With a host of stylish urban restaurants popping up in the region, we take a look at the hangouts combining delicious food by top chefs with enviable interiors, perfect to try during the holiday weekend and beyond.
The Croft
Vibe: Inspired by chef Darren Velvick’s rural upbringing in the English countryside, The Croft focuses on locally sourced, organic produce.
Food: Formerly heading up award winning fine-dining restaurant Table 9 at the Hilton Creek Dubai, Velvick, who trained with uber-chefs Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, takes a more casual approach at earthy bistro, The Croft. With a selection of British classics with a twist on the menu, choose from comfort food staples like fish, roasted duck breast or sea bream baked in paper with fennel and red pepper. For an added dose of nostalgia, tuck into poached rhubarb crumble and vanilla custard or warm chocolate pudding with milk ice cream for dessert. Food aside, highlights are the warm and homely approach of the dining team who run through the menu with the same passion they’d have for their own kitchens; the restaurant’s outdoors area which boasts comfy bean bags and tranquil tea lanterns; and a soundtrack of recognizable indie tunes. Chalkboard pillars and an open kitchen complete the intimate and relaxed atmosphere, with food served on elegantly mismatched crockery and wooden platters.
The Croft, Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel, Dubai, 5th floor. Open 5pm-1am for drinks and 6pm-11pm for food.
Garden
Vibe: A homegrown concept with Peruvian flair at eclectic outdoors-indoors restaurant, Garden.
Food: Restaurateur Tom Vindasius and chef Edgar Hurtado have teamed up under Marriott International’s global restaurant scheme Project Canvas, which supports restaurant startups in the region, to open Garden. Relaxed and vibrant, the modern interiors are punctuated with eclectic graffiti, lots of greenery and a soothing water feature - perfect for hanging out with friends to sample the sharing menu, which is based around the latest trend-setting cuisine to hit the mainstream: Peruvian. When in Peru, eat ceviche and tiraditos. The best of the beautiful seafood bites are served marinated in leche de tigre, a moreish Peruvian lime and red onion marinade with crispy pops of chulpi corn, or with laqueado, laced with aji limo chilis and coriander. Follow up with a creamy rice dish filled with seafood, Arroz Meloso De Mariscos, or Chicken Saltado (a delicious chicken stir fry dotted with crispy potatoes) and end on a high note with the densely sweet Tres Leches sponge cake. With friendly, knowledgeable staff and a laidback atmosphere, Garden brings the best of South America to Dubai.
Garden, JW Marriott Marquis, Dubai, 5th floor. Open Tuesday- Sunday, 7pm-midnight.
Catch
Vibe: Hailing from the Meatpacking District in New York City, urban eatery Catch is situated at the iconic Fairmont hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road. The contemporary hotspot opened its doors in April 2015, and its interiors are inspired by the industrial, metropolitan aesthetics of the Big Apple. Exposed brick, warehouse-inspired lighting and raw elements of brass and copper are worked against velvet sofas and plush leather seating to strike the perfect balance between shabby and chic.
Food: Serving up predominantly seafood cuisine, head chef Bobby Griffing uses seasonal ingredients along with Middle Eastern and Asian influences to create upscale offerings of the finest quality. The menu delivers signature dishes of ‘papillotte style’ sea bass along with caramelised black cod and a large offering of delicious sushi rolls. Not only catering to sea lovers, meaty options of Korean fried chicken and braised wagu beef cheek served with a selection of sides including curry BBQ eggplant and macaroni and cheese are available. With its energetic dining atmosphere and equally as enthusiastic staff, this may be your biggest catch yet.
Fairmont, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai. Open daily, 7pm-late.
Above
Vibe: A sprawling terrace high above the city, Above at the Sofitel Dubai Downtown is an urban rooftop lounge without the attitude.
Food: With a huge space to work with amidst the clouds, Above offers an outdoorsy atmosphere at the top of the concrete jungle. Snug lounge areas and dining tables are dotted around the terrace, while an all-white indoor space – crucially sound-proofed - containing a bar and DJ booth is where the party really starts come the weekend. A wood-fired pizza oven is manned in one corner of the terrace, serving up fresh treats such as the Rustica, roasted peppers, olives and anchovies and the hot Diablo, covered in spicy chicken, chillies and pepperoni. Steaks from the grill are juicy and tender, certainly on a par with that offered by high-end steak restaurants in the city, while mini wagyu burgers and grilled sea bass are solid staples that do not disappoint. Both the drinks and food menus are extensive enough to sustain a night out from dining table to after-dinner drinks, and with attentive service, a chillout mix on the playlist and the twinkling lights of the metropolis surrounding you, it could be a long and very sociable night.
Above, Sofitel Downtown Dubai. Open daily, 6pm-3am.
Toko
Vibe: The Yugure night at Toko Dubai takes inspiration from Japanese night markets, adding a contemporary and edgy twist to its menu.
Food: Dubai’s residents are most likely already acquainted with Toko, the quirky Japanese restaurant hailing from Australia, headed by chef Alexander Stumpf, and designed by the cool and creative architect Matthew Darwon. In pursuit of an edgy alternative to what could have so easily become another stuffy eatery, the new Yugure (Twilight) menu features statement Japanese dishes with Stumpf’s lavish Toko twist. Taking the traditions of street food to a new ‘haute’ level, Yugure offers a vast array of bites appealing to most culinary preferences from the pomegranate infused duck salad, black cod and prawn fish cakes to mini Angus burgers housed between eccentric pink and black buns. Perfect for big groups looking for a casual mid-week hangout, the menu is broken into four courses and served as and when requested, while resident DJ Valentin keeps the mood relaxed and urban with cool and controlled remixes of house favourites. True to the spirit of a genuine Japanese night market in Asakusa, no one leaves until they’ve tried everything on offer, and quite certainly, no one goes home hungry.
Toko, Vida Downtown, Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard. Lunch daily 12pm-3.30pm, dinner daily 7pm-2am (kitchen closes at midnight). Toko Yugure menu Tuesday from 7pm.
