Red Lion
An old-school Dubai favourite returns
If you were to make a list of things that are famously British, Red Lion pubs would be right up there along with cups of tea and talking about the weather. The Metropolitan Hotel’s new pub is no different, from the framed Union Jacks to the dark wooden beams – it’s a tiny slice of British life just off Sheikh Zayed Road. The vibe is casual, with plenty of punters in flip-flops or trainers.
This is the newest incarnation of Dubai’s original Red Lion, which was a bit of an old-school institution that opened in the ’70s and shut up shop a few years ago (it was in the original Metropolitan Hotel, which moved to make room for Al Habtoor City developments). It’s definitely not a gastropub (turn to page 74 for those), with a basic menu that doesn’t stray far from your standard stodge. The Red Lion platter (Dhs75) gives you a taste of all the starters, including onion rings, wings and mozzarella sticks, but we recommend you just order the latter as they’re the best thing on the plate. For mains, the fish and chips (Dhs72) was pretty disappointing, which is a shocker for a British pub: lovely, crunchy chips but the batter was soggy and doughy, the fish overcooked. We fared better with the Shepherd’s Pie (Dhs62), minced lamb in gravy topped with fluffy mash and cheddar cheese.
Overall, the Red Lion has nailed the décor and the vibe of the original, but the food lets it down.
Metropolitan Hotel, Al Manara, Dubai, daily noon to 2am. Tel: (04) 5238824. Metro: FGB. metropolitanhoteldubai.com