What is The Pointe of Seafood Kitchen?
Finally. A Dubai restaurant that does everything promised on the PR-tin. The PR blurb for Seafood Kitchen at The Pointe on Palm Jumeirah matches my experience. Free, easy-access parking leads to a spectacular, Insta-worthy view of Atlantis. It really is a stunning entrance and as I make my way to the end of the East Marina (on the Palm’s east crescent) to find this licensed restaurant, I am already feeling positive about my evening.
Seafood Kitchen pledges a relaxed dining experience with a market-style concept influenced by flavours of the Mediterranean but served with an Asian twist. The similar fish markets of Ibn Al Bahr and GAIA, however, do not make Seafood Kitchen as unique as they hope. The restaurant is split over two storeys, although only the ground floor is open given the number of reserved covers. The open kitchen flows neatly into the fish market and the nautical interior is decorated with oars, anchors, ropes and wheels aplenty. This allows the kitchen to interact with diners when selecting the fish. The atmosphere is vibrant even when quieter thanks to The Pointe’s high volume of foot traffic in and around the terrace at any time.
The staff is the strength of the restaurant as we are immediately made to feel at home. We select a table on the terrace to enjoy Atlantis views and it is highly satisfying to feel that we are selecting the best dining experience rather than being upsold. The wine list is varied although my preferred Riesling is not in stock, so it’s a Chardonnay for me. The impressive-looking bar also serves a cosmopolitan mix of cocktails and drinks to match any mood. Pleasingly, local water is on offer although filtered tap water would bring further happiness.
A combination of waiting staff and a chef help us to select our main courses but before that, we are served our starters of red snapper ceviche and seared scallops. The ceviche delivers a reasonable hit of chilli, coriander and lime but the snapper itself should be diced or cut smaller for more consistent flavours. The scallops are beautifully caramelised and eat well with spiced carrot puree and barbecue corn salsa. Other items on the menu nod towards the Asian twist with flavours of miso and ginger available but we do not try these on this occasion.
For mains, the kitchen stands up well to my grilling about the locality and sustainability of the fish on offer. My wife selects sheri fish which is often banned from being fished in the Middle East but is as local as you can get. Similar in size, texture and taste as sea bream it is competently cooked but not massively memorable. The issue is the garlic accompaniment which is packed with raw garlic; a touch too far even for a garlic-lover like me. My lobster is selected from the live tank giving me the satisfaction of knowing my dinner could not be much fresher. It is prepared and grilled as recommended by the chef and tastes exactly as a succulent, grilled lobster should do. The sides of thrice-cooked potatoes are gloriously seasoned and enough for two people, but we probably do not need the attractive-looking radicchio salad.
There are only four desserts on offer but it is still a tough choice. We order a mango cassonade which arrives in a jar and looks simple but as you would expect from a cassonade, is a sugary delight. The raspberry tart is a wonderful dish and one for the eclectic taste buds as a mascarpone and basil mousse encased in buttery pastry soothes the palate. The tart is balanced by a generous helping of raspberries and a sorbet that is resplendent in raspberry colour and taste. The one dish to really arouse the taste buds rather than merely satisfy.
All dishes are cooked well but each one needs something to lift it to a level that matches the views and the surroundings. Maybe an extra sprinkle of salt for the scallops, finer dicing of the red snapper, or thirty seconds less cooking to maximise the juicy lobster. There is nothing to complain about, but I cannot help but think the fresh, local fish should be smacking me with a lot more flavour. The main competitor for Seafood Kitchen is Ibn Al Bahr and the dining experience is almost identical. But, with one difference; at Ibn Al Bahr the Provençal sauce that my langoustines are cooked and served in make them taste as good as they possible could. Which leads me to the question that permeates our evening; would I return to Seafood Kitchen or go back to my old favourite, Ibn Al Bahr? In all honesty, the jury is split as both offer great views, lively atmosphere, beautiful location, fresh fish cooked to your preference, and for a decent price. I guess I will have to keep visiting both!
Overall, the price point of AED300 per person based on three courses without alcohol is high but the expensive lobster must be recognised. Cheaper options are available to make it closer to AED200 per person. As monkfish was offered to me at GAIA at AED850 per kilo, I ask for the price here. Approximately AED250 per kilo, which gives you an indication of how well-priced Seafood Kitchen is considering the fresh produce and stunning location.
Seafood Kitchen is a great place to bring visitors for a relaxed evening to take in The Pointe and Atlantis views, while eating food that may not blow your taste buds away, but uses decent, fresh produce. The friendly, smooth service will have you anchored in for a few hours. With all this in mind, I am awarding Seafood Kitchen a 3.5 out of 5 FooDiva knife rating.
It gets me thinking though; which restaurant has the best view in Dubai? Paired with good food of course.
Matt Broderick.
Who is guest reviewer Matt? A married man with an obsession for French wine and food, he loves nothing more than trying new restaurants and dishes with his wife and friends. Travel plans are always made around food and he can remember what he was doing on any given day by recalling the meal that he ate. His favourite chefs are Michel Roux Jr., Michael Bremner and Tom Kitchin. You can follow him on Instagram @finediningmatt
The catching of emperor fish (sheri) is wholly or partially banned in several GCC countries because it’s an overexploited species. In the UAE, catching emperor fish/sheri has been banned in the March and April breeding season since at least 2015 in an effort to preserve stocks. Granted we’re currently outside of the two-month catching ban, and it’s certainly local, but I’m not too sure I’m comfortable with high-end restaurants actively promoting the consumption of local endangered species. Perhaps we can look forward to oryx steaks appearing on the Rib Room’s menu. There’s a carefully managed breeding stock at Al Ain Zoo, after all.
Nice to hear from you, The Man In The White Hat; miss your reviews! That’s an excellent point(e) that i could not expand on much in the review, hence the mentioning of it for people to make their own minds up. I knew it was partly banned (from my own Biology / Ecology teaching) but not enough to make an informed decision at the time. Perhaps the team could have similar posters about endangered fish as they do in any supermarket here? Maybe there was one but I didn’t see. I might ask them for their views on some of these fishes and post a response. Thanks again for pointing it out and hope you are well in your new ventures.