Flanked by a tiny grocery and a tinier bakery, don’t let High Joint’s humble and hippie setting fool you with its one-dimensional interiors for staff to navigate, and moderate outdoor seating. Nested in Al Manara Road, Al Safa, High Joint brings impressive burgers and fries to the city at quite affordable rates. Despite the slow rise in vegetarian and vegan options across the city, the burger arena of Dubai is still focused on meat with the occasional veggie patty or Impossible burger option peppered across specialty burger joints at a not-so-affordable price point. For a burger outlet that has won awards for its Angus beef burger, High Joint surely houses unique veggie options in a veggie-flexible menu.
My order included the Fly High Loaded Fries minus the bacon bits [AED 22], High Buffalo Cauliflower Wings [AED 28 for 6 pieces], Halloumi Katsu Burger and Peanut Butter Cookie with vanilla ice cream [not on the menu]. While I got digging into the dessert first to enjoy a warm cookie with the ice cream intact, I reserved the rest for home.
“So, what is the philosophy behind High Joint?” I ask the jovial and chirpy hostess who brought homeliness to an out-of-place backdrop. While she emphasized High Joint’s small interior that could set off an immaterial first impression, she pointed out that High Joint has leapt to snag awards and raise itself to the levels of other acclaimed burger joints in the region. With the coronavirus pandemic scaling up restaurants’ delivery business, High Joint has been abound with orders that it has opened up a branch in Hessa and has started offering deliveries throughout Dubai.
The Peanut Butter Cookie was quite a delight with smooth and creamy peanut butter sandwiched between two layers of cookie, soft and chewy enough that one could mistake it for a fudgy brownie. The layered cookie, drizzle of chocolate sauce and plain vanilla ice cream came together remarkably to create a comfort dessert appropriate for the ideal American cusine. Nothing fancy, but extravagant in its simplicity.
I’ve been on a small little quest to find some great loaded fries in Dubai, but to my disappointment, the Fly High Loaded Fries did not come near to meeting the mark. Although the fries itself were well cooked – crispy and salty, the house ranch and ‘high’ sauce brought about its downfall. Again, the sauces by themselves were appetizing, but brought together, created a strong vinegar undertone that masked the balance of the fries. I’d like to believe that the sauces were meant to harmonize with the bacon bits which were taken out of the equation with my vegetarian preference. Part of me wishes that I ordered the High Millionaire’s Fries, a take on truffle and parmesan fries which I would have better enjoyed. Saving it for another time, I suppose.
I couldn’t contain my excitement with the High Buffalo Cauliflower Wings. A converted vegetarian, I had long forgotten what wings are like and have been looking forward to the day good vegetarian wings did justice to “wings”. The first bite was a delectable roar of the classic orange buffalo sauce packed with the perfect combination of spice and tanginess that was once a distant memory. The wings were clearly meant to be gorged fresh out of the kitchen since its crispy crust turned soggy by the time I unpacked it at home. However, the seasoning and flavor was not lost on me by any means and I was quite impressed that the the cauliflower under the crust kept the integrity of the dish.
The star of my experience was the Halloumi Katsu burger: a sizeable chunk of deep-fried halloumi, topped with tomato, onions and American cheese and encased in soft potato buns coated with the signature high sauce. Every single element complemented each other perfectly – the saltiness of the halloumi in peaceful juxtaposition with the fresh vegetables and the creamy sauce; the crispy crust of the halloumi against the soft potato buns. While the American cheese seemed extraneous without adding considerable value to the burger, extra cheese never hurts! All in all, a vegetarian burger well done.
High Joint has truly lived up to its hype. I envision myself coming back for more and I would be ecstatic to see a burgeoning vegetarian menu. Personally, I’d rather do High Joint from the comfort of home where I can unapologetically devour the food in printed pyjamas and fuzzy socks.
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