One of London’s most luxe lands in Dubai
One thing is for sure about Mr Chow – the legacy is inimitable. Born in 1968, the baby of artist, actor, and famed restaurateur Michael Chow, this famed Chinese spot opened doors on Valentine’s Day, of all days, in London, and the rest is history. Now sitting on a cool eight locations, including this brand new one in Dubai, Mr Chow is serving up status and exquisite Beijing cuisine to diners in Beverly Hills, New York, Miami, Las Vegas, Riyadh and beyond, making regular appearances in the backgrounds of celebrity-gram.
The story
The ethos of Mr Chow comes from the communal nature of Chinese cuisine – every meal is a social event, with plates to be exchanged, flavours to be shared and the harmony of satiation. Dishes are served ‘family style’ to ensure all guests get a taste of everything, and the order is traditionally placed by a single person, typically the host. While Chinese cuisine is as vast and deep as the land and the culture where it stems from, here you’ll find a very specific version of it – Beijing food, an art whipped up to please the elite, the Imperials and the aristocrats, for over three dynasties.
The space
The formula to a space that feels lavish is quite simple – high ceilings, low lighting, and Mr Chow gets that just right. While the floor itself is not massive, occupying a small corner of DIFC with stunning skyline views out of floor-to-ceiling windows, the whole restaurant is decked out in tonal shades, with dark walls, dark furniture, feather white table cloths and minimal white centrepieces. Everything is shiny and polished, from the reflective ceiling to the severe, starched white tuxedos of the servers, and it all feels intentional – a perfectly moody reimagination of the essence of Dubai’s nightlife.
The food
On the menu, you’ll find sharing-style dishes with a combination of old authentic Beijing recipes and Mr Chow’s signature creations such as the chicken satay, Mr Chow noodles, and Ma Mignon. For our meal, we are started off with glazed prawn with walnuts (Dhs164), a sweet, nutty, earthy concoction of perfectly cooked prawns with the perfect bite, and the Mr Chow noodles (Dhs154), an original straight from 1968, with fresh, handmade noodles and a slick, oily sauce of chicken mince flaunting fire and flavour. We also sample the chicken satay (Dhs92 each) and crispy beef (Dhs253), both surprises. The satay comes with a sweet fried coating and a rich, creamy white sauce. The beef is also sweet, chewy and with a slight hint of citrus.
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The Beijing duck (Dhs516 per person) is the star of the meal. Craved tableside with all the pomp and show one might expect from a Mr Chow, it comes with soft wraps, sweet, spicy and umami duck sauce and slit cucumbers and greens for a bit of freshness. Roll everything up into a wrap and enjoy. The duck is juicy and tender, thankfully not dry as is the perennial problem with roasted birds and this is a classic you can’t miss.
We end with a mango parfait and a delicious mix of berries served in a bowl made entirely of ice – both are fruity, fresh, light and a fitting end to the luxuriant meal we’ve had so far.
Verdict
If not for anything else, go for the legacy.
Location: Mr Chow, Precinct Building 3, Gate District, DIFC, Dubai, daily, 12pm to 12am, @mrchowdifc
Images: Supplied
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