Relocating from its old venue near Wafi City, Odeon has found a prime location for their new venture which opened its doors in November. Run by partners and co-founders Chef Thomas Duhamel and his wife Morgane, they are dedicated to offering their finest French culinary know-how.
On the first floor of the converted Jumeirah villa you’ll find their elegant Brasserie furnished in royal blue, with accents of mustard yellow, and tables dressed in white linen tablecloths exposed to the natural light of the large floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Jumeirah Beach Road. We dined in the restaurant for lunch, sharing two starters which we both thoroughly enjoyed, the Escargots de Bourgogne with parsley butter (AED65 for 6 snails), and the Langoustine Papillotes with Coriander Sauce (AED115 for 4 very small scampi). Both very tasty and perfectly executed a la Française.
The Bavette Steak with Shallot Sauce was great and cooked rare as requested, though the side of chips/fries were not your typical moreish brasserie homemade frites. They were sadly dry and heavily coated in starch. The Wild Shrimp Fregola with Seafood Bisque was perfect, with the rich and creamy pasta gloriously complimented with the salty bisque foam.
To finish off with our coffees we ordered the Crème Brulée which was a solid 5/5, and Odeon’s version of a packed rich Moelleux Au Chocolat with 2 extra confectionary chocolates on top of the souffle sponge, with Vanilla Sauce and Whipped Cream which chocolate lovers will devour with pleasure.
Occupying the ground floor is ‘Le Marché d’Odeon’, with a tempting selection of freshly prepared meals ‘to-go’ as well as a patisserie, boulangerie, butchery, fishmonger, and cheese counters, along with seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables. There’s also a range of larder corner items directly imported from France.
While the selection is authentic, some items rang a bit pricey to us. 30ml jars of common spices readily available in your local supermarket come with a AED30 price tag, whereas a 45ml jar of the same spice from Spinneys is half the price! One of my absolute favourite French sweets is the Calisson d’Aix, but at AED35 for a box of 5 mediocre pieces, I am willing to wait for our next visit to France to buy a bigger box at better quality for far less.
On the other hand, I was extremely happy to find freshly baked Chouquettes, and they are very good. If you are not familiar with these deliciously simple, soft balls with an airy interior, coated in crunchy pearl sugar on the exterior, you must get acquainted. They are the simple version of a profiterole, made with pâte à choux, but minus the ice cream or custard cream filling. You’ll want a bag of at least a dozen… for self-consumption only!
The cheese counter is definitely worth a visit too if you are looking for a good variety of French choices. When last visited, we counted 6 different versions of Raclette cheese, and they conveniently rent out Raclette machines and Fondue pots for those who are not equipped or lack the space to store them. Make the most of the cooler season to get some of those classic melted cheeses on your table, you won’t regret it. From our side, we took home a bag of Swiss cheese mix for fondue, and with a bit of rubbed garlic and a good glug of white wine, it was absolutely divine!
We also ordered the Galette des Rois online for the 2nd of January (in celebration of Epiphany, the day of the Three Kings) and it did not disappoint! This classic French King’s cake is made of delicious creamy almond frangipane inside a puff pastry crust. They are still available throughout January, sized for 6-8 (ours made 4 slices – nom nom) at AED135, including the fève (figurine) and gold paper crown. Whoever gets the fève in their slice wins the crown! Highly recommended.
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