As a woman, one of the biggest boons of living in the UAE is its safety. I’ve roamed the streets of Dubai till early dawn, sometimes with the family, sometimes with the girlfriends, and even on my own. I love the nightlife of my adopted home, and it has become a Thursday-night family ritual of sorts to take a drive around town past 11.
Oftentimes, most restaurants are closing down or taking their last orders by 11. However, the bright, cheerful yellow logo of Denny’s is on 24/7.
It was a little past midnight when we walked into their branch at Al Ghurair Center (Dubai), and it might as well have been 12 noon with all the buzz and activity going on inside!
Quite a few tables were occupied, and they haven’t cut down on staff numbers for the night. A whole team of happy, smiling Denny’s servers were busy taking orders and waiting at the tables.
The interiors are brightly lit, and have all the trimmings of an American-style all-day diner.
The UAE has no shortage of Americanized diners, but what makes Denny’s different?
- They are the real deal! Denny’s is an American franchise that was founded way back in 1953. Many of the brand’s signature dishes have their ingredients freighted directly from the United States.
- They are open 24/7! Perfect for late, late nights or early in the morning. And they do all-day breakfast too!
- Customized dishes: Many of Denny’s dishes have a ‘Build Your Own’ option.
- They have a kid’s menu that makes mummies very happy 🙂 Denny’s Kid’s Menu is a part of the Kid’s LiveWell programme that has been verified by the National Restaurant Association and Healthy Dining. Balanced meals are denoted with an apple logo next to them for easy reference.
- The Denny’s service: The staff are very friendly and helpful, and genuinely look like they love their job, even in the late-night shift.
Here is a look at some of the delicious dishes we got to sample at Denny’s:
The UAE menu at Denny’s also lists a regionally created favorite. This is their Creamy Parmesan Pasta, a very rich and creamy dish loaded with white sauce, and topped with sauteed shrimps.
Denny’s also serves a number of very tempting milk-shakes, including a Peanut Butter variation rarely seen on Dubai menus. I thought a milkshake would be a bit too heavy with our dinner spread, and opted for one of Denny’s signature lemonades instead.
For our dessert round, I decided to give Denny’s Caramel Apple Crisp a try. This dessert is basically a deconstructed apple pie featuring apple pie filling, crunchy bits of pie pastry. a scoop of cold, creamy vanilla ice-cream and drizzles of caramel sauce.
The Apple Crisp is sweet and fruity, and would work well as a naughty summer treat. However, Hubby’s order of Banana Split stole the show!
It’s been a while since we indulged in the classic Banana Split, and suddenly we were having spoon wars over who got the next bite! This dessert features three scoops of ice-cream (chocolate, strawberry and vanilla) topped with cream, drizzles of chocolate and caramel sauce and sprinkles of chopped nuts. If it makes you feel less guilty, the platter also has fruits 🙂 the split banana and a few strawberry halves!
The ice-cream used at Denny’s (both for the desserts and their signature smoothies) has been imported from the United States. Even their ground coffee is a signature blend of the brand, and comes from the headquarters in America.
Denny’s deep, dark espresso coffee was the perfect way to end our satiating, late-night dinner. And don’t you just love their tongue-in-cheek mugs?! You can buy these for keepsakes.
Hungry? No need to go by the clock. Head to a Denny’s near you and indulge in an all-American meal of your choice.
We were at the Denny’s at Al Ghurair Center (Al Rigga Road, Dubai). You might just spot me there next weekend, digging into a Banana Split 😉
The Tezzy Files 