A contemporary eatery that takes you on a culinary journey of the East
DÉCOR
The menu is Asian-inspired and the interiors reflect this, with accents of cherry blossom on the walls, lacquered wood furnishings and beautiful ornate chandeliers. In the small dining room there’s a central bar that’s good if you’re snacking solo, but it’s the burnt orange banquets that will offer comfort when you’re sampling the delights when dining à deux.
AMBIENCE
You won’t find a raucous Dubai scene spilling out everywhere – no loud Dj presence and certainly no ladies night silliness, which means you can really enjoy an intimate tête-à-tête.
FOOD
The chef uses some of his grandmother’s recipes that have been passed down the generations, but updates and lightens them with a modern twist. The ginger lotus sea bass with a Vietnamese ginger lemon sauce lets out a little puff of delicately fragrant steam when you unwrap the lotus leaf and the ginger offers a nice tang. The Vietnamese soup is the foodie equivalent of a big hug. Warming spices, hearty noodles and healthy veggies make you feel very virtuous. It’s the kind of soup you need when you’ve had a really bad day at the office.
To offer a bit of yin/yang to the meal, we also opted for the not-quite-as-healthy coconut prawns, which were perfectly crispy on the outside and meltingly soft on the inside – all nicely served up with a little fruity salad and a sweet chili dip.
A big hit from the mains was the black cod – it not only melts in the mouth, (beautifully unguent with the miso dressing), but the portion is pretty plump too. It was a perfectly ample main unlike (ahem) some other Japanese joints around town, where a chopstick fight can erupt for the last morsel.
WHY BOTHER?
Thankfully, the Ritz Carlton is at the good end of JBR – so you don’t get stuck in the awful parade of cars. And the food is the real superstar here – it’s fresh and delightful and won’t break the bank either.
THE DETAILS
Blue Jade | The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai | (04) 3186150 here
