I was spending a stressful afternoon at the Dubai Mall - deciding if to buy my Iphone 5 online or in an electronics shop proved more difficult than I expected, for some unknown reason. I think it has to do with my indecisiveness, but I'm still investigating.

My friend, who so eagerly joined me in my hunt, proved of little to no help. Besides slowing me down. Talking on the (I)phone and shopping don't go hand in hand, if you are a guy. Multi-tasking just isn't your thing.



I will order my phone online, decision made. With things finally settled, I could move my attention to a more important and relevant mission - food. When in a mall, any mall, I am having a hard time finding a restaurant to eat in just because, as a principle, I am steering away from chain restaurants. All of them. I feel they somehow lack personality, flair. They have this "one size fits all" vibe that just doesn't sit well with me. 



For some reason,I was dying for a hearty and warm clam chowder and some seafood. In a moment of total lack of inspiration, I decided to walk into Red Lobster, for the first time in my life. Seeing this place always busy and people eating passionately from huge plates, I figured that the food must be if not to-die-for, at least close to it. Well, looks can be deceiving, let me tell you this.

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The welcoming was not the friendliest one; a boring hostess greeted us and passed us to a surprisingly smiling waitress that walked us to our table. The restaurant was empty around 1pm. Only one other table inside and a few on the terrace. We sit down and receive the menus, with no explanation of the daily specials, the promotions, the recommended dishes. We did however received almost immediately the bread (or biscuits). It tasted quite good. Warm too.

Wanting to try more than one dish each and being familiar with the elephantine sizes of American restaurants, my friend and I opted for the lunch deal - AED 35 for a choice of starter, main course and dessert or soft drink. It seemed a reasonable amount of food for a lunch and a reasonable assortment of dishes to enjoy.

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I went for the clam chowder, Walt's favourite (fried) shrimps, broiled shrimps and wild rice as main and a chocolate cake to end the meal with. The clam chowder had a much too thick consistency, and it was more "gelatine-ish" than creamy, like a powder soup from a package that hasn't been whisked enough. The taste was, again, disappointing. Too salty, the seafood flavours didn't shine through at all. I could do with a little more black pepper, I guess the powder doesn't have the right proportions. Needless to say, my craving for clam chowder was not satisfied.

The main course was slightly better, but not enough to make a difference. The wild rice was the star of the day, I'd say. Tasty, served with a slice of lemon on a side, it had a nice kick to it. The broiled shrimp tasted good, although all the spices and flavours were left swimming in oil and didn't stick to the shrimps. Nevertheless, they were tender and well cooked, not chewy and still tasted like seafood. Walt' favourite fried shrimps though tasted like any other fried item. It actually reminded me of KFC chicken, I guess the batter is the same in both places. Crispy and golden, yes, but nothing else.

The chocolate cake was delicious, probably because it was brought from Baskin Robbins and they are known for yum ice cream and desserts. Hats off.



My friend ordered lobster bisque, shrimp linguini alfredo and cheese cake. His lobster bisque was worse than my clam chowder, tasting more like powder than lobster and cream. Again, over salty (this is the "treat" of powder soups, they have a high degree of saltiness, higher than the recommended daily intake), with just a hint of lobster (or maybe just the sea). Its appearance didn't score higher marks either. Fine red dots swimming in an orange liquid. Even the colours looked artificial.

The shrimp linguini alfredo proved exactly why pastas should only be ordered in Italian restaurants. First of all, linguini is not spaghetti, which is what he got. Second of all, spaghetti should be cooked al dente, these were overcooked. The sauce was nothing special (heavy cream and cheese), some salt and pepper would've added to the experience. Shrimps were well cooked and not chewy.

Again, the cheesecake was nice, courtesy of Baskin Robbins. I would've have liked served a bit more at room temperature than so cold, but it was a stellar dish in comparison to the rest of my meal.



Overall, I will not return to Red Lobster. Not for the broiled shrimps, not for the unlimited refills of Diet Pepsi, not for the linguini. Not even for the cakes, I can go to Baskin Robbins for that.

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This dining experience confirmed why I am not a regular diner in chain restaurants. I think there is nothing more upsetting than a disappointing dining experience, meaning their is no respect to ingredients and to the customers. I don't expect fine dining service or fine dining food. I don't expect the most expensive and exclusive ingredients to be used in cooking "mall restaurant food". However, I do pay for my food and I expect to eat something of a more higher class than prepacked soup. 

 

 

Surprisingly enough, the restaurants was half full by the time we left...



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