Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse: Business Lunch Review

As the old cliché goes, time is money, which is seemingly the basis for the re-launch of Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse’s business lunch menu.

The Address Dubai Marina branch of the New Orleans themed restaurant promises time conscious business folk three courses within 40 minutes, or your lunch is free. Although we can’t imagine rushing down three courses in that space of time would be the ideal way to impress a client or colleague.

Included in the service is free valet parking and Wifi, both a rarity in Dubai, and sure to be a hit with those who like to stay connected while they dine.

Once inside, the restaurant offers a pleasant atmosphere with views across Dubai Marina and piano music providing ambience.

When we visited on Wednesday lunchtime it was fairly empty, which may put off those looking for more of a social buzz, but this did allow us to take one of the best tables in front of a window. There are also outside tables for smokers.

The business lunch menu offers three courses from a limited selection for Dhs109. It being a steakhouse, main options for non-meat and fish eaters are somewhat limited and there are only two choices of dessert.

For starters we tried the Beef Carpaccio, an appetising array of thinly sliced beef served with cheese, salad and cheesy bread. The signature Ruth’s Chop Salad, a tightly packed mixture of lettuce, spinach and radicchio tossed with red onions mushrooms, olives, eggs, croutons and Bleu Cheese, also didn’t disappoint.

Of course we couldn’t go to a steak restaurant without sampling their filet and
Ruth’s Chris aims to impress in this department by offering cuts still sizzling as they reach the table. Our selection of mashed potatoes and mushroom cream sauce both combined well with the cut.

We were also impressed by the quality of the meat in the USDA Prime Cheese Burger, which was complemented with gherkins, lettuce, tomato and red onion. Keeping the burger together proved difficult, however, due to these being piled so high.

The limited options for dessert meant there was only one thing we were going to choose, the Chocolate Sin Cake. This delicious combination of chocolate and espresso provided a much-needed pick me up for the journey back to work.

Our overall meal-time exceeded the 40 minutes specified by a few minutes, but it seemed like a difficult promise to keep with customers ultimately being in control of how fast they eat.

We left feeling impressed by the food and service, although those looking to host colleagues or clients may want to check the business lunch menu beforehand to make sure the options cater to their needs.