The capital’s steakhouse offers tasty deals at Le Meridien 49ERS

If ever there was an institution in Abu Dhabi, it’s 49ers The Gold Rush. The everyman’s steakhouse that turns into a raucous nightclub opened more than 25 years ago in the Tourist Club, packing people into the lift to get up to the top floor, where the midwest Americana Gold Rush vibe combined with stunning views of the capital.

Rising rents prompted the eatery to relocate to another Abu Dhabi mainstay, Le Meridien, and in January 49ers opened in an old ballroom space.

Walking inside the new 49ers is like a weird and wonderful trip back in time: visitors are greeted by a shiny statue of a gun-toting, mustachioed prospector. Shiny saddles are draped over railings, staff wear cowboy hats and old-timey fonts abound. Although the new location lacks the views of the old, there is an authentic, friendly, cosy sort of feel. The square room is lined by comfortable booths and tables on two sides, a long bar on another, all facing the stage. In the centre, the tables are a mix of round casks and square high-tops with comfortable red leatherbacked chairs. Things start to get busy around 10pm, and there is live music every night.

We started with the sharing platter of three items for our appetiser (Dhs59).

Our potato skins were topped with a generous portion of cheddar and veal bacon, although we were less enthused about the addition of standard creamy white cheese. We couldn’t exactly place the sauce that topped the dynamite prawns

– it had a gluey, cheesy consistency to it, and although the prawns bore a pleasant warmth, they weren’t crunchy enough.

The Tennessee chicken bites were a hit, however: crispy fried tender chicken bites tossed in a tangy teriyaki-tinged dark barbecue sauce.

The platter was served with marinara sauce, which didn’t seem to match any of the items, but our server promptly brought us a ramekin of sour cream for our skins when we asked.

49ers is nothing without its steaks, though. Although the minimum order per steak is 250g, each version is priced per 100 grams, which is a bit misleading and requires some math – something we usually try to avoid with dinner.

The 250g tenderloin (Dhs125) was a hit. The juicy, center cut was cooked to rare perfection, served with crunchy sweet potato fries and two pieces of corn on the cob that had a lovely sweet essence, but like most of its ilk in the UAE, suffered from mushiness.

Dessert was a delicious warm apple pie (Dhs39), drizzled with a scrumptious caramel sauce and served with a scoop of ice cream, while the brownie madness (Dhs39) featured a warm, fudgy brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, drizzles of chocolate and more caramel sauce, topped with nuts.

At the new 49ers, you still get one of the most reasonably-priced steak dinners in town, with oodles of character.

49ers The Gold Rush, Le Meridien, Abu Dhabi. Sun noon to midnight, Mon to Sat noon to 3am. Tel: (02) 6458000. 49ers.ae