UCHI

DIFC is a neighbourhood that’s full of large, high-end restaurants touting expensive plates and white-gloved service. Uchi, however, stands out for being the antithesis of that.

The small dining room and even smaller terrace offer a more intimate dining experience featuring a concise yet clever menu of unique Japanese dishes.

In addition to the focused à la carte options, there’s a well-priced lunch omakase tasting menu, which includes seven small plates served on the counter directly by the chef.

And while the daytime dining is worth experiencing once, night-time is where all the action is at. The buzzing dining room features a DJ spinning laid-back house tunes and a good-looking crowd.

When it comes to food, baby spinach salad is served chilled and topped with a well-seasoned and somewhat sweet black sesame paste. And zingy sea bass crudo is marinated in aywuzu soy sauce with crispy rice paper and nori to add an element of texture.

Some dishes are more complex and layered, such as the yellowtail with mandarin ponzu, truffle caviar, jalapeño relish and tangerine, finished off with a dash of coriander oil. The flavours are equally intense and harmonious.

Meanwhile a Dubai staple, black cod, comes perfectly poached and served with verjus and a clarified burnt butter sauce – undoubtedly one of the menu highlights.

While Dubai is certainly home to a large number of Japanese restaurants, this small but impactful eatery is a welcome addition to the dining scene, with chef Porumbacean a fervent devotee of Japan’s culinary philosophies.