Okku: Eclectic at its best

DUBAI: There was celebration in the air; Christmas around the corner; an upcoming anniversary; the start of the New Year knocking at our door… We just had to find somewhere out of this world to commemorate the goodness of the month. But narrowing down our search to just one fabulous place wasn't easy. Until I read about the new menu at Okku, my favourite Japanese fusion restaurant.

Now, the thing with Okku is that ordering doesn't quite work like at other restaurants. There's no set three-course meal to be ordered. Instead, you treat the menu like you would an open bar. Anything goes, in any order. The portions are small and the staff encourage you to keep the orders flowing. Dishes are delivered to your table the moment they are ready, regardless of whether you're still working your way through the last dish.

So, without further ado, we started with a Prawn Cocktail of poached jumbo prawns on ice served with a yuzu wasabi sauce; a chunky Steak Tartar of ribeye with a side of lotus root crisps; HuShiHu Salad of Yuan crispy duck over a mixed salad of baby gem, the oh-so-expensive mache leaves, romaine lettuce, radish, cabbage, leek daikon and pomegranate; and my absolute favourite Lobster Carpaccio, a poached lobster resting in its shell with micro mizuna, masago and a wafu-goma dressing. We figured surely four dishes between the two of us would suffice.

I couldn't have been further from the truth. It's not that the portions were minuscule (they were just fashionably trim), it's that the food was so good it broke our hearts not to work our way through the rest of the menu.

Since sushi is a mandatory part of the experience, we experimented with the eight new concoctions on the menu, including my highlights of the night: Dynamite Black Cod Maki (baked California maki, black cod, baby corn, enoki and button mushroom and asparagus over a spicy mayonnaise) and Sea Bass and Papaya sushi.

Two hours into total self-indulgence and we still had room for more. Before we could change our mind, the chef had prepared the Dynamite Kani and Veal Short Rib Shoyu-ni, with a side of Truffle Chahan. The Dynamite Kani, probably the most expensive dish on the menu, came in the form of two whole baked king crab legs. Within minutes, we'd wiped the legs clean of every shred of meat. Next up, the ginger-soy braised veal short ribs were delightful on their own, but divine when paired with the truffle fried rice with garlic, zen mai, spring onion and black sesame seeds.

Finally, we were satiated and ready to call it a night. Until the waiter mentioned dessert: a Green Tea Souffle. Words will never adequately describe this dessert. Soft, melt-in-your-mouth, airy textures mixed with subtle hints of green tea and topped with an edible gold decoration, this dish alone is worth visiting Okku for. One spoonful in and we felt as though the entire evening had been leading up to this one faultless mouthful. The perfect way to end a perfect meal.