The Citronelle Club.

SO/Uptown needs to try (a lot) harder.

Let’s step back and get theoretical for a second. Fundamentally, why do we leave the house to dine out? Why do we pay for food rather than make dishes ourselves? Is it to try good things? New things? Is it to expand our culinary horizons? In the case of The Citronelle Club, I will be transparent and say it was due to several elements, including proximity, my desire not to cook for an evening, and, as always, I remain an optimist when trying new restaurants in Dubai. Unfortunately, that optimism doesn’t always pay off.

Sigh.

The Citronelle Club is located in the somewhat difficult-to-reach SO/Uptown hotel. For those wondering, Uptown Dubai = JLT, much like Barsha Heights = Tecom. Don't fight me. Our night was off to a complicated start as the taxi dropped us off not at the front of the hotel but in the parking deck (which is both correct and incorrect, and I’m grateful Mr. Wright has some knowledge of the property). The hotel hasn’t exactly been forthcoming in its launch, and this is an …