Restaurant Review: A Dubai take on Omakase meal at Moonrise

Moonrise is an exclusive eight-seater Omakase — a type of meal consisting of dishes selected by the chef — restaurant, whose location — on the rooftop of Eden House, a luxury residential tower on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai — is one of its star attractions.

The fine dining restaurant hosts two dinners per evening — at 7pm and 9:30pm — except on Sundays. Moonrise is inspired by omakases from Japan where guests are seated right on the counter a few inches away from the open kitchen, and chefs guide guests through the intimate dining experience.

The dishes are a microcosm of Dubai because each course has a story and a relationship linked to the cosmopolitan city.

Moonrise largely sources ingredients from the Middle East. For example, sumac comes from Syria, while flowers and microgreens are farmed locally. Seafood is sourced from Toyosu fish market in Tokyo or fresh catch off the coast of Catalonia in Spain.

The restaurant, which opened in September 2021, is known for its take on Dubai classics, ranging from dishes, such as burrata, pani puri, to sushi.

Many dishes have an in-house interpretation such as spicy Hamachi. But instead of tuna, it uses Hamachi, a species of jack fish, which is paired with Japanese sauce Yuzu and Shatta, a variant of Syrian fermented chilli. Also, instead of serving it as a roll, which is the tradition, it is served with a tartare topped on a seaweed tempura.

joydeep@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai