THE ORANGERY

Around the world in hit-and-miss plates at Address Montgomerie’s new restaurant

Dinner at The Orangery at Address Montgomerie is like the fairytale Goldilocks and Three Bears. You have no idea whether the dish you’ve ordered is going to be too small or too large, too rich or too bland. You can eat well here, in a way which will make you rub your tummy in delight. Or the meal can leave you with frown lines from all your puzzled expressions. Inconsistent doesn’t quite cover it. At times it feels as if there are two kitchens back there.

That inconsistency does not extend to the service or the décor, however. When eating there everything is as it should be: attentive in all the right places. There’s a brilliant ‘spirits ambassador,’ who, with great gusto, rolls over his drinks trolley topped with little glass jars of fresh ingredients ready to create masterpieces.

The restaurant itself is an intricatelydetailed and aesthetically-pleasing space that overlooks the outdoor area of Phileas Foggs, then onto the driving range with a beautiful backdrop of Dubai Marina – so beautiful it almost looks CGI’d.

The menu is a mix of everything; an ode to Phileas Fogg’s journey around the world in 80 days. You’ll see paella next to moussaka, next to ravioli, next to tuna tiradito. As such, it’s confusing what to order. To make things more complicated, everything comes in two price brackets (large and small), but how ‘ large’ is large, and how ‘small’ is small?

Confusion aside, there really are some nice starter dishes: the small tuna tiradito (Dhs50 for small, Dhs85 for large) comes as four thick slivers of tuna, with a drizzling of yuzu ponzu and a pleasing crunch of popped quinoa. Inspired from the same continent, the miso salmon (Dhs45 for small, Dhs85 for large) with a big dollop of wasabi crème fraiche was a hit, too. The three salmon wedges were seared lightly and topped with a salty nori crisp – a delicious, if tiny, plate. From the pizza section, there is a truffle and garlic pizza (Dhs99), glistening with fiordilatte mozzarella and fresh truffle shavings. It doesn’t need the watercress sprigs, or the bullying black garlic paste, though. And to finish, the highlight of the night, a bright, sharp key lime pie with buttery biscuit base, gets all the attention it deserves.

Sadly, we’d ordered other dishes that just didn’t work. The lamb rack (Dhs110 for small, Dhs199 for large) were two ribs served tender, but nothing further to recommend it. They were smothered in a rich tare glaze, and resting on half a forgotten charred aubergine. Even the ‘sausage roll’, which is not a sausage roll at all but rather a six-inch beef Wellington is not the sum of its parts. The meat, again, is a medium/ well success, but the pastry is limp, and the accompanying mash potato bland.

Finally, there is a Mexican jaffa cake, a bizarre plate of rock hard cake cubes and an exceedingly rich hazelnut cream. Thank goodness for that key lime pie – that sweet yet tart plate of joy was just right. Just how Goldilocks would have liked.

Address Mongomerie, Dubai, Tue to Sat 6pm to midnight. Tel: (0)4 5724473. @theorangerydubai