Like many in Dubai, I live in an apartment and having restricted outdoor space, I’ve never been able to squeeze a fully-sized barbeque onto my balcony. So, when I heard that the Aussie-born Space Grill had launched in the UAE, I was curious to check it out.

The Space Grill is an indoor-certified, fold-away gas BBQ that was developed especially for people that want to enjoy grilling on a generously-sized surface, but have limited space on their balconies, terraces or small garden areas.

INSTALLATION

Available for purchase online, the Space Grill is delivered straight to your home and installed for you. Within a matter of moments from arrival, the team had my grill set-up and fully operational. The Space Grill can either be mounted onto an outdoor wall or it can be purchased with a stand.

Equipped with inbuilt handles on either side of the grill, the barbeque is easily maneuvered to be stored vertically, or horizontal when popped up to cooking mode, which literally takes two seconds. Overall, the Space Grill weighs 35kg, and has a pivot weight of 15kg, so it’s an easy movement to lift the grill up and down.

On first impressions, I loved how the BBQ looked so compact and cleanly designed when folded down, yet once brought up for grilling it was like using any other large grill. Offering a 640mm x 480mm cooking area consisting of a ceramic-coated reversible cast iron plate (flat and ridged) and a chef-grade stainless-steel grill, the Space Grill is a solid and durable piece of equipment that really holds its own against other non-folding barbeques.

COOKING

When it comes to cooking on the Space Grill, there’s three different surfaces to choose from – the stainless-steel grill, which is great for grilling meat, fish and seafood on, then there’s a reversible cast iron plate, ideal for vegetables. The cast iron plate is ridged on one side, but once flipped over the surface is flattened for times when you’re looking for a more even sear – eggs and pancakes, anyone?

The build quality of this three-burner barbeque is fantastic. With three-individual rotary ignition stainless steel burners that can operate from bottled or mains gas, the Space Grill ensures that there are no cool spots on the grill when all three are turned on.

With the heat being evenly well-distributed, I really liked that I wasn’t constantly having to move ingredients around on the grill to ensure consistently-cooked food. Instead, everything cooked evenly, to smoky, barbequed perfection.

CLEANING

Let’s be honest, no one likes cleaning a barbeque, so I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this part of the review, however, it’s good news – the Space Grill is pretty painless to clean.

Due to its anti-stick ceramic nano coating, the grill’s surfaces are easily wiped clean. They’re also removable if you need to give them a thorough clean. Underneath the grilling surfaces, the Space Grill has an internal drip system that guides all juices and dropped-through bits and pieces into a removable tray, which is easily removed and cleaned. I found it easy to rinse the grill down outside, then simply bring the detachable tray inside to the kitchen sink to wash away everything else.

The lid cover that’s used to neatly enclose the Space Grill when folded down doubles as a splash back to the grill when in cooking mode, so that your walls don’t get greasy or splattered with food.

Made from high-quality weather proof stainless steel, the Space Grill is designed to withstand moisture and salt, so you don’t need to worry about your barbeque rusting. It also comes with a quality cover, so that it’s protected from the elements once folded away. And, as a portable barbeque, you can always bring the grill indoors (or take it on a camping trip), should you need to.

Another great design element of this grill is that the outer surfaces of the grill do not get hot, so you don’t need to worry about your little ones accidentally burning themselves.

HOW TO BUY

If you’re keen to try before you buy, the Space Grill team offer free demos at your home. They offer a professional and really friendly service, ensuring they’re in and out of your home in a jiffy, leaving no mess behind.

Details: The Space Grill retails at AED 3,799 including VAT. For more information or to order a Space Grill, visit space-grill.com or call +971 58 5503078.