Mall of the Emirates – Rubina A Khan

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 2024

Rubina A Khan reviews some of her favourite restaurants in Dubai, “tempted by the expansive culinary temptations in the city.”

I have been so busy eating my way through Dubai, and loving it, that I just didn’t get down to writing about all the amazing food here! I have been distracted, tormentously so sometimes, by the expansive culinary temptations in the city. So, here are my top five favorite restaurants in Dubai, so far:

1. THE IVY | JUMEIRAH EMIRATES TOWERS | BRITISH

Roast Duck Breast & Confit Leg | Rubina A Khan

The last time I enjoyed duck was at the exquisite Duck de Chine restaurant in Beijing, China and boy, was I blown away with its culinary excellence! The duck was so exceptional that a shrill “This Beijing Duck is to fly for, not die for!” escaped my lips, right there on the table, just as I had the first taste of it, cracking everyone up and nodding in unison. I have not been impressed by any restaurant after that (repeated) ceremonial duck experience, till I chanced upon The Ivy Dubai’s Roast Duck Breast and Confit Leg with Choux Farci, Boulangère Potato and Fois Gras on a busy working afternoon in March. I have only ever eaten this dish at the Dubai outpost of this British restaurant, nothing else, yet. That’s how good it is and so is the service! The Ivy’s vibe can be as languid as you want it to be or as boisterous as a British pub, depending on the time you go there. Needless to add, I don’t need to die or fly to Beijing for my Beijing Duck fix, even though Duck De Chine reigns supreme in my world favorite list forever more, now that I’ve got The Ivy in Dubai to rein in my duck cravings for a bit.

2. THE MEAT Co. | SOUK AL BAHAR, DUBAI MALL | AFRICAN

Gourmet Wagyu Burger with Steak Cut Chips | Photo: Rubina A Khan

Leveraging off its African heritage, The Meat Co is a steakhouse with a selection of premium steaks like Japanese Miyazaki Wagyu to natural grass-fed Argentinian Pampa Humeda bred beef to Australian Angus. This restaurant has the best view in all of Dubai – the Burj Khalifa and the Dancing Fountains on the Burj Lake and is the coolest place to just hang out in, with the warmest and friendliest service staff. It is the best spot for selfies too but trying to get the Burj in the same frame as your face will be cumbersome. I managed to a couple, but only after a couple of trips to the restaurant. I love the Gourmet Burgers, Steak Cut Chips, Chocolate Bread, Jumbo Prawns and the Maracaibo cocktail here.

3. OLEA | KEMPINSKI MALL OF THE EMIRATES | ARABIAN

Lamb Kebabs & Kebdet Dajaj (Chicken Liver in Pomegranate Molasses | Photo: Rubina A Khan

Olea is a contemporary Arabian restaurant, specializing in Levantine (Eastern Mediterranean) cuisine, within the majestic splendors of the decade old Kempinski Mall Of The Emirates Hotel, that was recently refurbished for over a $100 million. Olea has a vast Levantine menu with dishes like the El Homos Beiruti of Lebanon and Nayeh (raw meat) selection of Syria to the Sultan Ibrahim of Cyprus and Soft Kunafa of Palestine, as also dishes from Cyprus, Jordan and Turkey, each prepared in the traditional manner, staying true to their origins and intrinsic flavors. Sidebar: Did you know Baba Ghanoush is Arabic for Spoiled Papa? Neither did I!

4. PAUL CAFE | MALL OF THE EMIRATES, DUBAI MALL | FRENCH

Coconut and Mango Mille Feuille | Photo: Rubina A Khan

I am in love with the Coconut and Mango Mille Feuille here and the perfect Iced Lattes, just the way I like it, no special customizations needed. I have always had to specify the amount of coffee versus the milk and ice in the blend, pretty much everywhere in the world, be it London, Maldives, New York, Hawaii, China, India, Berlin… you get the drift. The cheery vibe at this French cafe is as inviting as the sugar artistry on its bakery shelves. And the service in this bustling cafe is so quick that even before I have paid up for my “to go” order, it’s all packed and ready! I have so far indulged in a sugar dance here and just not had the time to sit down for a meal yet, but I will do so soon. Till then, keep the Palmiers and Pain Au Chocolats coming Paul!

5. ARMANI / HASHI | ARMANI DOWNTOWN | JAPANESE

Kumquat Caipirinha | Photo: Rubina A Khan

With the Burj Khalifa rising into the Dubai sky like a glimmering spire at sundown and the Dancing Fountains’ musical show on Burj Lake, sundowners at the Armani / Hashi lounge are a sublime seduction into the night ahead. To be right in the midst of the lofty Burj Khalifa, the tallest man-made structure in the world, gives your evening an exceptional high. Armani / Hashi has some of the most exciting cocktails like the Kanji Martini and the Blushing Geisha, matched with exemplary service, not just at the bar and lounge, but at all points in the hotel, making it one of my favorite places to go to in Dubai. After the cocktail rounds, you can always have dinner at the Armani / Hashi restaurant that serves contemporary Japanese cuisine.

PS. I just realized that my favorite places in Dubai are so diverse from one another – ranging from Japanese, British, French, Arabic and African cuisines – a happy inadvertence. Well, I have always liked to think of myself as a world citizen, and this commingling falls right in to my citizen of the world vibe.

Rubina A Khan

Journalist | Photographer

Tag: Mall of the Emirates

RUBINA’S REVIEW | XU DUBAI

My Top 5 Restaurants In Dubai, So Far!

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