You can expect a contemporary a culinary journey of the East

DÉCOR

With an Asian-inspired menu the interiors reflect exactly the same, with accents of cherry blossom on the walls, lacquered wood furnishings and beautiful ornate chandeliers.

On the small dining room there’s a central bar that’s good if you’re snacking solo or with two person, and burnt orange banquets offer comfort when you’re sampling the delights when dining accompanied.

AMBIENCE

You will find a quiet place where you can enjoy an intimate tête-à-tête.

FOOD

The chef uses some of his grandmother’s recipes that have been passed down the generations, with the modern twist and updates. The ginger lotus sea bass with a Vietnamese ginger lemon sauce lets out a little puff of delicately fragrant steam when you unwrap the lotus leaf and the ginger offers a nice tang. The Vietnamese soup is the foodie equivalent of a big hug. Warming spices, hearty noodles and healthy veggies make you feel very virtuous. It’s the kind of soup you need when you’ve had a really bad day at the office.

To offer a bit of yin/yang to the meal, we also opted for the not-quite-as-healthy coconut prawns, which were perfectly crispy on the outside and meltingly soft on the inside – all nicely served up with a little fruity salad and a sweet chili dip.

A big hit from the mains was the black cod – it not only melts in the mouth, (beautifully unguent with the miso dressing), but the portion is pretty plump too. It was a perfectly ample main unlike (ahem) some other Japanese joints around town, where a chopstick fight can erupt for the last morsel.

DETAILS

Blue Jade | The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai | (04) 3186150 here