Puerto 99 | Bluewaters Island
Quintessentially Mexican, but with a fine dine edge, Puerto 99 is the hottest new spot at Bluewaters Island in Dubai. A class apart from the rest, it features wood accented interiors with high ceilings and quirky decorative pieces on the walls that gives the restaurant a friendly and welcoming vibe. They also have an outdoor deck, upstairs bar, and yes, they are licensed!
We started with complimentary tostadas served with 2 different salsas, salt and lemon. The green salsa was mild in taste, but the red one had a nice spicy edge to it. The tostadas were a little hard in my opinion. They could have been more lighter and crunchier. Although Puerto 99 serves cocktails, we opted for mocktails instead. I was offered Tamarind Night, while my plus one went with Red Light. The former was a blend of strawberries muddled with tamarind pulp and topped with ginger ale. The base of the drink had that pulpy consistency. The latter was a light refreshing mix of apple and pineapple juices, finished off with ginger ale and garnished with red berries.
Our first starter was one of theirs (and any other Mexican restaurant’s) bestseller – Guacamole! The guac was super creamy, thoroughly mashed and perfect for a dip, but just not with those tostadas on the side. I loved that they added pomegranate on top. But overall the taste is quite mild, so you could ask them to spice it up or add some lemon and salt to give it some flavor. The second starter and cheesy bestseller Queso Fundido was quite the creamy one. Baked hot with a generous topping of mushrooms, but a tad bit oily, this went just great with the corn tortillas on the side. And those tortillas, wow, they were not at all like the usual ones. In fact you could actually taste the cornmeal in them. Hot and fresh, I ended up having some tortillas with the guac as well.
Our first main at Puerto 99 was Camarones 99. Shrimps wrapped in veal bacon with creamy cheese, and they tasted just like they sound. The shrimps were done well, although I must admit, I didn’t eat all of that bacon. Quite a nice dish if you’re a fan of both the meats. The second main was honestly the best part of the dinner. Cooked to a medium doneness, the Black Angus Skirt Steak had the perfect juicy texture, the right spices and the balance between the brown crust and deep pink center was just on point. Order this and you’ll love it. And if you can, have it with a bite of that hot green pepper on the side.
For desserts we ordered the Classic Flan and it was spectacular. Classic, and perfectly so, this flan was served with berries and guava syrup. What I really really liked about this flan is that dense creamy texture of the custard and the fact that it wasn’t overly sweet. I’m not one to drool over desserts, but this is something I’d possibly go back for.
Puerto 99
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- Drinks
- Ambience
- Pricing
- Service
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One of the brilliant dining options at Bluewaters Island, Puerto 99 is just the right spot for good food, drinks and music. They have an upper deck that faces the waters and I can’t wait to go back and experience that too. The steak was my ultimate favorite. It’s one thing I would order blindly when I go there next. The guac isn’t too bad, and the flan is definitely an A lister. Next time I will make sure to try out their Tres Leches too.
Location: Near Ain Dubai by Meraas, Bluewaters Island, Dubai
Contact: 04 5576627
