Attention everyone! Attention! We have some great news for burger lovers. No longer do you have to drive to Dubai to get your American diner experience. Oh no. You only have to drive to Al Mamoora.
On the patch of ground surrounded by parking spaces that is kind of opposite Jones the Grocer and Mubadala is our new favourite hangout – Grand Central. Next to the mosque, this unbearably cute burger joint looks like a quaint train station in a small American town, but instead of a ticket office it houses a mean grill and some super-friendly staff.
A word of warning before we start waxing lyrical – there is no inside seating. It’s outside or take away only here (they do deliver, though only in the immediate area at the moment they are hoping to expand), so bare that in mind when you head down.
Now to the food. Boy, oh boy – these burgers are good, and with a minimum of fuss. There is no monster menu here, choose from beef (Wagyu and Angus minced daily), chicken (organic Al Ain) or veggie (described as a mushroom, chickpea thing) and from a small selection of toppings aside from the lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles that already come with every burger and that’s it. But it isn’t. It’s so much more! For a start, the bun is soft and whole wheat – which adds a nice earthy, nuttiness to the burger. The ratio between fried onions, salad, burger, cheese and condiments is perfectly balanced so that nothing overshadows anything else and each flavour contributes to one big, delicious mouthful that is so good before you know it you’re left with nothing but an empty burger wrapper and splodge of ketchup in the (stylishly charming) burger box into which to dip your last few fries – either regular skinny fries or sweet potato fries, we preferred the skinny fries.
But here’s where it gets really fun. You could order a regular burger, which we did, or you could order mini burgers. You read that right: mini burgers. Ask for a traffic light and get one each of beef, chicken and veggie – the reason it’s a traffic light is because the beef burger comes in a red wrapper, chicken in a yellow wrapper and veggie in a green wrapper! The three burgers are absolutely adorable in their special burger box, are the perfect size – neither so big so you feel like a glutton nor so small that you are still hungry – and are a great way to find which is your favourite. We are still undecided, the chicken (a minced patty, rather than grilled chicken breast) is fantastically spiced and the veggie was far tastier than we were expecting it to be.
Go to Grand Central. You will not regret it – and order a milkshake, you won’t regret that either.
The bill (for two)
Cheese burger Dhs30
Three mini pack with cheese Dhs45
Fries Dhs10
Sweet potato fries Dhs15
Chocolate milkshake Dhs10
Total (excluding service) Dhs110
