Restaurants

Super-sleek sushi restaurant Okku is famous in Dubai for delivering Japanese cuisine that the city’s foodies go absolutely mad for. Headed by executive chef, Hugo Sato Gardiner, the restaurant has won a clutch of awards – including most recently the prestigious Caterer Award for Restaurant of the Year and TimeOut Dubai’s award for Best Japanese – which brings with it a distinctly A-list clientele. It’s not cheap – but with caviar and black truffle in the sushi, it’s certainly memorable. +971 4 501 8777

With a kitchen team lead by executive chef Himanshu Saini, who was crowned ‘Best Young Chef’ at the 2014 Delhi Gourmet Club’s Top Chef Awards, Tresind serves up classic Indian flavours, elevated to levels of modern brilliance using molecular gastronomy. The “textures of mushroom” dish is truly out of this world. +971 4 308 0440

The hipsters of Dubai have long since been banging the drum for Al Quoz coffee house Tom & Serg which now has a cult following in the city, and in The Sum of Us, the talented duo behind Tom & Serg have struck gold once again. With 20 different blends of coffee and a food menu that changes daily to accommodate the fresh local produce, The Sum of Us is every bit as cool as its Al Quoz counterpart. +971 56 445 7526

Lemonade is a unique cafe serving both hearty and healthy meals, and a few sugary treats, too. The cafe serves six types of lemonade, hence the name, including tangy guava and lime, and the surprisingly delicious combination of watermelon and rosemary.

Sit under the glass dome of Anwar and take in the natural daylight or gaze up at the evening sky. This bright restaurant offers all-day dining options, starting with the famous Holiday Inn lavish breakfast that is available until 11am on lazy mornings. Choose between the buffet or a la carte menu at lunch or dinner, both offering an array of international starters, mouth-watering mains and delicious desserts. Telephone +971 [0] 4 357 2999

The buffet at Arboretum is considered to be one of the best in Dubai. The stylish restaurant is also included in the famous Al Qasr brunch, which won the Best Brunch award from The BBC Good Food Middle East. The Thursday night Seafood Extravaganza is definitely worth trying. Situated along the busy waterway at Madinat Jumeirah, dining al fresco on the Arboretum terrace gives you a great experience. Telephone +971 [0] 4 366 6730 Email MJrestaurants@jumeirah.com

This Provence import and share-style dining concept has come a long way since it opened as a bistro in Nice 20 years ago, where it was awarded a Michelin star. La Petite Maison now has branches from London to Istanbul, with two more set to open in Abu Dhabi and Miami this year. The menu is seasonal, the service slick and they manage to turn the stuffy reputation of French cuisine on its head, with contemporary share plates of everything from green breams with foie gras to scallop carpaccio. +971 4 439 0505

In 2001, Vineet Bhatia became the first Indian chef to earn a Michelin star for his restaurants in London and later Geneva. He lends his name to this Dubai-based outfit inside slick Grosvenor House, where he’s crafted a contemporary menu consisting of Indian dishes with Western influences. The smoked seas starter is the only way to kick off the meal; it includes honey-basted tandoori salmon, fennel scallops and chutney hammour. Make sure you save room for the refreshing desserts, including the rose petal and vanilla bean smoothie. +971 4 317 6000

This romantic Parisian dining room is the home of French chef Pierre Gagnaire’s molecular mastery in Dubai. This purple-carpeted offering from the three-starred Michelin chef is as decadent as it gets. Baroque-inspired glass chandeliers matching the carpet hang overhead as a series of seven amuse bouches are served before the meal even begins. The menu is seasonal and the four- and seven-course sample menus might include everything from sea bass with celeriac ravioli to beef cheeks. +971 4 701 1111