Life is like a box of sushi

Photo: Mukesh Kamal

The most remarkable thing about Dubai is that the city keeps on surprising. Fortunately, it’s mostly good surprises, unless you happen to be new to Dubai and venturing onto the fast lane of Sheikh Zayed Road. Then, it’s a case of buyer beware… you’re in for a rough day.

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Mostly, though, you’ll be confronted with positive surprises, like finding an honest mechanic in Al Quoz, but one area I thought I was long past being surprised by was Dubai’s neighbourhoods. After five years of living in the city — and having lived in Garhoud, Downtown Dubai, Satwa and Dubai Marina — I thought I knew the metropolis well, but then I entered Business Bay to find The Oberoi hotel and had to reassess. The city has a new neighbourhood under construction — and one day soon, it will be as central to Dubai as Marble Arch is to London. The Oberoi has cunningly placed its first Gulf hotel in the middle of this emerging district, opening a stunning Singapore-esque, glass and steel 252-room modcon-laden property that will fast become a landmark in Business Bay.

Yet will its Japanese restaurant, Umai, also be a landmark destination?

If staff quality is anything to go by, then it’s a thumbs up, but seeing as cuisine is what most people judge a meal by, that might not be enough. If sushi 
is your preferred dish at a Japanese restaurant, you are in for a treat. The unagi, crab and California roll are all mouth-wateringly moreish, boasting the ideal mix of sticky rice, fresh ingredients and flavour. The sashimi is good, although I find sashimi somewhat similar in all restaurants — there’s only so much you can do with a slice of raw fish. An 
additional option is sea urchin — which I was only too happy to eat, having been speared by one in the Caribbean some years back. It’s too salty for me, but some diners adore it.

Moving on from the sushi and sashimi, you’ll be tempted by the wagyu beef. This is an option that is good, but I feel it’s always hard for restaurants to match the wagyu hype. At Umai, the beef is superb, but fankly I’d recommend you spend your money on the sushi and sashimi, as that’s where Umai really stands apart from the rest of Dubai’s Japanese offerings.

For dessert, be sure to try the cheesecake, which will nicely complement your wide selection of sushi. There’s no need to go gluttonous, so the sensible-sized portion is exactly what you need at the end of your evening. Plus it’s extremely soft and flavourful, which understandably vastly aids in its enjoyment.

One important point for me was that the manager of Umai said they were looking at signing up to the Choose Wisely campaign to ensure rare fish are not served. This is crucial for all restaurants, so I will be checking on the progress. To know you’re eating sustainably helps make the sushi go down far more pleasurably.

I live to be surprised.