You may have heard a collective cheer from the residents of Old Town last night when they discovered that their beloved ‘local’ is back up and running!

Nezesaussi, or Nezzas for those of use who cannot pronounce the real name, has been shut for 7 long months as the Al Manzil hotel was going through a refit.

We now have a shiny new and slightly gastro pub look to our favourite watering hole.  It is a good thing… I am sure of it… except I kind of miss the old one already!  It was so “not Dubai” that it was awesome, but I guess progress has to be made and it does look so nice and clean and uncluttered!

Thankfully the staff are as lovely and smiley as they always have been, and the Manager is still the same.  Hello Jonathan!

The best bit is that they are still doing food and oh my word is it good still!

I started off by having a nice little bottle of Savanna Dry and a bowl of biltong.  Such a great way too celebrate the end of a very long day and it will be back on my list of “must do” from now on.

(Side note – Will you ever get Savanna Light?)

The biltong was just how I like it… thick cut and dry.  It’s the closest thing to decent biltong I have ever found in Dubai, and much as its an acquired taste, I highly recommend you all acquire it!  So good, and so moreish.  My only complaint is a) I am going to spend a fortune on this, and b) it could be three times the size and still not be enough!  I am a glutton, and we all know it!

Now is the good part… food!  Well, more food because the biltong was amazing!!

The bread is divine.  Made and cooked fresh on the premises, and then given a quick refresh in the oven to warm it through and make it all crunchy.  Served with butter (unsalted) and balsamic/olive oil mix for dipping.  There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with this.  I can’t eat bread but it smelt too good to not sample.  Far too good.  So good I may have had to sample it a few times.  Yes, that was dumb but it is that good I couldn’t help it!!!!

Then came chicken wings.  If you are ever looking for me on a post-brunch Saturday morning, come to Nezza’s, find the darkest corner, and you will see me with at least one order of these in front of me.  They are absolutely delicious!  They are cooked to perfection and then smothered in a spicy bbq sauce – but not drowned.  Perfect!  They came with a really light blue cheese dip.  It didn’t make me gag for the first time, so I am voting it the best blue cheese sauce ever!  Hahah!!

There may have also been chips.  Ok, there were chips.  Not as heavily seasoned as my memory tells me from the last time I was in there.  Turns out that’s a very good thing.  They were heaven.  I have no idea what seasoning they use, but I know I want it.  I imagine that it would be fabulous on roast potatoes too.  Or, any potato really.  Or veg.  Or, well, most things!  I need to steal me their secret recipe.  Back to the chips, anyway…. they are chunky chips cooked to perfection.  Crispy on the outside and fluffy and soft in the middle.

Next time, there needs to be ribs.  There was a table next to us who ordered them and they actually made my mouth water.

Is anyone free tonight?!