After the flamboyance and fireworks that accompanied its opening, things at Atlantis The Royal have begun to settle down and find a rhythm – albeit a breakneck one.
The lobby of the world’s most talked-about resort mirrors rush hour of a busy cosmopolitan centre, but like any of the best cities in the world, it is within the margins where the real treasures are found.
One-floor up a glass elevator adjacent to an enormous freestanding aquarium is a dark wooden wall that looks like it should be in a medieval banquet hall, not the interior of a 21st century architectural wonder. The wall slides open as you approach, and Dinner awaits. The game is afoot.
For those new to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, or even Heston Blumenthal in general, the celebrated British chef is famed for his culinary alchemy – pioneering the multi-sensory restaurant experience by pairing food and flavour in wild and wonderful ways.
Dinner is one of the Michelin-star collector’s boldest projects, and one that is ripe for exporting from its London HQ. Devised by his fixation with the history of gastronomy – notably, English culinary history – the story of Dinner began in the late ’90s with Blumenthal diving into the less celebrate bits of ye olde times, reviving and reverse engineering savoury ice creams from the 1800s, the theatre of vast the Tudor feasts, and 14th Century cookbooks.
The menu perplexes with offerings of Salamagundy, Rice & Flesh and Savory Porridge – each more delicious than the last, and significantly more delicious than they sound. The creativity on display is the likes of which the Dubai dining scene has rarely experienced – each dish presented with a short telling of its origin story and the date of when the original inspo-dish was first invented. In case you’re wondering, 1723, 1390 and 1661, for the three dishes above, respectively.
While the vast dining area (banquet hall?) is dark and broody with tables lit by overhanging spotlights, the bright kitchen is purposely visible through floor to ceiling windows and looks like the inner workings of a science lab. Factor another glass room that houses a library-esque wine cellar, and the imposing steampunk pineapple centerpiece sculpture – it feels like you are dining in the mind of a creative genius. In many ways you are.
Thankfully, several of Dinner’s most renowned dishes have made it to the Dubai branch. Chief among them is the Meat Fruit (c. 1500) – chicken liver parfait made to look like a small mandarin – the Roast Halibut & Green Sauce (c. 1440), which is essentially the most exquisitely devised version fish and chips ever created. Oh, and of course the chips are triple-cooked (another Heston-invented signature) so they remain crispy. For dessert, the Nitrogen-chilled ice cream served from a vintage 19th Century thingamajig, seems a fitting end to the multi-disciplinary spectacle with a final does of child-like glee.
The continual bewilderment of delight on the faces of first-time diners are the (meat) fruits of the entire team’s tireless research, development and commitment to presentation. Whether you are staying at Atlantis The Royal or not, make sure that you do not go to bed without Dinner.
Find more of Dubai’s best restaurants here.