beach resort vibes.
The menu
Jose, our charming waiter from the Dominican Republic, talks us through the options and offers to make recommendations. The menu has meat, vegetarian and seafood dishes, each prepared with Spanish-imported and local ingredients, he explains. We take up his suggestion of signature dishes to share for a quintessential Tatel experience.
Crusty warm bread and Spanish olive oil arrive first before we tuck in to Iberian Cecina croquettes (Dh70), beautifully served from a bed of hot stones. Crisp golden potato stuffed with cured beef and rich bechamel sauce stimulates memories for my taste buds of haggis and peppercorn sauce. The prawn (Dh70) and mushroom (Dh65) croquettes are equally delicious, while the Cecina de Leon Iberian cured beef (Dh125) is an excellent cold starter choice for those who – like me – appreciate the full flavour of traditional dry-aged Spanish jerky.
Sticking with signature dishes, our evening highlight comes next. Arroz Tatel con costilla de vacuno (Dh340) is a sharing platter of glazed slow-cooked beef short ribs served with rice. The marinated melt-in-the-mouth meat apparently takes 18 hours to cook in the oven, locking in the lip-smacking flavour. I’ve enjoyed ribs in more than a few locations, but nothing comes close to this. The sharing platter, however, leads to a passive-aggressive fork fight for the flaky and flavoursome final mouthful.
I win and concede some Jasper-grilled asparagus (Dh55) in return. It is an ideal side dish accompaniment to the sensational ribs. We are already more than satisfied, but Jose insists we try Tatel’s famous cheesecake, nuestra famosa tarta de queso (Dh65) for dessert.
Incredibly creamy with a crisp coating and gooey centre, the traditional Basque region speciality is quickly devoured even though we are already full to bursting.
A chat with the chef
Head chef Alejandro Maestro is a man who clearly lives up to his name in the kitchen. He arrived in Dubai after two years at Tatel’s Riyadh branch and five spent where it all began in Madrid before that.
Brimming with enthusiasm for this exciting new project in Dubai, chef Maestro isn’t giving away any secrets about his majestic ribs recipe but is delighted with my feedback. “We have done a deep search into the available produce to ensure we are sourcing the absolute best and bringing the real taste of Spain to Dubai,” he says.
Price point and contact information
Appetisers start at Dh60, mains start at Dh95 and desserts start at Dh50.
Tatel is open from 7pm to 1am from Sunday to Wednesday, and from 7pm to 2am from Thursday to Saturday. Reservations can be made by calling 04 215 2121 or visiting tatelrestaurants.com.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant
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Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Uefa Nations League: How it Works
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The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
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Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
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Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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4,872 matches
1,942 teams
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- Brentford v Arsenal
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Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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It is a shorter stage, but one that will lead to a brutal uphill finish. This is the third visit in six editions since it was introduced to the race in 2012. Reigning champion Chris Froome won that race.
Getting%20there
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
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- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Company%20profile
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