What do 1762, a Dubai deli and a ‘roast’ beef Yorkshire pud wrap have in common?

For starters, the sandwich was born in 1762. Credit to the Earl of Sandwich who asked for his roast beef to be served between two slices of bread to prevent his hands from getting all greasy during his game of cards. Or perhaps he was just hiding the odd ace or two? Either way, he created the first record of the sandwich, and the team behind Appetite’s fresh crunchy salads and juicy wraps (sold at Spinneys and numerous coffee joints) has opened 1762 The Gourmet Deli Co. at DIFC.

With a queue, not far off a mile, of banker-types on a Thursday lunchtime, you order your meal, pay, take a pew, stool or chair, and it’s served, pretty pronto. To make the queueing time less painful, one of the owners, FooDiva’s presuming, was pouring out home-made pink lemonade as tasters; so refreshing I ordered one with our meal.

The decor is British with a New York twist FooDiva feels, reflected in the menu, mind you with a good dose of Arabic ingredients thrown in. My lunch companion suggested this joint, because she knew FooDiva would want to try…wait for this a ‘traditional homecooked roast beef Yorkshire pud wrap’. Oh my was she right. FooDiva’s a sucker and supporter of most traditional British food, as I feel the country gets an unfair wrap on its cuisine. Put a Yorkshire pudding anywhere and I will pick that dish off the menu; Rivington Grill’s used to feature a fabulous roast beef salad served in a giant Yorkshire pud. Bring it back pretty please.

The huge wrap is served cut into half; I expected the Yorkshire pud to be heavy, but infact was incredibly light and fluffy like a good one should be. The generous slices of beef were more salt beef, rather than roast, but with plenty of lettuce folded in. Having said that, FooDiva popped in for an impromptu second visit, and peering through the glass counter I was pretty sure I spotted roast beef (and rare too!). You get a choice of horseradish or Coleman’s mustard and a teeny pot of gravy; warm by the way, as was the wrap. FooDiva topped it up with rosemary, garlic and olive oil ‘tatties’ otherwise known as potatoes – in this case wedges – with a pot of labneh and spring onion dip. Fresh, with the crispy skin intact and all mushy inside.

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