Review: The Scene Dubai at Pier 7

• The brainchild of chef Simon Rimmer, The Scene has become a stalwart of British cuisine here in Dubai
• The restaurant – at Pier 7 in Dubai Marina – unveiled a new healthy menu in time for summer
• The menu features restaurant favourite dishes like fish and chips, but done in a 

British cuisine is an odd one to characterise.

Minus the staples (fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, any foodstuff ‘and mash’) it’s probably best-summarised as ‘modern European’. But not at The Scene. Which has gone out of its way to give British staples pride of place.

Yes, your bog-standard dishes mentioned above are all present and accounted for on The Scene’s menu, but given the care and love to elevate them above ‘pub-grub’ standards.

This summer the restaurant has pulled the wraps off a new healthy menu, dubbed ‘Skinny Kitchen’. Does it do enough to pull punters away from the already best-in-class British dishes available?

The Scene Dubai: what’s the vibe?

Most venues that specialise in British food tend to be draw design inspiration from your grandfather’s old drinking haunt. Think leather smoking chairs, fireplaces and paintings of dogs or horses on the wall (or dogs and horses). Not so at The Scene.

It’s bright, light and airy. At cooler times of the year the balcony – which overlooks the yachts of Dubai Marina – is almost always busy. Inside the old-school paintings have been traded in for laminated pages of the Beano and Dandy stuck to the walls, along with fairly kitsch slogans for ‘Argy Bhaji’ night.

Some people love it. Some will hate it. Regardless, there’s a lot of seating to choose from, including cosy booths, lounge chairs, a bar area (with token TVs for sports) and proper dining tables.

The Scene Dubai: how’s the food?

We probably gave it away at the beginning of this, but the food at The Scene is good. Better than you’d think most of these British staples should be.

The steak and ale pie is spot on, served with buckets of British gravy. The chicken tikka curry is a real chip-shop special (especially when served half-half), and the fish and chips certainly warrant the title ‘proper’ on the menu.

We’ve established that there is already a slew of tasty dishes at The Scene. But how then does the ‘healthy menu’ fair against this delicious onslaught of fantastic but gut-busting plates of food?

The new dishes are light and zesty, but fulfilling; think fishcakes and salad, baked seabass, muscles in white sauce and a variety of salads (served with the obligatory quinoa, of course).

The dishes are good, but good enough to tempt you away from The Scene’s less health-conscious menu? That’s a decision between you and your conscience to decide.

The Scene Dubai: what’s the verdict?

Good food and a nice atmosphere make this a great place to eat out. It does good lunch and evening deals during the week, and the weekend is topped off with a British roast.

The new healthy menu will please those looking to watch their weight, but our favourites dishes remain the naughy ones.  

The Scene Dubai: where is it?

The Scene Dubai is located at Pier 7 in Dubai Marina.