CMP Bar & Grill – Chicago Meatpackers Vibe In Dubai

While steakhouses are spreading their wings in Dubai of late and if you are aficionados of a good steak, you need to choose wisely in accordance to its pricing and premium cut of meat and provenance becomes a determining factor as competition amongst its kind of adversaries is rather fierce. In order to sustain by welcoming their return diners, CMP Bar & Grill at The Pointe on the Palm Jumeirah will possibly win your heart with a real good selection of premium cuts to "dine" for. mylifestylenews writes.

Aka Chicago Meatpackers, this “meat” joint steakhouse brings the cosmopolitan Chicago urban vibe to Dubai. Dining out (especially on a date night) needs to encompass the right location, the chill ambience, the fun outlook or mesmerizing view and obviously the sumptuous and luscious food that pleases all the considerations and in this case it was about the right steak.

Nestled on the east marina of The Pointe, the location is relatively easy to get to, but once you are in The Pointe, parking directions are a little annoying with “misleading” or rather lacking of proper signage to have you wonder if you are actually on the right spot before making the right turn wrong, which means that you will have to make a unnecessary U-turn detour in order for you to finally know that you have come to the right spot. Once you park, it is a short walk to the promenade by following the ambiguous and undersized signage that may offer you a further navigation by finding the exact locale.

CMP Bar & Grill can be accessed via the promenade entrance from ground level as well as escorting yourself through the escalator directly to the upper level terrace entrance. If you choose the latter, you may have missed the equally huge downstairs section which is probably the main entrance with a more family friendly relaxed vibe and a semi-open kitchen set as the backdrop adorned with some vibrant artworks in one section and a fun display of The Butcher’s Guide Meat Knives arty installation above the kitchen wall to illustrate the Butchers Cut.

Being an American concept steakhouse, leather banquettes accompanied by wooden tabletops makes a signature statement juxtaposing the slick interior design and deco with warehouse door panellings and riveted iron panels along with an exposed industrial style ceiling fitout that elevates a modern feel.

Some good selection of lighting features are chosen to add a dimmer mood in a contemporary manner together with those cattle shed hanging lamps in striking red to create different atmospheres in different sections that are not overly lit and you will be agreeably taken with the ambience in no time.

The Upper level has an eye-catching neon light installation with the words EAT MEAT SLEEP REPEAT glued stylishly on the brick walls set as a perfect backdrop for the duo classic jazz verve performers on a Wednesday evening. The well equipped huge open bar in the middle of the room serves up a great selection of beverages with some house signature cocktails. The chill and groovy house soundtrack sits nicely in the background to create an atmosphere to enjoy conversations, but not allowing you to overhear the next table.

This casual meat-focused CMP Bar & Grill also got its inspiration from the freight trains and cattle markets that once dominated the famous Chicago Meatpacking district known as “The Yard”. Hence, reminiscent of the cattle shed doors that are numbered became the eye-catchy decorated walls across the bar decked with more masculine leather banquettes set in a fun and casual American urban and country concept style that is quite surprising in many ways and is now on our radar.

Both levels also provide outdoor terrace seating that allows the entire restaurant with a view that looks toward the Atlantis resort, so at night a spectacular view, along with the dancing fountain which are in popular demand when the mild winter hits in.

The menu focuses on the ideology of “Simple Done Right” and believing in produce the very best as well as to ensure that your dining experience is packed with flavour. We couldn’t wait to get stuck into a premium cut steak, but when choosing the menu you get to “review” the in-house signature - The CMP Cuts of aged meats. As purveyors of fine meats, their CMP Cuts are a selection of premium cuts sourced from farms around the globe ranging from the grain fed Australian Signature Black Angus Porterhouse, Irish grass-fed Salt Moss Aged NY Strip, Australian Fullblood Wagyu Rib Eye, USDA Chateaubriand and the 200+ Day Grain-Fed Tomahawk that are absolutely to die for. All of the cuts come with a choice of two sauces and two sides, with all the meat char-grilled on lava stones, our mouths were already watering in anticipation of what was to come. 

<Wagyu Tartare>
We started off with the Wagyu Tartare - this chunky hand cut steak topped with a quail egg to smooth the meat texture and enhancing the flavour, accompanied by the star hand cut potato crisps which you probably can’t help by finishing it at once and encore for more. The classic ‘timbale’ style presentation came in quite a generous portion. Chucky on the palate as it spells and the seasoning was a bit heavy handed, but enjoyable nevertheless! Such a dish creates personal opinions and we were both divided.

<Charred Octopus>
This presentation was an assembled line of six pieces of the grilled octopus tentacle served with a thick puree of cauliflower skordalia and salsa verde and it seemed a bit underwhelming in terms of quantity and the size of the octopus. A rustic long octopus tail was to be expected and our server Karuna informed us that the presentation will soon be changed with the possibility of the whole tail being served.  However, the charred flavour was unquestionably delicious and not too chewy nor dry that performed all forms on the palate.
 

<Crispy Brussel Sprouts>
Brussel sprouts may not be the all time favorite for everyone for its sharp and bitter taste characteristic, so you either like it or hate it, thanks to the traditional cooking method used mostly by boiling it and served in a less stimulating accompaniment of seasoning or herbs that we were “forced” to eat when were kids for it fiber and nutritional value intake that we always found a way to turn down the offer. Times have now changed and cooking methods are being elevated to bring this boring edible buds to life with more enhancing flavour that is now gradually becoming one of the must-order dishes (when it is done right) on the menu. CMP considers this one of their signature dishes and comes as a plate of Brussel sprout petal chips in a secretly homemade tangy soy caramel dressing and this is not to be missed. Simply exotically delicious!
  

<200+ Day Grain-Fed Tomahawk>
It was time to hit the mains and we opted for a tomahawk steak to share. What a stunning piece of meat! This is a full ribeye steak on the bone of some 1400 gram of hand-cut beauty plated and positioned on a plate stand, as if to put on a pedestal and this deserves it. The rich marbled, full ribeye steak on the bone was absolutely to die for, every bite is so juicy and tender, due to the fat/meat ratio that was cooked to medium rare perfection. The fat of the meat also adds to the overall flavour, so this is the time you enjoy the premium cut of meat that consists of the lean meat and the fat - a good steak is made of this - so simply scrumptious. We had some sides of truffle fries, jalapeno lime buttered corn, bearnaise sauce and burnt jalapeno butter, but in the end we decided to ask for some mustard and sea salt, as the meat needed no further embellishment other than to shine in its own glory. This is highly recommended and it went well with a bottle of rich and smoky, velvety on the palate Cune Criaza 2017 Rioja.
 

<Chocolate Chip Cookie a la mode >
We had run out of room after the main course, full and plump but never say die, so we opted for the Chocolate Chip Cookie a la mode which is a blend of French Valrhona dark and milk chocolate with a large chewy brown butter cookie covering the bottom of the entire dish and a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream on top nicely placed on a skillet. Quite an inviting presentation and generous in portion, the cookie is super buttery, warm and sugary sweet, melt in your mouth at once. This is a triumph of sweet flavours and textures, quite clearly a dessert for people that love sweet things! Kudos on both fronts!

Apart from one side dish needing to be sent back, we were pretty impressed overall and would highly recommend steak lovers to make a bee-line for CMP Bar & Grill. The welcome and service were exemplary. Our server Karuna was a delight and quite attentive and Renata, the General Manager of the establishment showed us the generous hospitality and furnished us with some informative details on how CMP set its foot in this region.

The jazz nights are worth booking for and there is also their newly launched <Meet at CMP> Friday Brunch featuring nitro-tapped cocktails, sizzling grilled sharing feasts and live music from resident DJs spinning groovy house trench sounds like any plans to make. CMP Bar & Grill has a lot to offer especially with its carefully selected premium cuts that are packed with intense flavours that spoil you for choice. Enough said and let the meat speak by itself, eat less but eat better and less is more for a quality “steaktastic” indulgence. Then you’ll know that you have come to the right place.

Tried & Tested:
Location: 4/5
Design & Decor: 4.5/5
Food & Beverage: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Value For Money: 4/5
Experience: 4.5/5
 
Highlights:
The CMP Cuts

CMP Bar & Grill 

B04 East Marina,

The Ponite Palm - Jumeriah

Dubai, Unite Arab Emirates

Tel: +971 4 580 7983

 

Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated.