Dining Out

Dining Out A Pan-Asian family dining experience overlooking Dubai’s skyline, a vegan feast, and an authentic Argentinian celebratory meal in the midst of Downtown Dubai; here are our favorite dining venues to try this month.

Folia, The Four Seasons Resort Jumeirah Beach

Every venue at The Four Seasons Jumeirah are always phenomenal and Folia is no exception, with a beautifully lit up courtyard space and lush greenery. Chef Matthew Kenney is the mastermind behind the menu with around 15 dishes.

The starters included Kimchi pancakes with a heady stuffing made of cabbage and green herbs, served with a delectable ginger dressing. The mushroom bao was equally delicious, with hints of hoisin sauce and crunchy mushrooms. The Dukka avocado was a flavorful salad, with breaded spears of avocado, served with a tomato jam; and our favorite was the Watermelon Poke; with kale, marinated watermelon, mint, topped with a smattering of macadamia nuts, served with pomegranate ponzu sauce. The mushroom sliders really hit the mark while the vegan club sandwiches were tofu based, with crispy vegan bacon. Of the mains, my favorite was the mushroom gnocchi with asparagus and a vegan tomato sauce; all merging beautifully.

The desserts are brilliant; we loved the Tahitian Vanilla Panna Cotta with maraschino cherries and sliced almonds and the Coconut Banana Cream tart with a macadamia crust which was light and refreshing. Our top favorite was the Chocolate Orange tart with orange cream; a heavily chocolaty creation with mild hints of orange infused into coconut chocolate cream atop a dates and cashew base.

Visit: Folia, The Four Seasons Resort Jumeirah Beach; +971 4 270 7777

Asado, The Palace Downtown Dubai

A tribute to the culture and history of Argentina, Asado presents authentic Argentinian cuisine lovingly created from age-old recipes set in the heart of Dubai. Their Argentinean Grill offers premium meat cuts prepared on a ‘Parrilla’, an open grill in the middle of the venue. Add to this, the traditional music and live entertainment combined with the gorgeous views of the Dubai Fountains and The Burj Khalifa, this venue reflects Dubai’s architectural magnificence.

To celebrate Argentina in the most authentic way possible, Asado invited us to sample their special menu just for the event. We were first served Locro, a warming stew. And while every region has its own variation, ours was a medley of pumpkin, beans, beef chorizo in a warming broth. We also loved their Pareja De Empanadas—with two variations; one spicy and one non-spicy. The Saltena version was filled with hand cut Argentinean beef, onion, capsicum, spring onion, boiled egg and seasoned with sweet paprika and cumin. The other—Tucumana—was also encased with hand cut Argentinian beef, onion, raisins, chili, spring onion, and seasoned with sweet paprika and cumin. This platter was accompanied by a mildly spiced dipping sauce. As Argentina is known globally for its high-quality beef, the main we tried was an Argentinan Black Angus striploin, served with a satisfying potato gratin with herbs and Parmesan cheese, with a sliver of carrot puree and grilled baby capsicum. We loved the flavors, especially when we added the accompanying Chimichurri sauce to it. As Argentina has milk and wheat in high production, the desserts normally follow in this theme. Our selection of desserts included Flan con Dulce

de Leche, which was really tempting, especially paired with the banana ice-cream. We also loved the bread pudding with raisins, and the cream caramel with Dulce de Leche and cream.

Visit: Asado, The Palace Downtown Dubai; +971 4 428 7961

Nonya Dubai, The Taj, JLT Stepping into Nonya is like stepping into multiple venues under one roof, with multiple private dining rooms, two terraces, a high energy room; and a spectacular view of Dubai’s stunning skyline. With a menu featuring classic dishes including beef rendang, Singaporean chili crabs and Singaporean laksa, Nonya is very new venue, bringing key Singaporean and Peranakan influences to its culinary offerings.

We were served their signature dishes; from the starters, highlights included the soft chili crab, a melt-in-the-mouth soft crab which paired beautifully with the chili dipping sauce. And the truffle lotus stem--a sweet and sour, crunchy lotus, garnished with chili and spring onions. They also offer a variety of mocktails, and we tried Katang with berries and cream as well as Orchard Road with lemon, apple, and ginger ale.

The second round of starters included their signature Wagyu Robota; a skewer of tender Wagyu served with peanut sauce. From their dim sum, we tucked into their Nonya non-vegetarian dim sum selection which included scallop and chicken siew mai, chicken Szechwan wonton, and tiger prawn har gao, served with a dipping sauce. From the mains, our favorites included the Nonya black cod—a steamed cod fillet served with vegetables and Nonya’s special sauce. The Assam prawns were mouth-watering, with the slightly tangy tamarind paste. Their signature Nonya chicken curry was satisfying, and served with a baguette and potatoes; our unanimous favorite was the beef redang—braised beef tenderloin with galangal, coconut, and served with a beautiful pale blue pea flower rice. Our desserts followed in the same theme and we tucked into my favorite mango sticky rice plus the mochi ice-cream.

Visit: Nonya Dubai, The Taj, JLT +971 4 574 1111