A brand new seafood experience has recently made its way to Dubai called Not Only Fish and has been making waves in the Pan Asian restaurant scene.
Building an empire
Located on the ground floor of Almas Tower in JLT, the restaurant was created by Co-Founder of Bulldozer Group and restaurateur Alexander Orlov, who has built a gastronomic empire that spans across Kazakhstan, USA, Monaco, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong and the UAE.
Accumulating 20 years of experience, Orlov has built a reputation for creating one of a kind culinary experiences such as Cipriani, Gaia, Scalini, Shanghai Me, Sand, Osteria La Baia, ICHU, as well as the Tanuki Chain of Japanese restaurants just to name a few.
His culinary offerings consist of Georgian, Oriental, Greek, Pan-Asian, Italian, Uzbek, European and Peruvian cuisines where guests are served fish and seafood dishes as well as special dishes for a healthy lifestyle.
The businessman has cemented his status as a leader in the culinary world as he manages more than fifty restaurants and is currently focused on the development of his business in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East.
According to Alexander Orlov, he credits his success primarily to his own intuition and experience as well as the most important area in his life: self development.
Outside of restaurants, his Bulldozer Group’s portfolio has expanded into bath and spa centers.
A menu that’s Not Only Fish
While the menu offers a mouthwatering selection of fresh sushi, sashimi and tartare, and speciality dishes such as chilean seabass and octopus kushiyaki, there’s more to this menu than meets the fish eye.
Even if seafood isn’t your thing, the venue is aptly named Not Only Fish because there’s something for everyone on its menu. Guests will find dishes such as duck breast with truffle sauce and chicken tsukune which are complimented by a world class cocktail menu and live music to enhance the dining experience.
Their salad and bites menu shouldn’t be overlooked as it features unique offerings such as crispy duck and pear salad, crab tacos as well as avocado, crab and tomato salad.
Virgin Izakaya
Alexander Orlov has also established his presence on Bluewaters Island and set up Virgin Izakaya. A modern izakaya style restaurant which specialises in both traditional and contemporary Japanese cuisine.
The name “izakaya” originates from the Edo Period of 1603-1867 which is considered to be a time of internal peace. As a typical Japanese restaurant/bar, an izakaya is a casual type of dining establishment, like Spanish tapas bars or British gastro pubs. As the day nears its end and the sun begins to set, people would make their way to their favourite izakayas to relax, unwind and enjoy food and beverages together with their colleagues or friends.
Virgin Izakaya hosts a wide range of exclusive events such as Nomikai Time (Happy Hour) from Monday to Friday from 4pm until 7pm, Joshi-Kai (Ladies Night) on Wednesdays from 6pm until midnight, to a special Virgin Izakaya brunch every Saturday from 1pm until 4pm. There’s also a Duck Soup Series and a culinary art session.
Some of the standout offerings from their main course menu are the beef gyoza & foie gras, a 200g wagyu steak and truffle duck. There’s also a special ceviche and tiradito menu that arouses one’s curiosity with the unique pairing of fish and fruit with items such as the tuna ceviche & mango or the truffle scallop orange and buckwheat popcorn.
Virgin Izakaya’s unique concept
What separates Virgin Izakaya from the rest of the izakaya style restaurants is their unique culinary concept. It involves serving different courses on small plates one after the other so that everyone gets a chance to try something they have never had before. A discussion of the Japanese cuisine afterwards amongst one’s company is part of the experience.
At Virgin Izakaya, a traditional robata grill is at the centre of the restaurant, allowing the chefs to become the focal point as they create dishes. Here, guests will be able to watch the art of seeing their culinary desires prepared directly in front of them. Traditional techniques are combined with Virgin Izakaya’s unique signature resulting in spectacular dishes.
In the spirit of the Edo Period’s internal peace, their beverage menu spans herbal teas such as I Feel Calm or refreshing mocktails such as the Sesame Lemongrass Lemonade which consists of lemongrass, orange, sesame, aloe and ginger mix. While most would associate the word katana with the lethal weapon, Virgin Izakaya’s Katana does not inflict pain but pleasure instead as the mocktail is armed with strawberry, galangal, lime, mint, aromatic bitters and soda. Trading a sharp blade for sharp tasting ingredients.