6 Fine Dining Restaurants in Dubai Perfect For the Weekend
We take our job of scouring Dubai's high end fine-dining landscape extremely seriously, and have assembled your top picks for this weekend! From old haunts, popular favorites and some great new comers, you're sure to find something that tickles your taste buds and can be guaranteed that it's going to be a meal to remember. From Indian, Chinese and Asian, to Steakhouses, European and bar food, here are our top 6 choices for this weekend.
Best Indian: Rang Mahal by Atul Kochhar
Want to know where to get the absolute best curry in Dubai? Well now you do. Atul Kochhar has a culinary talent for taking classic Indian dishes and delivering a final result that evokes a sense of the familiar mixed in with something exciting, new and edgy. But they don't stray too far from what is recognizably Indian cuisine; flavors, ingredients and traditional cooking techniques are still present, just more pretty, more refined and more award-winning. The presentation is also stellar, with some serious eye candy food art happening at Rang Mahal.
Best European: Boca
There's plenty of choice when it comes to fine-dining in the Emirate, and especially so in the DIFC area, so the fact that Boca managed to carve a name for itself in this competitive eating central makes it all the more impressive. The Spanish-influenced menu is great for both snacking with friends, grabbing a few bites after work or going all out and gorging on the weekend with friends. The kitchen is definitely putting in the time and effort to perfect their sharing dishes, making for a menu where anything you order is going to arrive on-time and tasting of perfection.
Best Chinese: Hakkasan
Executive Head Chef Tong Chee Hwee has led the Hakkasan kitchen since its inception, and his take on Chinese cuisine has garnered multiple Michelin stars at Hakkasan locations across the world. Traditional techniques use fresh and local ingredients to ensure that the contemporary offering retains the essence of conventional Cantonese cuisine. With signature dishes such as the Roasted silver cod with Champagne and honey to the Crispy duck salad, it's an epicurean experience. Besides the excellent food, the venue deserves a mention too; a slick dining room combines with a fantastic terrace space featuring rustic wooden pavilions, lush exotic greenery and Hakkasan's signature oak latticing.
Best Asian: Mekong
A distinctly contemporary yet timeless look sets the scene at Mekong, with warm, ornate decorations meeting an intimate and somewhat novel design. The menu pays a culinary homage to many of Asia's best dishes and is divided equally between Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese. Options are well thought-out and beautifully presented, and the attention to detail continues to the complexity of the dishes. Vibrant flavors, exotic aromas and exciting textures can be found across the food offering, and if you feel in need of a helping hand then the staff are able to make some very insightful and helpful.
Best Steakhouse: JW’s Steakhouse
This dimly lit fine dining venue, decked out in huge leather armchairs and done up in traditional dark greens and woods is as authentic as you're going to find in Dubai when it comes in steakhouses. They take pride in the quality of their meats, and rightly so; chunky, rustic cuts are cooked exactly to your liking and accompanied by some great side dishes. Not sure what to order? Ask the staff to run you through the menu and the what's on specials, all accompanied by visual displays of the actual meat itself! The steaks are served on large wooden platters with golden bull's heads on either end, adding a nice dose of additional atmosphere to the dining experience!
Book your table at JW's Steakhouse
Best Bar Food: Tr!beca Kitchen & Bar
This modern, New York loft theme venue boasts one of the friendliest and laid back fine dining atmospheres around. It's all urban feel and industrial design, and features a spacious bar, while the social area is full of quirky, custom-made furniture created from recycled materials such as old crates and steel piping. The regulars are a young, hip and trendy bunch so get ready for a good time! The food offering is both wholesome and delicious, and almost all of it is organic. An easy-going, friendly attitude can be found across both patrons and staff, and it's this that makes Tr!beca work so well!