Instagram and Tiktok users are likely to have heard of Le Relais de l’Entrecote. A Parisian bistro dating to 1959, serving steak frites so good people will queue for hours.
A zero-reservations policy, if you want to tuck into the famed entrecote cut of sirloin steak with crispy golden fries and the top secret, family recipe sauce, you need to be prepared to wait. And the rule will be the same here in Dubai. Le Relais de l’Entrecote is preparing to throw open its doors in Business Bay on January 10, and in the ultimate queue-jump, I got into the restaurant to try the famous dish.
First impressions matter, and pulling up to the Me Dubai Hotel, the first thing I spot is the Parisian-style red awning. Behind a fence and double doors lies the bistro, with Belle Epoque posters, vibrant primary-coloured tablecloths, banquette seating and wooden panelling. Outside, there is a charming terrace, it’s no Parisian boulevard but it does offer an impressive view of Burj Khalifa.
Now, onto the steak frites. Not a restaurant for vegetarians, Le Relais de l’Entrecote’s menu comprises one main dish, which comes with a house walnut salad in a light mustard vinaigrette and fresh French baguette to lap up the sauce. At the Dubai restaurant, the dish will cost Dh155 and comes with a second helping of steak, fries and sauce, should you have space.
Visiting the restaurant on a Friday afternoon pre-opening to sample the dish, I was simply asked how I like my steak – rare, please – and the rest was taken care of. The light salad graced my table first, followed by the pre-sliced cut of steak with golden fries piled high and lashings of the sauce. My steak was cooked to pink perfection and the fries had a distinct crunch.
The sauce, oh the sauce. I am yet to dine at Le Relais de l’Entrecote in Paris, but the sauce seems to be the source of the hype for entrecote restaurants across Europe – pun fully intended. Herby, light and fresh, but also intensely buttery, made – I think – with thyme, parsley, tarragon and mustard, among other ingredients, it’s like no steak sauce I have tried before. The recipe is a closely-guarded secret, so try as I might to find online recipes, very few claim to have captured the unique compound served at the bistro.
While the restaurant offers just the one main dish, when it comes to dessert options, it’s a different story. I didn’t try any of the sweet dishes, but did get a glimpse at the hand-written menu of 20 or so options, which included profiteroles, creme brulee, fruit tartes and a strawberry melba tulip, which consists of a biscuit bowl filled with vanilla ice-cream, fresh strawberries, Chantilly cream and almonds.
The restaurant first debuted in Dubai's dining scene back in 2015, but the new outpost will be the first exact replica of the storied Paris eatery and I have to commend any restaurant that backs its star dish so much that it only offers the one. I’d be interested to know how the queuing policy will go down in Dubai – especially in the summer, although I was assured that air-conditioned solutions were being explored – but if people are in pursuit of high quality steak fries for a sensible price, Le Relais de l’Entrecote is definitely worth trying out.
Le Relais de l’Entrecote Dubai, Me Dubai Hotel, Business Bay; opening January 10