3BK: what on earth is an upscale multisensory global dining experience?

“Upscale multisensory global dining experience”. Words that strike fear through my stomach as another Dubai restaurant – 3BK – attempts to find a niche in one of the most competitive food and beverage markets in the world. Head chef Esteban Torregrosa promises seasonality and classic flavours, which he mostly delivers, but what about the rest of the show?

Upon arrival at the Armani hotel in Burj Khalifa, make sure to ask for directions because 3BK is not obviously signposted, however a warm, genuine welcome awaits at the decadent front desk. The restaurant – so-called because it is on the 3rd floor of Burj Khalifa – boasts 250 covers, but with no other diners mid-week until nearly 10pm, the restaurant looks derelict, albeit swanky.

My pet hate of loud, beat-heavy music complements the dark interior but not in a good way. Good luck reading the menu, seeing what your food looks like, or taking a photograph. Service is clumsy as our server does not know if local water is available (it is not but AED33 gets you an imported bottle), nor does she know the details or dishes on the tasting menu. Our waitress is a keen employee who deserves better management than being thrust out on the restaurant floor with very little direction or training. Having said that, a large amount of my expensive, imported water is spilled while pouring (and should have been comped).

The food itself is well cooked with an occasional flourish. Beef croquettes do exactly as they say on the tin and crispy prawn tacos are fresh in the mouth. Roasted carrots are the dish of the night as heritage carrots are smothered in the creamiest of cashew nut dips. The main courses are gloomy and without definition…until you get your phones out and shine a light, which transforms murky-looking meat and fish into plates of character and juiciness. My Angus tenderloin is cooked medium-rare as per the chef’s recommendation, and the black cod is tangy with citrus orange notes. We have to order sides as not much accompanies our mains, and how we pine for a chef to give us a complete plate of food. Creamy mashed potatoes are buttery smooth but lacking in seasoning and the vegetables are a confused bowl of textures and flavours.

I understand why restaurants attempt sharing style dishes but at this level and price point, I expect nothing less than a complete plate of food. The menu reads like traditional a la carte, and should be served like one. It is the job of the chef to balance flavours and textures, not for me to serve side dishes across the table like my grandmother at a Sunday roast. I want meat and my partner wants fish, so we are never going to share.

Unfortunately for 3BK, I predict the dessert menu almost to a tee. A list of easy to prepare in advance desserts, albeit with a few attempted twists along the way. Is there a dearth of pastry chefs in Dubai? If not, then where are the fondants, the soufflés, or the desserts that show craft and creativity? The final course is a chance to deliver multisensory and exciting, not predictable and premeditated. My chocolate tart has some beautifully soft ice cream and classic combinations of salted caramel, coffee and hazelnuts. However, the coffee cream on top could be lifted as one piece – and the tart itself is too cold – devoid of the texture that makes chocolate so good. My guess is that it is prepared too far in advance and can not be brought to optimum temperature in time. My partner has the Opera; a deliberate mess of matcha cake with textures of coconut and lime. The dish is fresh but like most of the plates, not something you will remember in three weeks’ time.

The atmosphere is essentially loud music, empty tables and darkness; which ironically strips you of some of your senses rather than providing the promised multisensory experience. The location is great, and the view of the fountains is undeniably impressive, especially when the terrace opens next month. The price point is expensive at AED410 per person without alcohol, but the service is not good enough for all of the promises of fine dining and global dining experiences. 3BK has an awful lot to do if it wants to try and muscle in on the Dubai dining scene. Being so close to Dubai Mall and the thousands of tourists is a lost opportunity as I know from experience that walking from the mall to the hotel is not a short journey, especially in the heat and humidity. With all this in mind, 3BK scores a 2.5 out of 5 FooDiva knife rating.

Do descriptors like “upscale multisensory global dining experience” encourage or discourage you to visit?

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 Liz Stevenson, Reif Othman and Tommy Banks. You can follow him on Instagram @finediningmatt

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