Let’s dish up 5 typical restaurants
In advance: Dubai’s kitchens cover all needs!
The density of restaurants in Dubai is far more than remarkable. Making the right choice can become a great challenge and is consequently not only uplifting but also stimulating. Practically throughout, these impress with good quality. Even Gault Millau doffs its cap to the culinary diversity. To experience the abundance of gastronomic highlights in Dubai, one week is definitely not enough. Curious as we are, we ourselves are tempted to discover further, exciting taste experiences.
Among the countless restaurants we tested, one quintet stands out in our view. These five recommendations exert a very special magic for us, not least because of their exquisite food, charming ambience and perfect service.
Arabian Teahouse Restaurant – the complete Arabian cuisine
Why not – begin a journey into Dubai’s past through the door of an original tea house in the historic Al Fahidi neighborhood – formerly Al Bastakiya? The guest of this Arabic tea house – also affectionately called Basta Art Café – immediately feels transported to old times. Here, the atmosphere is authentic with turquoise benches, white rattan chairs, lace curtains and flowers that stimulate the imagination as ornaments. While enjoying a cup of gahwa (traditional Arabic coffee) in the shade of an old tree, we smell a special fragrance around us and dream that time stands still. It is a place of serenity, a place that “dresses up” the past and gives the feeling of being in another era.
The choice of dishes is immense. In addition, everything deserves the rating of excellent. Our favorites include fattush, kebabs, hummus, falafel and samosas. Since we always forgo dessert, we have no insider tips for this.
Fattush is another Syrian-Lebanese salad dish, along with taboulé, but with deep-fried thin pita bread. Like mutabbal, hummus and falafel, fattush is one of the mezze, the traditional appetizers of Arabic cuisine.
Fresh minced chicken marinated in traditional style, grilled over charcoal and served with fresh potatoes.
Hummus is an oriental specialty made from pureed chickpeas or field beans, sesame paste, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and spices such as garlic and cumin.
Patties made with chickpeas and a mixture of Arabic spices that are crispy on the outside and warm and moist on the inside. Served with fresh vegetables and tanoor bread.
Samosas are filled dumplings from Pakistan and India. The dough consists of cooking oil or butter, water, salt and flour. They are often filled with leftover food, for example, the remains of a vegetable curry, with rice and potatoes, but also with minced meat, cheese, eggs or fish.
Our tip: Be sure to choose the “sharing is caring” concept, which makes it easier to discover the inviting variety.
Din Tai Fung – A Culinary Journey to China through Asian Cuisine
We got to know the restaurant chain “Din Tai Fung” intensively during our time in Singapore, which is why we were a bit critical at the beginning. In addition, the food is completely different than in Switzerland. But very soon we learned to appreciate this restaurant chain very much. Once a week, it is a must for us to visit Din Tai Fung in Dubai for lunch and reminisce about our time in Singapore 15 years ago. By the way, the only difference is that pork is not served in Dubai. The original Dim Sum Xiao Long Bao is replaced here with chicken. In terms of taste, however, the difference is minimal.
Din Tai Fung is available in various malls, including the Dubai Mall. What else you can discover in the Dubai Mall, you can read in our blog.
How did the restaurant chain “Din Tai Fung” come into being?
Din Tai Fung was founded in 1958 in Taipei, Taiwan, as a retail store for edible oil. 14 years after that, it was transformed into a full-fledged restaurant specializing in soup dumplings and noodles. Worldwide, enthusiastic response was not long in coming.
Our favorite dishes
Chili wontons are dumplings served in a somewhat spicy chili sauce. They are not extremely spicy, but the combination of the tender wontons and this sauce is a culinary highlight for us, a true explosion of flavor.
House salad, also called oriental salad, is a refreshing appetizer. Glass noodles, bean curd and bean sprouts are simmered in a Chinese-style vinegar dressing.
House Chili Noodles: some spicy noodles in a chili sauce. The exact recipe is a secret recipe. The pasta is prepared fresh.
Xiao Long Bao. We dare to say that the dumplings for many guests exert a magical. They are filled with meat and served in a clear soup, complemented with ginger, vinegar and a soy sauce.
Restaurant “Gia” – What is more delicious than a Neapolitan pizza?
In the Dubai Mall there is a fantastic Italian restaurant called “Gia”. During the winter months, a terrace offers a stunning view of Burj Khalifa Lake in addition to the excellent food. We visit Gia very often after an extensive shopping day. But regularly on weekends a meeting at the Gia with friends is part of it. It doesn’t have a special play area for children, but there are many children’s paradises in the Dubai Mall. Ayleen gets to play there for 90 minutes at a time while we treat ourselves to some delicious pizza. We can highly recommend the following dishes:
Carbonara alla Gia – a “creamy” pleasure
Pizza Burratinni motley for the eye and the palate
Avocado e Stracciatella the perfect blend of flavors
“Paul” serves not only French baguette
“Paul” is a restaurant chain, which enjoys a high recognition at the international level. Paul Brasserie was founded in 1889 by the Mayot family in northern France in the form of a small bakery. For us, “Paul” is a destination for morning and lunch. In the evening, other destinations take precedence. However, the fact is indisputable that the dishes leave nothing to be desired. Moreover, it is a must to order a warm drink (coffee or tea), not least to taste the friendly addition free of charge in the form of the famous French cake “Madeleine”.
As with the restaurants before, Paul’s menu is overwhelming. One of our favorites is the Salmon Egg Benedict and the other is the Salmon Cake with Spinach and Poached Eggs. Children swear by the classic breakfast with croissant and jam. In short, it is a real treat for the palate.
The breakfast menu varies with egg dishes, filled croissants, acai bowls and smooties
Hot and rich dishes are available both at lunch and dinner
“Sushi Art” – the art of Japanese cuisine
Not everyone shares our great fondness for sushi as lunch. Why sushi is so popular with us is easy to explain. Not only in the summer months it is very warm in Dubai. Therefore, we usually avoid a heavy lunch such as roast with mashed potatoes. “We often associate “Sushi Art” at Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) with a relaxing day at the beach. Just a minute walk from JBR beach is this Japanese restaurant, which allows us to have lunch on the spur of the moment. A T-shirt is all you need to take a seat out there, watch the hustle and bustle, and enjoy a cooling, albeit warm, breeze.
Our luck is that our daughter is open to different dishes and accompanies us everywhere without criticism. And how could it be otherwise? Also at Sushi Art the choice is simply big-ART-ig. Without indigestion due to the space limitations of the blog, we would like to serve you at least three recommendations that do not tolerate “but”:
Edamame – who doesn’t know them, the crunchy peas that jump into the mud. They are especially popular with children, especially our daughter.
“Sushi Art” offers a wide selection of sushis. Plates for two and more people are ideal for sharing and erbrgit a look at the menu.v
“Sushi style” offered. also a variety of delicious Japanese dishes. Our tip: Teriyaki Chicken.
Your Ines
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