I will forever be grateful to Asian District for saving our
New Year’s Eve celebration in Dubai. To make a long story short, because of the
ineptitude of a Platinum List event coordinator, we found ourselves being told
on the night of - at 9pm (!) - that the event was cancelled. Imagine … standing
in your New Year’s best, in a foreign country, and being told that you need to
find something else. Certainly, it’s not the end of the world, but surely ruins
a buzz.
After a few frantic calls, Asian District saved the day and
was able to provide us with an outdoor table so we can celebrate the night and
watch the fireworks display. Better yet, they didn’t even raise their prices
above the typical AED395 a person for the all-you-can-eat and unlimited house
drinks deal. Indeed, it turned into an indulgent evening of food and drink.
Asian District offers an AYCE menu where the dishes are
brought to your table. For those who don’t want to consume to the max there is
an a-la-carte option as well (prices included in this post for information). It’s
an extensive menu covering Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisine so
getting through the booklet can be a time consuming affair. So, let me help you
with some of the top dishes of the night:
You can’t go wrong with the chicken green curry (AED62). It’s
a safe choice and ideal for those who want that flavourful coconut sauce
without too much heat.
Their dynamite roll (AED38) isn’t a typical maki filled with a tempura shrimp. Instead,
it’s like an elevated spicy salmon that made us want another bite.
The wasabi prawns (ADE72) was a decent dish, plump deep
fried battered shrimp tossed in a light wasabi mayo, I just wish I had them
hotter – the perils of eating outdoors. Even the salt and pepper squid (AED56)
was good, if you don’t mind that the batter is a bit too thick.
Other dishes could have been done better. The skin on the Peking
duck (AED88 for a quarter) was so soggy that it tasted like you’re having
reheated roast duck in the microwave. At
least their garnishes and wrapper were made thin enough.
The chicken skewers (AED56) needed more satay; there was
very little flavours other than the peanut sauce.
While the pad Thai’s (AED56) flavours was okay – a nice
balance of sweet and sour – the noodles stuck together in a clump and there
seemed to be something missing from the dish, it could have been a lack of fish
sauce as there wasn’t that lovely umami essence.
If you’re going to have pho, I’d skip the protein and just
go vegetarian as the beef in the beef pho (AED46) was way too thick. The broth
is a cross between the traditional bone broth and the soy sauce laced beef
noodle variety. While not terrible, it’s just not what you’re expecting when
you have a spoon of soup.
In general, I found Asian District relies too much on soy
sauce. The hot and sour soup (AED32) incorporated so much of the condiment that
it wasn’t edible.
Given we visited on New Year’s Eve, it’s difficult to gauge their
service levels. That evening, it was slow and they forgot a dish (the plain stir
fried bok choy I was craving), but
the restaurant was completely packed. And we were disappointed that the
desserts never arrived, so we couldn’t taste the mango sticky rice the other
tables were raving about. Nonetheless, their staff was friendly and they were
on point with bringing out the drinks.
At the very least, they saved the night by feeding us a
filling meal, plied us with tons of alcohol, and provided an amazing vantage
point for fireworks. Thank you Asian District for a wonderful New Year’s Eve.
How To Find Them
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Address: The Pointe, Palm Jumeirah - Al Mirziban
Address: The Pointe, Palm Jumeirah - Al Mirziban
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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