BQ - French Kitchen & Bar

Feel like a royal when you dine at this quintessentially French brasserie where the aroma of pastries fresh out of the oven precede their embodiments. Where a crisp glass of Chardonnay pairs effortlessly with the escargots in butter and parsley, the snails making their way from Burgundy to BQ. Where the maitre’d will cue you in on the potage of the day or the best salad you should try, and we did. The sumptuousness of the Chevre is why you must order the Warm Goat Cheese Salad, with lettuce, pear, pecan nuts in a truffle vinaigrette.

It's pristine all around this all-day café with a very tranquil air about it. The cream marble and pastel shade-interiors are in keeping with the clean and pleasant fare served. It’s concise which is a caveat for a brasserie really, yet filled with flavour in its offerings. A simple Burrata is jazzed up with onion marmalade, bottarga – dried tuna – pommery mustard and ratatouille. Much else on the BQ menu carries ample flavour like the Prawn Cocktail, BQ Mussels, Tiger Prawns Linguine, Pumpkin Ravioli, Steak Tartare and the Lamb Rack. But it’s the Pan-seared Salmon that was our winner; rustled up with artichoke, white beans and a lemon butter sauce. Grilled Baby Chicken with sweet potato gnocchi comes a close second.

If you’re looking to go light and let the conversation flow, a cheese platter always does the trick. BQ will take care of you, with a fruit chutney and crackers to pair. That’s under Dessert which involves dining on chocolate profiteroles with vanilla ice-cream and fudge sauce and Vanilla French Toast with caramel sauce and berries. 

Al Habtoor Palace

Ph: +971 4435 5555