Wakame Dubai

Habibti Magazine recently dined at Wakame, contemporary Asian inspired cuisine at Sofitel Dubai Downtown.

With prime location of being situated within Sofitel Dubai Downtown, and so close to Dubai Mall & Burj Khalifa; Wakame is already giving us postcode envy and we arrive, a little hungry and very much in awe.

The first thing that jumps out at you is the interior and how cleverly they have managed to turn a huge open space into a very intimate and cosy ambience.
The restaurant could be at full occupancy (and it always is), yet it still manages to make you feel like you and your dinner guests are the only ones there.
Even while writing this, I am again reminded of how spacious yet intimate the restaurant was; how did they manage that?

Once seated, and in between taking in our surroundings, we check out the menu and it’s apparent, we will be spoilt for choice tonight.
We try an array of dishes, nine to be exact and each one is worthy of a short poem to be written in its honour. However, as poetry is not what you are here for, I’ll endeavour to fully do justice in my review.

We started with Yellow tail capaccio, which incidentally is on SASSI’s green list, so we enjoyed it guilt free. Thinly sliced yellowtail from Japan the perfect blend of with yuzu citrus sauce, grapeseed oil, sea salt and Japanese pepper sauce, this was little pieces of heaven on a plate.

Next we tried Lobster Taco, delicious and flavoursome lobster with yuzu guacamole & salsa, which was perfect to share. This was followed by generous chunks of Hamachi flamed teriyaki maki, hamachi sashimi, orange jelly, pickled carrot & tomato, yuzu soy.

Next were Firecracker roses, delicate slices of salmon topped with chopped spicy salmon, tempura crumb, which resulted in a perfect combo of different textures and heat.

The portion sizes are very generous, but for the sake of this article and our loyalty to our readers, we soldiered on happily on our Asian journey thus far.

We were then treated to a selection of tartar bursting with flavours; Yellow tail, salmon, tuna tartar all served with lotus bread. This was followed by Beef Tataki; fillet beef lightly seared, marinated, thinly sliced and served with a citrus-soy dipping sauce.

Next was Japanese eggplant & melt in your mouth burrata, with a delicious yuzu
tru­ffle. The next dish was award winning Blackmore wagyu sirloin, grade 9, which was simply divine; succulent slices of meat served with black pepper tru­e teriyaki & sauce & assorted mushrooms

In between our course, we notice the bar section of the restaurant, and as the evening progresses, the bar becomes a place of good music and happy people. That merry vibe is contagious and has spilled across into the restaurant.
We end the night on a high, with The Wakame Sphere, a chocolate ball with yumminess hidden inside on a bed of ice cream and fresh tart berries.

The night has been perfect; from the excellent customer service, picture perfect food presentation – which is just as delicious to eat, and the warm ambience of place and we look forward to visiting again, and again, and again.
For more information and reservations:

3rd Floor – Sofitel Dubai Downtown
Sheikh Zayed Road – Downtown Dubai
United Arab Emirates

Tel: +971 4 2246663
Website: wakame.ae (resevations can be made via the website)
Email: reservations@wakame.ae
Instagram: @wakamedubai