5 new Dubai restaurants for summer 2015

We are already gastronomically spoilt for choice in Dubai, with big name restaurants and celebrity chefs all calling our city home. But still they come. And we’re delighted they do. Here are five more that are set to open any minute…. now.

Busaba Eathai
Where: The Beach, JBR
The already congested restaurant list available at JBR is set for a new addition. OpenTable’s “Top Thai restaurant in London” Busaba Eathai launched at the end of March, serving food across two floors and in a communal dining style. Both indoor and outdoor seating options are available to provide a total area of more than 5,000 square feet.

The restaurant serves up rich Thai cuisine, with the menu a direct transfer from its award winning London location. The Mussaman duck curry and green peppercorn calamari are there, alongside the classic Thai favourites of Pad Thai and Som tam.

We’ll be reviewing it ourselves in May.

Contact: +971 52 554 5299

Retro Feasts
Where: The Beach, JBR
This new British diner also launched in March. Offering up a comfortable but buzzing setting, the venue will overlook the beach and Gulf beyond, with a casual British cuisine menu. No doubt you’ll have noticed the spot when walking down the beach walk in the last few weeks, with the iconic London underground logo catching the eye. The entrance itself is a classic red phone box and, once you’re inside, the white brick, vintage art and airy interior with metallic furniture is suitably Shoreditch – with the added benefit of beachside views.

The concept has been brought to our shores by 21-year-old head chef Luke Thomas and entrepreneur Mark Fuller. With the concept comes the playful British menu, including a fantastic take on fish finger sandwiches, king prawn cocktails and for desserts; Eton mess and knickerbocker glory.

Contact: +971 52 722 6462 or

Taste of Italy
Where: Galleria Mall, Al Wasl Road
The Italian concept by award-winning chef Heinz Beck will soon grace the Galleria Mall in Jumeirah. The man himself has the credibility to deliver authentic Italian cuisine, as demonstrated by his success with La Pergola, a highly rated restaurant in Rome. He also has restaurants in Tokyo and the Algarve, as well as having previous Dubai experience with Social at the Waldorf Astoria.

The location will have branded products on sale alongside a selection of other brands selected for authenticity and quality. The concept is designed to be not just an eatery, but somewhere to buy pastries or bread from in the morning too. For the menu itself, we will see a change from previous Heinz Beck concepts. Taste of Italy will be de-formalised, but still using the ingredients and quality built and chosen from 35 years of experience in the industry.

Contact: +9714 344 4434

Marina Social
Where: Intercontinental Hotel, Dubai Marina
Jason Atherton’s Marina Social is another restaurant set to open this summer, with the star chef returning to the city after his previous stint at Gordon Ramsay’s Verre at the Hilton Dubai Creek. Having worked at six three-starred Michelin restaurants and having employed the “social” concept at 14 locations across four continents, it’s safe to say he has the experience to succeed at the Intercontinental in the Marina.

Whilst this opening may be further away than the rest on the list, we had the pleasure of enjoying a teaser and the Beach Canteen during the Dubai Food Festival. The Marina Social presented a pop up serving up 1000 smoked lobsters with lemon butter with a few other offerings. The description we’ve had so far is “British fusion cuisine”.

Contact: +9714 446 6777or visit website

Catch
Where: Fairmont Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road
Catch NYC is one of the hippest restaurants in New York, with celebrities such as David Beckham and Jay Z reported fans of the seafood spot. For the Dubai incarnation, the interiors will be based around woods and metals in a similar vain to the New York location, which replaces the previous Spectrum on One at the Fairmont.

So far no details of the menu have been announced, but what we know from the food at the NYC location, we can expect “sophisticated and approachable” seafood.

Eugene Remm, co-owner of the EMM group that owns the brand, states, “From the menu itself to the unique service style and the energy that permeates the dining room, the brand is inherently global and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to enter the established Dubai hospitality market.”

Contact: +9714 3571755 or