The food strip in Al Ghurair Centre, right in between the shopping mall and Spinneys, is currently our favorite food spot. There are just so many interesting restaurants along that lane. Our new discovery is Atisuto, a well-commended Japanese eatery that already has an outlet in Galleria Mall Dubai. Shame that we only knew about this restaurant recently.
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| Atisuto Japanese restaurant in Al Ghurair Centre, Dubai |
Atisuto was thronged with diners on a Thursday evening. It was almost packed. There was no queue, but every empty table was occupied shortly after it is cleared. The restaurant is laid out like the back-alley sushi restaurants in Japan. The walls are splashed with vibrant graffiti and the ceiling is adorned with Japanese fans.
We chose a table in the side as it is well-lighted (good for the photos) and has a couch (good for my back, or so I thought). It turned out that my husband who was left without a choice but to sit on a wooden stool in front of me was more comfortable than I am. The cushion is too firm and the structure is simply not back and butt-friendly. Next time, I know where to sit!
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| casual and funky Japanese restaurant |
Atisuto's menu is packed with choices - donburi, ramen, yakitori, teriyaki, uramaki! There are so many good stuff on the menu that we could barely choose what to have for dinner. Even Ed, who already knew what he wanted before we came (He's a beef ramen guy!) got delightedly confused when he saw what Atisuto has to offer.
But the good thing is, other than the a la carte menu, Atisuto has an Omakase - a tasting set menu which includes a little bit of almost everything from starter to dessert! That's my kind of meal! :)
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| Atisuto Omakase Menu |
True to their tagline "Japanese in Noh Time", a small cup of miso soup which is a part of the Omakase menu was immediately served. It was then followed by Ed's beef ramen (I'll talk about that later.) and the Starter Plate.
For starters, Atisuto's tasting menu has two chicken gyoza, one chicken yakitori, a small piece of Nasu dengaku, one prawn tempura, and one chicken harumaki. All five are pretty impressive that we couldn't choose a favorite! Even that simple-looking harumaki (spring roll) is a pure delight as the crispy shell is ultra-thin. My teeth easily sank into the flavorful minced chicken filling.
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| Atisuto - Omakase Starter Plate |
Next came the Sushi Plate! It has two enticing Atisuto crab sandwich, two California rolls, one salmon nigiri and one tuna nigiri. Ed and I equally finished it off and both had a single word to say: EXCELLENT! Uhhm, please note that we are not exaggerating here. This is not a sponsored dinner, but even if it is, our opinions are 100% unbiased as always. :)
Out of all the four, my fave is the crab sandwich. Each bite started with a salty tinge coming from the crispy tempura flakes I guess, followed by a creamy taste and ended with a kick of spice from the spicy mayo! Really a must-try!
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| Atisuto - Omakase Sushi Plate |
I almost forgot Omakase Menu has a main course! By the time the Chicken Katsu Curry was served, our stomachs were already brimming with Japanese goodness. The rice dish was pleasantly served in a bowl. It has crispy breaded chicken cutlet, a slice of soft boiled egg, pickles, homemade curry sauce, and garnished with crunchy strands of a-tasty-stuff-I-don't-know! We loved it too, but we were already super full and dessert-ready that we didn't get to entirely appreciate its rich flavor.
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| Chicken Katsu Curry |
Yuzu cheesecake gave my Omakase dining experience at Atisuto a beautiful ending. It is creamy, not so sweet, and has citrus tang. Because it is lighter than the regular cheesecakes, it is perfect for us who just had a pretty heavy meal.
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| Yuzu cheesecake |
Now, let's talk about Ed's Spicy Beef Ramen. He opted to have the large bowl as he thought the small one couldn't suffice his craving, but it turned out to be enough for two to share. This dish has yakisoba noodles, spicy beef brisket, boiled egg and spring onion on a Jingoku ramen soup. The husband immensely loved it! As for me, it is hearty, however quite spicy for my liking.
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| Spicy Beef Ramen |
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| large bowl for two to share |
Atisuto has an intriguing Drinks Menu. Too bad, only a softdrink is included in the Omakase that night. The Omakase selections are chosen by the chef according to a staff, hence there will be probably some days that it will include tea or mocktail. So I had a cola while Ed indulged with Lemongrass and Mint Cooler. It has a unique blend of lemongrass, mint leaves, lychee juice and soda.
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| Lemongrass Mint Cooler |
Atisuto is our new-found love. The food are outstanding with fair prices. The staff are accommodating and the service is quick. It is casual place we can go to whenever we want something Japanese or when the husband craves for ramen. And since he likes ramen a lot, I bet we'll be back in no time.
Prices:
Omakase Menu: 120 AED
Spicy Beef Ramen (large): 52 AED
Lemongrass and Mint Cooler: 32 AED
Location:
Atisuto
Al Ghurair Centre
next to Spinneys supermarket
Dubai
Nothing to disclose. We paid for our meal. All opinions are my own.
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