Japanese restaurant OKKU’s latest menu is a winner

The more observant among you will have noticed from the introduction that this review is going to possess a somewhat positive tone. It’s difficult to be impartial when it comes to Japanese eatery OKKU. I simply love it. Many restaurants around Dubai claim to be five-star, however, the food, decor and service OKKU provides means it is one of the few worthy of the moniker.

The reveal of OKKU’s new menu for the year has become a bit of an event. The eatery is yet to slip up with any of its new creations, so it is always interesting to see if this carte will live up to the standards its predecessors have set. 2014’s does.

This menu has introduced 36 new dishes. Among the selection of small plates, aburi shime saba, seared Norwegian mackerel with garlic salt, yuzu kosho, ponzu oroshi and ginger and the tuna & foie gras carpaccio in sweet soy and fresh lemon, black volcanic salt, chives and garlic crisps are some of the greatest on offer.

As for the larger plates, the selection of premium meats and seafood is immense, and dishes such as miso lobster onigarayaki, miso baked Atlantic lobster stuffed with prawn surimi; wagyu shioyaki served on hot himalayan salt rock and cooked table side; and seabass yuan mushiyaki, steamed fillet of seabass with garlic soy vinegar and petite Asian leaves are winners.

We were lucky enough to be served the taster menu, so there was obviously a lot more that was delivered to the table. The amount of food was gargantuan and I’m happy to report there was not a single miss among the dishes.

Everything was served by OKKU’s expertly trained and friendly waiting staff. As usual this made a huge difference to the quality of the night out. It’s not the biggest deal if the food is good anyway, but the fact that we were made to feel welcome and treated to insider knowledge when it came to drinks pairing just enhanced the experience.

Overall, you’re not going to hear a bad word from me about OKKU. Head down there yourself, try and the menu and you’ll agree.

The new menu is available at OKKU now between 12noon and 3pm on weekdays and from 7pm with the lounge and bar open until 3am daily.

Reservations can be made by email or by phone.

Call: 04 501 8777