All set for the perfect dinner and movie date

As fears of recession prompt Dubai residents to cut back on expensive evenings out, some hotels are responding by offering value for money deals that they hope will keep punters coming in.

Among these is the Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, which is hosting a dinner-and-movie promotion until Tuesday. Diners opting for a three-course set menu at 24Seven restaurant any evening until then receive two movie tickets to next Wednesday's premiere of Nights in Rodanthe, the romance starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane.

Two evenings out for the price of one didn't seem a bad deal, and Emirates Business went along for a trial.

We were greeted with a lovely bubbly aperitif and offered a choice of indoor or outdoor seating. Despite the weathermen's assertions that winter is finally here, it was still too warm to be outdoors, and we eschewed the chance for a cigarette in favour of blessed air-conditioning.

We started with pan-seared foie gras and scallops. There's always something sinful about foie gras and this wasn't any different, more than adequately compensating for the rather insipid scallops.

A set menu does away with the eeny-meeny-miney-mo, and we were more than content to be served steak for our mains. While we would have liked to have been asked how we wanted it done, it arrived just the way we like – slow roasted and medium rare.

The mash accompanying it was a minimal dumpling on the side, but it was the sauce that stole the show. Really little more than a standard reduction, it was jazzed up with a few figs, which rounded it out with a nice mild tang. It was served on a green and white asparagus – and while we aren't fans of unseasonal produce, the white asparagus was superb: Young, tender and full of flavour.

It was the dessert, though, that was superlative. New York style cheesecake served as three square blocks topped with cherries and grated rhubarb. Best of all, in a town where cheesecake is often served too sweet, it was rich and creamy, the sweetness provided by a thin chocolate wafer. Three wedges were a bit too much, but the restaurant's team told us most guests ask for six! Clearly, Dubai's foodies are choosing to eat their way out of these lean times.