Ernst, a modern-day German wirtshaus, opened its doors at the 25hours Hotel Dubai One Central in March, and serves authentic Bavarian fare.
Where to sit and what to expect
Located opposite the main entrance of the 25Hours Hotel close to Dubai Trade Centre, Ernst is a lovely-looking space channelling a Bavarian inn vibe and uses the colour green to great effect. The indoor arena has verdant walls, which offset carved wooden furniture (a touch borrowed from Germany’s breweries) and a colourful maypole fixed to the ceiling, which is a nod to the Bavarian tradition of raising a "Maibaum", wooden pole, to celebrate spring on May 1.
The partially shaded patio area makes you feel like you’re sitting in a lush garden, complete with wooden tables, benches and a swing.
The menu
Pork is a prominent feature on most German menus — and Ernst is no exception. However, for diners who do not eat the meat, there is still plenty to enjoy. The food is undeniably hearty. We start with obatzda (Dh20), a salty Bavarian cheese delicacy that is two-thirds Camembert, one-third butter. This is no light affair, but is certainly a delicious one.
We also try the flandenbrot truffle, a crispy Bavarian flatbread piled high with crispy potato, truffle cream and rocket leaves. I told you this was going to be a carb-heavy meal. Unlike many truffle dishes in Dubai, the flavour isn't overwhelming and balances perfectly with the crisp bread and sharp rocket.
Come the mains, the whole grilled trout is a good choice for non-pork eaters. It comes with roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables. The succulent fish is cooked to perfection and pulls away from the bone with ease.
My dining companion opts for a dish synonymous with German cuisine, the wiener schnitzel, a veal escalope with a potato cucumber salad and cranberries. The light and fresh salad is an unexpected hit — think a classic picnic potato salad only without the unnecessary quantities of mayonnaise.
The German cheesy egg noodle dish does what it says on the tin, while the apple strudel more than makes up for the roasted chicken, which is a bit too dry for my taste.
Vegans have a dish of Impossible beef meatballs, served with sauerkraut, mashed potatoes to contend with.
Stand-out dish
The obatzda is the star of this show and is served with brezn, a tree of firm but buttery pretzels. While creamy, the cheese dip benefits from a bit of crunch courtesy of a sprinkling of onions. It’s a must-have at Ernst.
A chat with the chef
Timo Glockner, head chef at 25hours Hotel Dubai One Central, comes from Pirmasens, a small town in Rhineland-Palantine, Germany. He has worked in Switzerland, the Philippines and Dubai and has been with Ernst since the beginning “planning and creating delicious traditional German food that I know people will love”, he says.
“I don’t like wasting too much time when it comes to unnecessary garnishes and fancy visuals, which ultimately end up on the side of the plate," he adds. "German cooking is about going back to basics, so it’s important to create dishes that are simple and traditional. Authentic Bavarian cuisine is quite heavy and what we like to call comfort food.”
Meaty mains aside, the chef recommends trying the cheese spaetzli and apple strudel, describing the latter as “truly special".
He adds: "There’s something about mixing hot pastry with apples to cold ice cream that gets the taste buds tingling.”
Price point and contact details
The menu is divided into snacks, which range from Dh25 to Dh65; salads and soups from Dh35 to Dh45; traditional mains, which will set you back between Dh55 for the German cheesy egg noodles and Dh250 for the lamb rack; while desserts range from Dh35 to Dh40 a pop.
Open Sunday-Thursday noon-midnight, Friday noon-1am, Saturday noon-4pm and 6pm-1am. Reservations can be made by calling 04 210 2511.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant
Pakistan Super League
Previous winners
2016 Islamabad United
2017 Peshawar Zalmi
2018 Islamabad United
2019 Quetta Gladiators
Most runs Kamran Akmal – 1,286
Most wickets Wahab Riaz –65
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Fixtures:
Thursday:
Hatta v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
Al Wasl v Dibba, 7.45pm
Friday:
Al Dhafra v Al Nasr, 5.05pm
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai v Al Wahda, 7.45pm
Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm
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Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
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Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
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Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
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Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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HAJJAN
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Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
