The restaurant openings never stop in Dubai (and to some extent, Abu Dhabi), with something new on a weekly basis — more often than not, quite a few new things. Here’s what caught our eye this week.
First up: after a revamp of the Mina A’ Salam’s restaurant offerings, Hanaaya (“happiness” in Arabic) opened this week, serving cuisine from around the world (it’s a refurbishment of the old Al Muna). The focus is on variety with live cooking stations. If it’s the outdoors you’re interested in, check this out: There is an expanded terrace overlooking the Madinat Jumeirah lagoon and turtle sanctuary. The restaurant is part of the revamped brunch at the hotel at Madinat Jumeirah serving up the likes of liquid nitrogen desserts. It’s open daily for buffet lunch and dinner from 12.30-3.30pm and from 6.30-10.30pm.
Over at the Sofitel Downtown Dubai — which earlier this month opened Peruvian Inka and Lebanese Al Jazira Chez Louis — there’s now something for Asian food lovers. Wakame is a restaurant and bar serving pan-Asian cuisine including dim sum, wok-fried dishes, sushi and new-style sashimi.
Think Chilean seabass, oven roasted with a jalapeño and ginger marinade or the gluten-free miso caramel cheesecake with a black sesame shortbread base. There’s also a bar and a nightly DJ. Contact reservations@wakame.ae.
Another taste of Asia came to Boxpark this week with the opening — finally! — of Mikado Bakery, the sister concern of Mikado Cafe in Abu Dhabi.
While the capital’s restaurant serves up traditional Japanese fare, including sushi, the Dubai outlet focuses on Japanese baked goods, desserts and teas (they also do delivery). Things start with breakfast (pancakes, waffles, crepes or sandwiches, including the yakisoba, a bread roll sandwich stuffed with Japanese sauteed noodles. There are also soups and salads such as a blend of mizuna served with kabocha squash, radish, lotus root, cherry tomatoes and seaweed, tossed in kaiso dressing, and kabocha soup with ginger. Desserts are made from Japanese ingredients such as matcha tea, red azuki beans and tofu. It’s open daily, 10am-midnight; call 04-3003000.
Per Te Ristorante e Cafe is expanding, with a second outlet in Business Bay’s Bay Avenue following its first spot in Jumeirah 1. The same menu is on offer, as well as a new salad bar, an in-house patisserie and an outdoor terrace with views of the Burj Khalifa. It’s open 8am-11pm daily; call 04-4403051.
If you are crazy about Japanese baked goods, you’ll be glad to hear Al Wasl Square’s Yamanote has opened a second location in Dubai Mall, next door to Yo! Sushi on the lower ground floor.
