JANUARY 9, 2024
Dubai doesn’t just flirt with food from around the world, it romances it with consummate ardour. There’s always a new restaurant, hotel, bar lounge or cafe opening in the exciting emirate of Dubai every other week or month, that speaks to its culinary coquetry. XU, an alluring new Cantonese restaurant and bar opened at the Kempinski Mall Of The Emirates hotel in November 2023 and it is fire! 2024 is the Year of The Dragon after all – it’s all about the element of fire. Ralph’s Coffee by Ralph Lauren is set to open its first cafe in the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai, right by the POLO Ralph Lauren store at the Mall of The Emirates towards the end of January 2024. This will be Ralph’s Coffee’s third outpost in the Middle East, with a twin cafe presence in Doha, Qatar, since 2020, at the Hamad international airport and at Place Vendome. A highly anticipated opening in Dubai is that of the Dorchester Collection’s first hotel in the Middle East, The Lana, which is the company’s 10th luxury hotel worldwide. The Lana is scheduled to open on February 1, 2024 in Dubai’s Marasi Bay and I’m quite certain that it is going to light up the glimmering Dubai skyline with its stellar presence in the world of hospitality.
©XU Cantonese Restaurant and Bar, Dubai, UAE | Photographed by Rubina A Khan
As I walk into XU for dinner on a weekend, the restaurant’s decor of Chinese lanterns, red haute walls and mirrored ceilings make me go Nǐ Hǎo Xìnggǎn in Mandarin (Hello Sexy!). XU is busy and buzzing with people, an open kitchen, a bar with a speak-easy lounge vibe, yet it feels amorously intimate, with the night breeze wafting in from the dreamy, wrap-around terrace. To dine on XU’s terrace under the cool night skies of Dubai in December is what desert, and dessert dreams, are made of.
XU’s menu is inspired Cantonese (Guangdong, Yue) cuisine with Southeast Asian flavours. From Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne to sake to fresh juices to fun cocktails with Chinese pop culture references like the Bruce Lee inspired Be Water with gunpowder infused vermouth, Mango Pao with Horchata, Year of the Dragon with a Paloma tequila and the Hungry Ghost with Chinese Baijiu, XU’s beverage selection is impressive. Baijiu is a colourless grain spirit that is traditionally made from sorghum for over 5000 years in China. Baijiu is the national drink of China and it is to China what sake is to Japan and soju is to Korea. Interestingly, it is the most consumed spirit in the world.
©Foie Gras Bao at XU Dubai, UAE | Photographed by Rubina A Khan
XU had me at the first appetiser, the Foie Gras Bao with roasted Peking Duck – decadent, buttery with a warm caramelised crunch, it’s scrumptious and to fly back for! I chose well! Fruity hardwoods like maple, apple and cherry are used to smoke dark meat like duck as they add a delicious sweetness to the meat. I’ve always ever eaten apple wood smoked Peking duck, even in Beijing and Hong Kong, but now I am in love with the Cherry Wood Peking Duck at XU. The Mapo Tofu was flavourful and light, with steamed jasmine rice as was the Kale Egg Fried Rice. A Chocolate Hazelnut Tofu Pudding with chocolate ice cream is such an exquisite, yet simple amalgamation of textures and flavours and that’s why I love XU – it’s got its flavours and inspired dishes just right! From Peking duck to Wagyu to scallops to Alaskan crabs and Canadian lobsters, you will find a favourite at XU.
©XU Cantonese Restaurant and Bar, Dubai, UAE | Photographed by Rubina A Khan
Given I was all about the Peking duck on this particular XU night, a drink called Jinsé de Xu caught my eye. Jinsé de Xu is made with duck fat washed bourbon, fine tawny port, bamboo snow white tea cordial, chilli agave syrup, pandan and creole bitter – just the drink du jour to end the night. The service by the staff at XU is attentive, knowledgeable and friendly, making it very easy to stay on till 3AM. XU is only open for dinner everyday, 6PM onwards.
©XU Cantonese Restaurant and Bar, Dubai, UAE | Photographed by Rubina A Khan
XU is owned by the Rikas Hospitality Group, which also opened the first Tiffany & Co. Blue Box Café in the Middle East at the Dubai Mall in October 2023. This is the fourth Blue box Café in the world after New York, London and Hong Kong and the Tiffany blue-hued cafe is located within the Tiffany & Co. flagship store in the mall. Blue box Café not only makes Breakfast At Tiffany’s real, but an indulgent French-American culinary experience, without the arc lights and Audrey Hepburn of course.
XU
Kempinski Mall of the Emirates Hotel,
Al Barsha, Dubai, UAE.
Sunday-Wednesday: 6PM-1AM
Thursday-Saturday: 6PM-3AM
Phone: +971 4 341 0000
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Rubina A Khan 