By Jojo Dass
The catch about running a food and beverage (F&B) outlet is that you have to constantly come up with new offerings so as not to bore – and lose – your customer base, and increase footfall instead.
Precisely what the lovely people at Dubai’s homegrown Off the Hook (OTH) Seafood Restaurant are doing.
Let me segue a bit on the dining experience at the latest OTH – the 11th – to open in the UAE, and this time, on 5 June, in Dubai Festival City. Located by the food court on the second level, the restaurant is flanked by big brand dining destinations; not to mention the ground floor, which is lined up with international F&B giants.
Food Trip Magazine sat with Rolly Brucales, OTH managing director, one lazy afternoon, who gladly engaged us in a lively conversation over the seafood restaurant chain’s latest items on the menu.
Among these was the mouth-watering “Hammered Fish,” sea bass coated with a mixture of salt and egg, flavoured with herbs and spices then baked to perfection, served piping hot after the coating has been hammered away on the table– and so the name.
“We make sure that we always offer unique and delicious food that our customers can enjoy for the first time,” Brucales said.
He said opening an OTH branch in DFC very much positioned the homegrown seafood restaurant as an international dining destination; Dubai, after all, is an international city of expats and tourists.
“We want to compete with the international brands as we elevate the standards of our service, our store design and food offering,” Brucales said.
Other interesting items on the menu are the “Puff a Fish” and “Firecracker Shrimps,” but we’d rather not reveal details lest we spoil the fun of discovering these exciting OTH creations.
Our conversation was punctuated by samplings of the finger-licking Lobster Thermidor prepared OTH-style: creamy, cheesy, savory with a little sweetness, and with chunks of capsicum and onions then sprinkled with cheese and baked.
As well, no visit to OTH is best consummated without the all-time favorite OTH Platter featuring among others, the signature Black Calamari – squid fully coated with black breading, deep fried to be served crispy outside, soft, juicy and tender inside without losing the sea flavour.
The OTH in Dubai Festival City occupies a 256-sq, metre space with enough room for up to 120 people. It also has a business meeting area fit for at least 10 people.