Eating and drinking our way around Dubai

With only 3 days in Dubai and a lot of unwinding to do, we veered away from the more adventurous activities involving desert trips and decided to just relax at various bars and restaurants.

I always spend an inordinate amount of time on Tripadvisor, as well as scouring through TRs, for ideas before trips. Dubai was no different. I picked a few top places to visit and pinned them to a Google map.

There were 3 main zones that formed:

1. Dubai Mall and the Burj Khalifa

2. Dubai Marina and the Palm

3. The Palm and Mall of the Emirates

…as well as Dubai Creek of course, home to the Park Hyatt.

I was looking for as much culinary variety as possible: Chinese, Indian, French. As well as different bar styles: Rooftop, Creekside, Beach and Tallest on Earth !

Here are my recommendations for each area:

1. Dubai Mall and the Burj Khalifa

You can’t come to Dubai for the first time and miss seeing the Dubai Mall, a seemingly infinite expanse of shops and entertainment. It is the biggest mall on the planet, houses the World’s largest fish tank and sits next to the tallest building on Earth. The Emiratis don’t do things by halves.

The shops aren’t particularly reasonably priced, especially if you are looking for luxury brands. However, it is worth going just to see the architecture and take in the atmosphere.

As well as the modern areas of the mall, there are parts made to look like traditional souks… well, ridiculously kitschy interpretations of souks replete with camel statues.

In addition to the mini-souk area within the main mall, there is an entirely separate souk-mall by the fountains.

Although to be fair, not many people are looking in that direction when they step outside the Dubai Mall. The process goes something like this.

1. Step outside and get hit with a wall of heat
2. Put sunglasses on
3. Remove sunglasses to wipe the absurd quantity of condensation, formed by taking them from freezing aircon to scorching heat
4. Catch sight of the Burj Khalifa, stand motionless, jaw-open, hand over eyes to block the sunlight
5. Take pictures. Lots of pictures.

I’m a sucker for skyscrapers, my favourite skyline in the World is Shanghai. I have to say though, Dubai comes very close.

Seeing the Burj Khalifa for the first time is an astonishing experience. Until you are there, looking around comparing it to ‘regular’ skyscrapers, you can’t quite fathom how monolithically outrageous this building is. If the weather had been terrible and McDonalds the only restaurant, the trip would have still been worth it to see this achievement of human endeavour.

Speaking of achievements of human endeavour, we walked past this on our way back to our car.

Emirates has a huge A380 simulator set up in a far corner of the mall. Has anybody on here ever tried it? I’ve already vowed to sign up for a lesson, well in advance, before our next trip to Dubai.

---

Katsuya

---

If you go to a regular mall for sushi, outside of Japan, you are lucky if you get something along the lines of yo-sushi. Of course Dubai Mall is no regular mall. When we asked the information desk for a good sushi place we were directed to the amazing Katsuya.

The restaurant has been designed by Phillipe Starck and it shows.

Upon entering, we were immediately greeted in the traditional Japanese way by the sushi chefs in the central bar counter: “irrashaimase!”, always a good sign.

The room has a really open and bright quality, very clean and minimal, the perfect place to have a light lunch after a long haul flight.

The service was definitely ‘American’ super friendly, lots of information given about the dishes, lots of suggestions, “you’ll love this”, “this is my favourite”, etc. Very different to what you get in England. I don’t always prefer the American style but for this type of restaurant it works really well. I felt like the whole experience of eating there was fun and friendly, if a little expensive.

The sushi dishes were genuinely interesting though and I was glad to see sashimi being given some love.

Eating in the mall, I began to get a feel for the life of the Emiratis, who, let’s face it, have a pretty sweet deal. it was interesting to see large groups of women in hijabs or other forms of Muslim dress, chatting away over their lunches.

Given the previous night’s consumption of VC Grande Dame I was pleased to see such an extensive election of non-alcoholic beverages (something we found in all the drinking and dining establishments we visited in Dubai).

K had some sort of raspberry soda and I went for a mixed fruit drink with fresh jalapeno. Both were amazing.

---

Armani Hotel – Amal restaurant

---

In addition to being an architectural marvel, the Burj Khalifa also houses a number of bars and dining establishments, the majority of which are linked in some way to the Armani hotel.

Given that you can’t use miles and points there, there aren’t too many Trip Reports on the hotel on FlyerTalk. Arriving in our luxury sedan, we definitely felt like movie stars; the approach is lined with supercars and limousines. As soon as you arrive, your car doors are promptly opened and you are ushered out of the heat into the icy cold of the sleek, black lobby.

The Armani restaurants are quite varied: Italian, Indian and Japanese cuisines are represented.

We decided to try Amal, the Indian restaurant. In England, Indian food has a reputation for being something cheap, heavy and fattening because there is such a proliferation of takeaway curry houses throughout the country. However, just as Hakkasan showed that not all Chinese food is greasy and cheap, Amal disproves the haters of Indian food.

The service was also faultless. We were informed that the Park Hyatt concierge had ensured we had a fountain facing table, as it was our first visit to Dubai (a very nice touch). Our server explained the timings and said that we may wish to remain indoors, given the heat, but were free to view the fountain show from the private balcony, should we wish to do so.

Of course we leapt at the chance. The view up was probably even more amazing than the view from At.mosphere above.

If you’ve ever seen the show at the Bellagio then you know… what a water pistol looks like in comparison to a military grade water cannon. Seriously, the Dubai fountains crank things up a notch.
Having dinner at Amal, from the moment we drove up to the entrance of the Armani hotel, felt like an experience. For the entire evening we were transported away from reality.

Another moment of excellent service, when K stepped away to use the bathroom, the server immediately came over with cloches to cover our plates. He also engaged me in conversation to ensure that I remained entertained until K returned, stepping aside and uncovering our plates as she returned. The best restaurants in London don’t serve you this well.

At this point I should probably mention the food. Excellent. Light, fragrant, tender and utterly delicious. None of the thick sauces and over-reliance on curry powder that you may be used to. This is food that absolutely belongs in a room of this level.

---

At.mosphere – Burj Khalifa

---

If you want to go to the top of the tallest building on earth you have two options, you can pay for a ticket to get in line, ride the elevator and walk through a viewing gallery, rife with tourists. An experience which you have to reserve weeks in advance, should you want to experience the sunset.

Alternatively, you can book a table at At.mosphere, the tallest bar on Earth, via your hotel concierge two days beforehand. You then spend a similar amount of money to what you would have speng accessing the viewing gallery but that money no only gets you a view, it also gets you drinks. No prizes for guessing what we did.

The ground floor entrance is a grand and cavernous space, very bright and open. It actually has quite a strong Scandinavian feel to it, with all the glass and light wood.

After a brief wait we were escorted to the elevators.

As soon as you exit the elevators you experience a view like no other. You genuinely feel like you are in the heavens looking down on the Earth.

Given the location and the resulting captive audience, you would expect three things: terrible service, low quality drinks and sky high prices.

I am glad to report that none of those things are the case. The staff were as elegant and demure as the decor; the cocktails not only perfect renderings of classics but also a diverse list of genuinely interesting and well executed originals. The prices? Similar to what you pay in any half decent cocktail bar in London. And if you’re going somewhere like Artesian at the Langham or the Connaught bar… actually a little cheaper than London! The steak tartare with caviar was excellent too.

Once again, the Park Hyatt concierge secured us a fantastic table; we were seated with a view of the fountains, this time with a very different perspective of course.

When it came to watching the sunset, we walked all the way around to the far edge of the bar, drinks in hand, to a very private area at the end. This gave a fantastic view of the sunset but was not an area you’d otherwise want to be seated in, given how far it is from the “action” of the main room.

Watching the sun set into the sea, on a clear day, drinking an old fashioned at the top of the tallest building on Earth… easily in the top 5 experiences of my life. The is serious bucket list material.

Once we returned to our seats, we really didn’t want to leave; the energy of the place was palpable, the transition from day to night now in full swing. We whiled away a couple of hours talking, eating and drinking, watching the bright lights of Dubai come to life.

2. Dubai Marina and the Palm

Dubai Marina is a secluded and charming alcove of hotels and restaurants very near to the Palm. It has a unique feel to it, more like an Asian city like Singapore or Hong Kong. Fittingly enough, on our visit there we stopped at the Ritz Carlton hotel for dinner at their Pan Asian restaurant, Blue Jade.

---

Ritz Carlton – Blue Jade Restaurant

---

This restaurant is consistently ranked near the top on trip advisor and it is easy to see why. The decor is beautiful, with just the right mix of ancient looking artefacts and sleek glass and lighting.

As with everywhere else in Dubai, the service was impeccable. Our server at Blue Jade was a warm and bubbly Malaysian. What better nationality to represent Pan Asian food?

We ordered a variety of hot and cold dishes.The sashimi was super fresh. The black cod wrapped in lotus leaf was out of this world.

Because the entire Palm and Marina area is filled with hotels, all vying for customers’ attention, there is a complimentary buggy service to shuttle you between them. K absolutely loved this as it reminded her of growing up in a part of HK that had no cars, where only golf carts were allowed!

After finishing our meal we hopped on a buggy for a nightcap at the Sheraton Bliss Bar.

---

Sheraton – Bliss Bar

---

We were there on Saturday night, which is the Dubai equivalent of Sunday, so we basically had the place to ourselves.

The drinks were very good, with a pretty diverse and inventive cocktail list.

It was nice to just see the lights of the palm in the distance and enjoy the feeling of sand between our toes as a way to round off the evening.

As an added bonus we got 15% off for being SPG gold holders as well as as earning a few SPG points!

3. Mall of The Emirates and the Burj Al Arab

Not too far from the Palm is the Mall of The Emirates. Not as large or opulent as its newer sibling, it does have one World famous feature which Kamara and I really wanted to check out. An indoor “ski resort”. That’s right, not just a slope but a resort, complete with a slope-side restaurant, two pistes, a nursery area and a luge area.

K had never snowboarded before so I left her in the beginner class whilst I spent an hour going the slopes.

It was an incredible feeling to strap on a board and feel the cold, having spent the morning sunbathing by the pool at the Park Hyatt.

Having said that, an hour was enough. Part of the fun of boarding is exploring and seeing the amazing mountain views. Although this was a fun experience, I definitely wouldn’t plan on spending a whole day here.

The Mall of The Emirates area’s main draw is the Burj al Arab. Home to a self-designated 7 star hotel.

We didn’t really have much interest in seeing the inside but thought that the outside of the building is quite iconic and worth viewing whilst it was lit up at night.

I’d read that there was one bar that had great views of the Burj, the Bahri bar at Madinat Jumeirah.

---

Madinat Jumeirah – Bahri Bar

---

The Madinat Jumeirah is a typical Disney/Vegas style resort hotel. More the idea that people have in mind when they imagine Dubai. Seriously, when I tell people about the Park Hyatt they look at me like I’m making things up.

The bar was rammed with expats and absolutely stank of stale beer and cigarette smoke. The view was pretty cool though:

We sat on the balcony for a few minutes debating whether or not to line up at the bar and brave the masses… and thought better of it.

At the ripe old age of 30 I though it was about time I began complaining about the kids and their noisy bars.

We headed to the lobby and spent a few minutes listening to an awesome duo of local musicians.

We then grabbed a buggy to take us to the rooftop bar at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

We were driven along a series of winding paths until all of a sudden we turned a corner and saw an amazing view of the Burj. At this point the buggy driver stopped and offered to take our picture.

---

Jumeirah Beach Hotel – Uptown Bar

---

At this point in the holiday we were so full of food and drink that we just went for a couple of non-alcoholic cocktails and soaked in the view.

Uptown has a very chilled out feel and is a place that you could easily while away a few hours with friends. Bear in mind though that not all table have a view and even the best ones will require you to get up or turn around if you want to take in the whole city.

---

Friday Brunch at the Park Hyatt – Traiteur

---

Friday Brunch is a huge deal in Dubai. The weekend runs from Friday to Saturday so for a lot of people the weekend starts with a full day of heavy drinking. I’ve even heard stories of Friday brunches ending with people dancing on tables and hosing each other down in champagne. Not really my scene but would probably be funny to see.

However, Traiteur at the Park Hyatt promised all the indulgence with a little more refinement.

The walk to the restaurant takes you along the creek and past row after row of yachts.

We were seated in a quiet pavilion, conveniently adjacent to a spread of seafood.

It was good as a starter but the main room is where the real action was!

I don’t have much of a sweet tooth but even I was tempted by a few choice treats in the dessert room.

The service was great, the food remarkably good and the location exuded class. Bravo Park Hyatt Dubai, bravo.

---