Let’s be honest, you go to Mr. Miyagi for the fun
environment, not the food. It’s a cool looking place that looks like it’s been
decorated by an organized hoarder: umbrellas lining the wall, picture frames
everywhere, and a stamp collection adorning every table lamp. There’s a bar at
the back of the restaurant, so after dinner you can stay for the party. The
food, on the other hand, is decent, at best.
The tastiest thing of the night was the shrimp crackers
(AED19) hanging on the table lamps, the bag begging to be ripped apart and
eaten before the other items arrive. The crackers are the real deal, flavourful
with the deep essence of seafood, much like what you’d find in Thailand.
So much better than the Dynamite shrimp (AED45) that’s
essentially deep fried shrimp tossed in a crap load of Miracle Whip. A really
heavy starter that’s probably beloved, if you like that tangy zesty mayo
wannabe.
If things aren’t great, smother it with condiments seems to
be the mantra at Miyagi. The sushi aburi
roll (AED55) is not flame torched, but rather drowned with avocado cream so you
can’t taste an ounce of the salmon wrapping a huge piece of rice.
The Dragon roll (AED55) was even worse; it must have been
pre-made earlier in the day as the rice was hard and dry. The menu describes it
as being tataki style, which
generally means lightly seared at other restaurants. At Miyagi, it translates
to fully cooking the salmon and tuna to the point that they taste like they
came out of a can, and of course drizzling so much sauce over it that they hope
you can’t tell the difference.
There was a chance that the beef sisig (AED49) could be better – at least the flavours were nice –
but the meat still so over cooked rendering it like eating bits of leather on
crispy wonton crackers.
Of the mains, the curries are the safest bet. Both the green
and red versions were decent (AED59 for chicken and AED65 for shrimp), but neither
really packing much heat. Not even the red one, which had three chilies listed
beside it on the menu, unless you actually have a bite of the bird’s eye chili.
Nonetheless, they’re better than the mee goreng handmade egg noodles (AED49). What it lacks in wok hay, Miyagi tries to make up for
dumping more sauce on, but even that couldn’t rehydrate their dry hard tofu. Sadly,
I’ve whipped up better noodles at home on a week night with a bottle of store-bought
Szechwan sauce.
Aside from the shrimp chips, the only saving grace of the
evening was the fact that it was Lady’s Night and our waiter was so friendly
and attentive.
Interestingly, for a country that doesn’t allow alcohol to
be served outside of hotels, the ones that do sell spirits also offers all-you-can-drink
options. At Mr. Miyagi, on Wednesday nights their Lady’s Night menu provides
women a choice of two dishes and two hours of unlimited drinks for only AED99.
So, the fact that our waiter was on the ball with refills meant I developed a
nice buzz even before the food arrived. Not enough for me to actually like the
food, of course, but still a memorable night.
How To Find Them
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Address: Media One Hotel
Address: Media One Hotel
Website: https://www.mrmiyagisdubai.com/home
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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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