La Cala Beach, Ghantoot

La Cala is NOT Dubai…and I think that's why we like it!   The premise is simple. Beach eats and beach beats. La Cala is nestled on the sandy outpost of Ghantoot, where Blu Marlin had previously sat unchallenged atop the tree of marina beach clubs next to the Golden Tulip Hotel. The surprisingly short 20 minute sojourn from the Marina gives us a much-needed escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and has the instantaneous laid back feel of a beach bar in a Spanish resort.   Following wooden signs from the Golden Tulip entrance we made our way down to the bar on the hillside leading down to a small jetty. Here we gazed on as wake boarders and the like entertained themselves by zipping up and down across the tranquil waters. The upstairs area is kitted out with a chic square bar and a well decorated beach bar, box tables and benches. With minimal shade up top we opted to start off downstairs in the shade past the open kitchen area where pizza, corn and halloumi etc. is BBQ'd in full view. The décor of the downstairs area is far more relaxed than upstairs, and resembles a beach café, with people transitioning between the beach, the boats and the loungers effortlessly.   The visible waiters/clearing area complete with open bin, shisha area and plastic seat was a tad off putting but its right on the way to the beach so deserves a mention as it obscures a picturesque view of the beach. Looking past (literally) this minor rough around the edges feel, we found some shade and started on our epicurean expedition.   THE FOOD   Starters are to share and were a little chalk & cheese. The large Chcken wings, crispy Squid with chilli mayo & the Burrata Salad were all well-presented and fresh, whereas the Chicken Satay was dry, the sauce resembling something but definitely not Satay as we know it and presented to us as though we were sat in a cheap, plastic seated seaside "caff" in Benidorm rather than a plush beachside hacienda. On a subsequent visit this has since been replaced by a more refreshing Tuna Sashimi Salad served with pickled ginger, wasabi and tamari soy.     Then came the choice of main, where we found they had found their comfort zone. This is a beach bar and this is the type of food that they excel in. From a selection of 7 dishes, we opted for Crispy Duck Pizza, the Grilled Halloumi with pine nuts. Aaccompanying the mains were skin on French fries, bbq corn with smoked paprika butter, salt baked potatoes and the la cala greek salad. and what a delicious feast it was.   Any lingering reservations following our starters had been banished to a distant memory and we found ourselves fighting over the last slice of pizza and block of halloumi.     Just to make sure that we covered all angles, we also opted for the Grass Fed sirloin with chimichurri, more out of greed than necessity. And nice as this was…you don't often go the beach and crave a big steak and the typical beach bar food we had enjoyed so much earlier seemed to be much more in keeping with the overall vibe of the place, and I think our brains and stomach's (much as they love steak) were telling us the same. Dessert at the brunch is limited to just one option, advertised as a fruit salad and mint syrup…however we were brought ice cream with a biscuit sprinkle…it was delicious and in keeping with the vibe of the place so we didn't question it.     THE DRINK   Drinks are fairly simple on the brunch menu. A good selection of hops (Fosters, Singha, Amstel), standard spirits with mixers and red, white and sparkling wine. We started with Singha before moving onto the slightly stronger stuff. Wine flowed as fast or slow as we wanted and was fresh, cold and crisp. We always appreciate the nice touch of bringing over the bottle and leaving it sat in a ice bucket on our table, for that little extra sense of decadence.   THE OTHER STUFF   As we said, this is NOT Dubai or Abu Dhabi. In fact, it's perfectly and deliberately designed as a ‘daycay' destination to escape both cities. As day progressed into night, we moved upstairs to finish our drinks and by that time a small mixed crowd had built up a nice relaxed, convivial atmosphere with the DJ spinning tune after tune of Balearic island classics. The Sundown feeling experienced here with the beach at your feet and the sun going down in the background really do transport you to Café Mambo and the like.   We could have stayed all night with that relaxed vibe and tunes sending us into a deep euphoric trance, and we nearly did. In fact, we stayed long enough that we went for a second serving of halloumi later in the evening and didn't want to leave.   This is not 5 star food and it is not 5 star luxury. This is pure, simple, tranquil bliss and a real treat to escape to for those in the "know." We can see this becoming a firm favourite with all manner of different groups. We have already made plans to come back on the Saturday where the brunch is repeated. It may just become your new winter hangout!     Every Friday & Saturday from 1-6pm (3 hour Brunch Package)   AED 295 for the Standard Package AED 349for the Sparkling Package • Call: +971 (0) 50 151 8407 • Email: info@lacalabeach.com