As you walk along the front of JBR / The Beach you are greeted with a wide range of restaurants to choose from, but choosing the right one is important if you want to enjoy a good view as the sunsets over the Arabian gulf.
Mrs BTR and I have enjoyed a curry at the Bombay Bungalow at the start of The Beach, been disappointed by the pretty poor food at Real Madrid Café, so on this occasion decided to give Pots, Pans and Boards a go – which is on entertainer! Located at the end of The Beach it provides a pleasant walk if you are coming from the end of the cinema / Hilton Hotel, and during the current beautiful temperatures during the afternoon an evening (before the summer heat hits us) provides outside seating. If your planning to visit between 6-7pm you will be able to enjoy the beautiful sunset as it drops behind the new Ain Ferris Wheel located on the Bluewaters development.
Main Dishes – Although I was tempted to order the burger (regular readers will know my love for a burger) I opted for a change and ordered the fish and chips. Well portioned size of fish, that had a good batter and very delicious. However, I informed the waitress I did not want the mushy peas (not a fan) and requested if a couple of extra chips could be added instead. Unfortunately I don’t think the memo got to the chef (or wasn’t followed) because although the chips were really good, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, triple cooked, there wasn’t enough of them and so I was left slightly disappointed looking at my dish which looked quite insignificant on its board. Mrs BTR ordered “Slow Cooked Beef Cheek, with creamed parmesan and buttered cabbage”. I was lucky enough to enjoy a mouthful of the cheek, which was really soft and moist. However Mrs BTR said that after eating most of the dish it had become too rich to eat accompanied with the parmesan, as there was not enough cabbage. Our guest visiting ordered the “Seabass Vierge, roasted seabass, ratatouille and sauce vierge”. I did not try the seabass, but was informed it was delicious and from each of feedback back and discussion was probably the best dish overall.
Dessert – We shared a dessert (as I had planned to get a Five Guys shake – but didn’t) of mixed berries pavlova. Now, I had no complaints with the pavlova – anything sweet and I am normally a fan, but the ladies were not impressed with the biscuit / granola base that it had and said that the meringue was not great. It definitely wasn’t my best dessert ever, but if you don’t mind the slight change of approach to a pavlova it was pleasant enough.
Verdict – In a highly competitive area of lunch and dinner reservations spots, Pots, Pans and Boards does not scream out as a favourite, and unfortunately it doesn’t make me want to rush back. The problem is that there are a lot of options at JBR for food, so they really need to get their dining on point to ensure customers return. Both fish dishes were delicious, but I was disappointed with the chips portion size and that my request was not completed. If your down in JBR and fancy a wide range of options to choose from give it a go, but from BTR’s experience Pots, Pans and Boards wont blow you away with excitement.