Beachside dining at Palm Grill, Ritz-Carlton, Dubai

As you walk through the posh Ritz-Carlton Dubai, you’ll find no shortage of places to eat. But don’t miss an experience at the recently launched Palm Grill, the hotel’s casual beachside restaurant.

The restaurant is encased in glass providing excellent water views no matter where you sit. There’s also a large outdoor terrace to soak up the sun and beach vibe. Wesley Hepburn, the restaurant’s assistant manager, says: “We wanted to create a concept that’s really laid-back, very chill, but the highlight needs to be the food and the beverages. You can sit in this casual environment but the food and service is Ritz-Carlton standard. It’s not stuffy, but there is still that elegant touch — more attentiveness than you’d get elsewhere.”

The restaurant has a concise menu because the chefs use only fresh ingredients, never frozen. Chef Efe Can Salar, from Turkey, says: “It’s very hard to find fresh produce in Dubai. As soon as you increase the number of dishes on the menu, it gets harder to find fresh items. I try to have different items for all of our grills. Sea bass is our signature dish. It comes from Turkey. The Australian Angus rib-eye is a nice selection. The ceviche is really nice as well.”

That ceviche will keep you coming back for more, as we found out on a recent visit to check out the restaurant’s Sundowners offer. The ceviche mixto is a generous helping of sea bream and prawns perfectly infused with chilli, citrus and red onion. Hepburn says: “The inspiration behind the ceviche was just the setting. It’s fresh. It’s light. You’re sitting in a surrounding where you’ve got a sea breeze with the sea just in front of you. It’s really, really nice.” The ceviche is one of five options on the Sundowner food menu, which pairs one dish with one carefully crafted mocktail for just Dh100. Other bites are: crispy fried calamari served with lemon aioli; smoked and charred chicken wings with blue cheese dip; grilled lamb meatballs with tzatziki sauce and crudités with dip. The mocktail list is inspired and uses ingredients such as elderflower, passion fruit, green apple, coconut, cucumber, raspberry and mandarin.

The Palm Grill also hosts a casual beach barbecue every Saturday with unlimited grilled meats and seafood including salmon, calamari, prawn skewers, whole fish, chicken and Wagyu beef hot dogs. Salar says: “We have a homemade double-barrel smoker. The main attraction is the Australian baby lamb and beef rib-eye cooked low and slow over a fire on the beach. The meat is basted throughout the four-hour cooking process with a brine flavoured with fresh herbs and garlic. The result is a melt-in-your-mouth sensation unlike any other.” Desserts on offer during the barbecue include chocolate brownies; blondies; and campfire pies, finished on the barbecue.

Palm Grill is open daily from noon to 6pm for lunch and from 7pm to 11pm for dinner. The Sundowners offer is available every day from 4pm to 7pm. The barbecue is every Saturday from 1pm to 4pm for Dh250 with soft drinks. The restaurant has a live island-style band that plays every Thursday and Friday from 6pm to 9pm. They also perform during the Saturday barbecue.

The National was a guest of the restaurant.

Palm Grill, Ritz-Carlton, Dubai. For reservations, call 04 318 6150.