6 places to try in Jumeirah Restaurant Week

It is a brilliant idea: the premium hospitality group in Dubai offering special menus and very special prices for a 10-day window just at a time when the city’s entertainment scene begins to wind down for the summer. We’re not afraid of admitting that Jumeirah Restaurant Week, which begins this year on May 14, is one of our annual highlights.

The format remains much the same as in previous years: a number of restaurants in the group’s portfolio offer truncated “sample” menus for a set price, often as little as 30 percent of what a meal in the same establishment would cost ordinarily.

With 41 participating establishments in Dubai, it will be impossible to get around them all, no matter how hungry you are. So here are our recommendations:

Now’s your chance

Junsui
Where: Burj Al Arab
Price: AED370
Meaning “pure” in Japanese, Junsui is hardly an uncomplicated dining experience. From the Swarovski crystal décor to the 45 chefs at a dozen live cooking stations, this is involved and opulent – as any outlet in the Burj Al Arab ought to be. For restaurant week, they are opening the doors for a buffet that combines Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Indonesian and Korean cuisine.
Try: The Korean glass noodles and, from the cooking stations, beef rendang.

Pierchic
Where: Al Qasr Hotel
Price: AED370
The winner of more awards than Meryl Streep, Pierchic shows few signs of relinquishing its status as one of Dubai’s premier dining establishments – especially since its 2014 refurbishment. As such, the end-of-the-pier seafood place remains on many visitor’s “must-do” lists and this is the perfect opportunity to sample the work of chefs Laurent Gras (three Michelin stars) and Rosalind Parsk at a very affordable price.
Try: Roasted Yellow Tail with celery root, green apple and black truffle sauce.

Great value gourmet

Zheng He’s
Where: Mina A’Salam
Price: AED180
One the best, and certainly most innovative, Chinese restaurants in town, Zheng He’s offers a broad sweep of cuisine from across the country’s many regions – and all in an upscale, softly lit interior. The deal for restaurant week is the choice of three different set menus or a select a la carte menu.
Try: The Dim Sum Platter of black truffle beef puff, steamed scallops dumpling and wasabi king prawn with mango salsa.

360 Restaurant
Where: Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Price: AED180
One of the best locations of any restaurant in Dubai, 360 offers panoramic views of the Arabian Gulf and Burj Al Arab. Although it is also notable as a club and lounge, and the décor is certainly ultra-modern, there is an excellent menu of Pan-Asian cuisine that more than merits a visit in its own right.
Try: Grilled lobster tail, with lemongrass, onion, kaffir lime and Thai basil leaf.

Treat your friends

Perry & Blackwelders BBQ
Where: Madinat Jumeirah
Price: AED95
We were here on opening night and have beaten a regular path back to the Southern-style barbecue joint ever since. The meat here has been smoked so long it floats off the bone and into the mouth with a variety of rich, peppery flavours, depending on both the rub and the accompanying sauce – of which there are at least six. It’s a place to get your fingers dirty and your belly full.
Try: Cajun Smoked Chicken and Beef Sausage Gumbo or Angus Original Sloppy Joe with coleslaw and smokes sticks.

Dhow & Anchor
Where: Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Price: AED95
Something of an institution, the Dhow & Anchor (or D&A as it seems to want to be known these days) serves up superior British food that caters to both food aficionados as famished expats. All the classics are on the menu, but cooked with imagination and flair that its many rivals still can’t quite grasp.
Try: Comfit duck, chicken liver terrine, pickles and toast followed by the beef and ale pie with creamed mash potato

Jumeirah Restaurant week runs between May 14-23. All bookings can be made via: www.jumeirahrestaurantweek.com