On the piste
James Fryer manages to keep his balance after a few cocktails at Après...
Our ski slope in the desert continues to fascinate the world. There is, after all, something magical about seeing someone in a dish-dash tear down the piste. And while a number of Mall of the Emirates venues have tried to capitalise on the captive audience with coffee, cake and a view, few can offer an exceptional vantage point from which to enjoy food and drink. Except Après.
Seats by the window were quickly snapped up, but as people came and went we played musical chairs to get to the prime real estate with a view of the 400-metre ski run. Below us three kids were having a snowboarding lesson, but seemed more interested in pushing each other over. Meanwhile, the first of our drinks arrived – a raspberry mojito in a chilled glass with the perfect ratio of berries to rum, and a not-so-exotic but equally refreshing pint of Heineken.
The aspiring snowboarders had now turned on their instructor and were dive-bombing into his legs, helmet-first. Amid fits of laughter from the drinkers, a plate laden with escargots covered in a healthy dose of garlic and basil butter on thick Tuscan bread arrived. I skewered the bursting-with-flavour morsels from their shells, while a mammoth portion of rich, slightly sloppy chicken pâté appeared with meaty hunks and an odd apple accompaniment.
A dozen adults had joined the nippers below for what looked to be their first skiing lesson. They slid down the beginner slope on one ski, trying to maintain their balance. One enthusiastic chap did a side-to-side wobble before eventually capsizing. Our spectating spell was broken by the arrival of Chamonix chicken stuffed with garlic and fontina cheese on crushed new potatoes, which proved a little dry and samey. The sirloin steak wasn’t of sufficient quality for my rare tastes, but it did come with creamy dauphinoise potatoes.
The instructor finally reined in the troublesome trio but, as he turned away, they zigzagged through the on-their-bums adults’ lesson. Our waitress had a keener eye and had already noticed our empty glasses. This time we tried mocktails – a martini glass packed with a zingy berry smoothie and a slightly bitter snowflake smoothie of fresh strawberries, coconut, pineapple and orange. We regretted finishing with a bizarre-but-successful white chocolate and lemon fondue bubbling in a pot, served with marshmallows, kiwi and strawberries – meant for four and too sickly after a heavy meal.
As time passed an increasingly hip late night crowd (and smoochy couples in the intimate Chesterfield-style booths) filled up the Switzerland-meets-Ikea joint. Blonde pine and glass chandeliers balanced the funky, vibrant red bar while rough rocky surfaces near the window bridged the gap with the ski slope itself.
Lights were dimmed, candles lit and the slopes began to empty. Helmets removed it turned out to be little boys (big surprise...) who were still squabbling, while the adults had at last mastered hanging onto each other to stay upright. Après is a great place to take visitors, a retreat after mall fatigue sets in – or the place to be hypnotised by the alpine action.
Après, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3412575.