Marco Pierre White – you’re probably sick of the name already. There’s no escaping his wisened celebrity mug in the capital these days. If he’s not frying up the perfect steak for the local media, he’s popping up in weekend supplements, giving his verdict on the quality of cupcakes. You’d think he owned this city, the way he’s carrying on. To an extent, of course, you’d be right.
While Gordon Ramsay allegedly flounders on the edge of bankruptcy, White has pitched up in Abu Dhabi’s Fairmont Bab Al Bahr with two restaurants that sit next door to one another. Frankie’s, his joint venture with Frankie Dettori, has already found success in Dubai, but the MPW Steakhouse & Grill is something new to the Middle East. It’s a bold move, but, then, Marco Pierre White has never been one to hide away. Or has he?
The chef arrived in Abu Dhabi in the last week of October to make final adjustments to his menus. However, the star of his meet‘n’greet with the local media was less the man himself than the party planner, Lady Elizabeth Anson – first cousin to Queen Elizabeth II, and a charming raconteur to boot. She explained that, despite his fiery reputation, White is in fact desperately shy, which would explain why he spent a lot of the evening sitting alone in a corner of the garden with only his constantly buzzing mobile phone for protection. When he did engage in conversation, his chosen topics were the recent Arsenal victory (he’s a huge Gunners fan, despite his Leeds upbringing) and his (admittedly handsome) taste in shirts. The only hint that he might be in the food industry was the attention he paid to each canapé as they circled among his guests. Conversation ground briefly to a halt as he mulled over each mouthful, but any thoughts he may have had he kept to himself.
Prince Andrew opened the restaurants later that week, accompanied by of a handful of local dignitaries. The hotel barely had the time to clean the tables before the critics swooped in. Time Out booked a place in each, two nights apart, and set about salivating in anticipation.
Frankie’s
Frankie’s attempts to be a diner for the masses have been received relatively well in Dubai, where our colleagues praised its inclusivity, its ‘slick and snappy service’ and its ‘buzzing and informal’ atmosphere. The Abu Dhabi outlet shares these plus points, taking the family-friendly schtick to absolute extremes. Between ordering and eating, our children were invited to hop onto a tall barstool and watch the chef, Giampaulo Maffini, earnestly ply his trade. There wasn’t a need for us to accompany them; the staff fussed and flapped as though they were long-lost family members, newly returned from the high seas.
And then came the meal, which was, quite simply, one of the best Italian dinners we’ve eaten in the capital. Praise where praise is due, Mr Maffini knows his way around the kitchen. It’s no secret that Marco Pierre White keeps his distance from the restaurant stove these days; while the menu may have grown from his vision, Mr Maffini is the man responsible for it working so well.
They say that the breadbasket is often a good indicator of a restaurant’s quality. In an Italian, however, the gnocchi is often an effective litmus test. So often it arrives drowning in cheese, as though the chef would prefer it to be a Swiss fondue. Texture and consistency is also worth looking at – a gnocchi ball that crumbles on the fork is not a gnocci ball at all, though this has happened to us more than once in Abu Dhabi.
Frankie’s take on this classic dish was simple, almost bashful, in its lack of imposition. The cheese sauce was reticent, barely noticeable, and the gnocci themselves were so light they could’ve floated from plate to mouth without any effort at all on our part. This really was family food at its best, and our son, a difficult eater at the best of times, had to be restrained from licking the plate clean.
On a separate plate sat a simple-looking pizza, prepared with a basic Neapolitan sauce. Like seasoned artistic collaborators, the base and tomato sauce of a good Neapolitan should meld together seamlessly, creating a wonderful whole from two very different ingredients. It may be going too far to suggest the pizza we tasted at Frankie’s was the Lennon and McCartney of Italian dough-based products, but the Simon and Garfunkel? Sure, why not. They certainly shared a similar timeless rustic quality.
Dubious musical comparisons aside, the star of the evening was unquestionably the tenderloin steak, which arrived compact and elegant, undercooked to perfection, just as we like it. Complemented by a yellow hillock of mashed spuds, it was a real culinary work of art, and it seemed as though this might be the dish the celebrity left his mark on. Mr Maffini may have cooked it, but few people know red meat like Marco.
Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill
Having done so well in the first round, MPW needed to pull out all the stops if he was to get anything out of this bizarre contest. Unnoticed, we slid into his steakhouse a night later, surprised to find it somewhat different to our expectations. Chic yet surprisingly cosy, the MPW Steakhouse & Grill had bold and varied starters, with elegant foie gras dishes, a succulent duck starter and a good deal of fish. So far so good, but the steak couldn’t arrive quick enough.
Again, Marco himself doesn’t do much in the kitchen these days, so the responsibility falls on the shoulders of Canadian head chef, Trevor Macleod. What he cooked up for us was almost faultless. The fillet steak tasted great in both the pepper and truffle sauces, but it couldn’t quite match the previous night’s centrepiece for succulence. Charging extra for anything else on the plate also seemed a bit off. If you’re appealing to a large audience, as this steakhouse claims to be, including the mashed potatoes in the price of the main dish ought to be a matter of course. Adding Dhs30 to the bill for each side vegetable seems a little tightfisted.
Pushing on with a selection from the dessert menu, we ordered up a bowl of bread and butter pudding. Like a kindly old grandmother, it was heavy and sweet – too much to take responsibility for on your own, but easily dealt with when passed back and forth between trusted family members. By the light of the fire, this felt strangely appropriate. We could almost feel the winter nights drawing in over the creek outside.
Ultimately, of course, there is no competition between Frankie’s and the Steakhouse. MPW has put down roots in Abu Dhabi, and that’s all there is to it. The only valid question is this: how would you like your meat?
Call 02 654 3333 to book. Both restaurants are open daily, 7pm-1am.
