Since we moved from Dubai, we have been trying to focus on settling into our new life and unfortunately have not had much time to keep up with our usual posting schedule. We’ve certainly been missing out on sharing with you and on this precious blog and as things continue to settle down, we hope to be back to business as usual in the very near future!
Today we wanted to shake things up a little and do them a little different. That said, we are going to add a new Dining Out series to share some of our many restaurant haunts. We are huge on helping you hone and showcase your culinary skills, but we also want to celebrate the art of eating out without prejudice, preconceptions or agendas. We are doing this simply for the love of good food and the support of the industry in which we earn our living.
We have never written restaurant reviews here and we do not plan to start. Since we launched this blog over two years ago, we decided that we would stay away from reviewing food for a few good reasons. Recently, we have decided to simply feature restaurant experiences we like. We were dining out and decided to take you along. Since we didn’t have everything on the menu and paid out of pocket for the experience, our critique is contained. Why? Because we really honestly feel that the best food critique happens after multiple visits. We retain negative feedback from the blog and address any such issue quietly with the team immediately after the meal.
IMAGEry
We will deliberately avoid being wordy and let our photographic images speak for themselves. We shoot handheld in ambient light during service in a bid to capture the mood as accurately as possible. If we were setting up for one of our professional shoots, we would have a tripod setup with additional studio lights to enhance the photos but since we are shooting during opening hours and sharing the dining room with other paying guests, we are keeping things simple. We do not allow our photography to interfere with the dining experience of others, so we do not even use flash for these shots.
THE SETTING
Located at the Avenues at the Atlantis, Seafire offers a relaxed and casual approach to dining with a resort spin. Gloriously high ceilings anchor elaborate installations over a rather expansive dining room. The restaurant has two seated waiting areas, which are pretty smart in turning tables efficiently and maximising covers per service. One is in the lobby and the other by the large bar area. The outlet is perfect for after work drinks and catching up with friends over a fun meal. Of course, since it is a resort, holiday makers and families are among the host of residents dining in the restaurant.
THE FOOD
We were impressed with a few things on the menu, especially the AED800 Blackborne Wagyu. We are huge fans of Wagyu and really appreciate that we can get marbling to our hearts content. Of course we go for anything above 6. We suggest you have the prawn cocktail -pictured at top of this post and served with much fanfare- to start or the duck carpaccio and have your favourite cut of Wagyu for your entree. The corn side dish was absolutely delectable. For dessert, the mango sorbet and baked Alaska will not disappoint.
THE EXPERIENCE
Service was trained, attentive, pleasant and efficient and waiters moved with urgency and purpose and kept watch on the tables. It is the kind of eatery that has regulars. The average cost of a meal for two is AED800 and we paid that for ours (plus our service tip in excess of 10%). We ordered 1 starter and 2 mains, 4 sides and got the platter just as we were about to order dessert. The dessert platter and the shrimp cocktail were not included in that figure as they were provided for photography by the highly competent restaurant manager Elena. After shooting, we were invited to sample the props!
Dima Sharif says
My absolute kind of restaurant review, agree to all the above 🙂 stunning photos as always
Chef and Steward says
Thanks so much Dima! You are a gem!
imagesbytdashfield says
Glad to see you back posting!
Chef and Steward says
Thank you dearest. It is good to be getting back into the swing of things. Thanks for coming to visit.
Melissa B. { hungryfoodlove } says
What a feast!
duodishes says
A move, huh? You guys have been busy then. Welcome back, and of course,you pop up with so many delicious pictures, we’re all jealous of your experience.
Cloudcutter says
What Dina said 🙂
Sally Sen says
It’s an amazing experience throughout the blog.
I came across the blog while checking for restaurants in Dubai and loved most of the blog besides checking.
Thanks! for all the sharing.