New Japanese eateries are popping up all over Dubai these days but sometimes the old is gold adage is a good one as far as food is concerned. Lunch last Thursday at the Miyako in Dubai’s Hyatt Regency, one of Dubai’s oldest hotels, was well worth the long journey.
Originally the hotel was at the centre of where it was all happening and indeed Miyako means Centre of the City, but Dubai grew and grew so now coming out to Deira is an adventure in itself. Why not try a new way of getting there and catch the metro, get the green line and get off at the Palm Deira (don’t try and find this yet!) and walk across the road for a modern take on yesteryear glamour.
We had lunch in a private teppanyaki room but there was a nice buzz in the main dining area. There is nothing ostentatious about this restaurant, in fact I ‘d say it had more of a cozy feel without ever making diners feel cramped. The superiority of the head sushi chef was immediately reassuring and made a distinct contrast to the equally talented but alternative teppanyaki chef. We ordered extensively from both classic Japanese and Teppanyaki cuisines and I found no fault with either. For connoisseurs who like their tuna that extra bit fatty they’ll be happy to find Oh Toro sushi served here but I really liked the California rolls too. It’s unusual to find sushi ginger without its characteristic pink colouring but there is nothing artificial about Miyako’s offerrings .
You can customize your protein at the teppanyaki grill and opt to have your fresh fish, succulent prawns or chicken and beef with or without mirin wine marinade but do try the house style soya, lime and butter sauces. It was refreshing to learn the hotel is big on organic food and takes an active stand on using sustainable ingredients, it’s part of their new Food Philosophy programme and has inspired the head chef of the hotel to cultivate a real live allotment in the extensive grounds. DoinDubai will report on that when it’s in full bloom !
But in the meantime if you like your sushi fresh and your teppanyaki spicy then head to Miyako and if you’re not driving indulge in one of the nine varieties of sake or special shochu wine made from potato but apparently quite potent. Happy Eating ! Monica.
Thanks for the comment Rezki, better if you contact hotel human resource departments directly, they may have some openings, wish I could be of more help, but good luck,
Kindest regards,
Monica Kapila.
Dear: Manager.
My name is Rezki Oularbi.
I am 44 years old I live in London .
I working as teppanyaki and sushi London.
Iam lookin for job in Dubai.
If you are looking tepanyaki and sushi chef pleas
Contact me Iam looking for ward from you to hearyou
Thankyou very mach.
Hello from Miyako Team,
We are sorry to read that your experience in Miyako was less than perfect. Please allow us to express our apologies for the same.
We will definitely look into what you pointed out in regards to portion size and value for money and will evaluate the need for any adjustment. Please let us know when you are back in town, as we would like to invite you to Miyako and definitely bring the great memories back.
Miyako has only stayed around because of loyal customers such as you, and has built a 25 year legacy of excellence that hopefully will last for many more years to come.
Thank you once again for your patronage.
Very best regards
Miyako Team
Thanks for the comment, always good to get another angle, sorry you didn’t enjoy it as much as I did, I’m hoping the management of Miyako will pick this up and reply to you directly. I agree it isn’t a glamorous place but it isn’t billed as being so, but that shouldn’t detract from the food quality and portion sizes being good.
Kindest regards,
Monica.
hi Monica, interesting write-up on Miyako. I used to love it. I’ve been going there with the family since the early 90’s. back in the day it was completely unique and had the WOW factor, as you had japanese chefs cooking live infront of you. But last year i went there again, purely on a nostalgic trip, disregarding all the fancy new offers in town, i was excited about revisiting an old classic. But I was left very dissapointed. The quality of the produce, the tiny portion sizes, the stale atmosphere and dull ambience – a shadow of its once glamorous self. And definetly not value for money, quite expensive. The fundamental qualities it once portrayed had fallen way behind compared to what else is on offer in town. Im usually very positive but this is just my honest opinion. Sounds like you had a different experience and thoroughly enjoyed it!