The UAE is the country with the 3rd most skyscrapers after the United States and China. It’s hard to go a day in Dubai without finding yourself in one – whether it’s your office, your apartment or a restaurant. It can be enough to desensitize you to a breathtaking view. Not so at the newly-opened lounge on the roof of the W Mina Seyahi hotel, Attiko. As you barrel up to the 31st floor, you get the feeling through the glass side paneling in the lift that you’re in for something special. Once you get on the terrace, that assumption is confirmed. The sweeping view allows you to take in everything from the Marina to your left, to the Harbour and Palm ahead of you, to Al Sufouh, Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah beyond to your right.
The “high energy” party lounge lives up to its name, with a DJ on hand to liven up even the quiet Sunday evening when we paid it a visit. The space is inspired by the conviviality of Asian night clubs and cosmopolitan lounges and bills itself as the perfect place to wile away the hours during those late Dubai nights. But make no mistake, this place isn’t just a viewing deck – although it would probably be successful as one. The food and drink are on par with the sparkling cityscape beyond. When the Bluefin tuna carpaccio, prepared with shio kombu, lime, chive and just enough truffle soy to bring out flavour without overpowering, hit the table it was a clear indicator of the meal to come. We recommend adding the crispy rice salmon to start and the Chilean sea bass and Spicy Wagyu beef as mains. The menu is mercifully kept slim, so there’s none of that choice paralysis that’s become so familiar elsewhere. It’s a tight selection of things the place does very well. Same goes for the drinks menu – where we think you might enjoy the Damai-Cha and Others & The East.
You’ll come for the view but you’ll stay long into the night for the energy, the food and the drinks.
