Marina Social

Dubai Marina, Al Sufouh Road, PO Box 393080, DUBAI, UAE

Dubai has been a retirement home for chefs in recent years: put your name to a spangly new hotel restaurant, don the slippers, spark the pipe, have the dog fetch the paper and watch the royalties roll in as you don’t have to lift so much as a milk pan. Though when it comes to applying Jason Atherton’s name and Social brand to a restaurant, it would never be that easy. He insists on installing his trusted London lieutenants and spot-checks nearly as frequently as he does his restaurants in town.

At Marina Social, his touch really shows. It’s already one of the best restaurants in the city and is rightly winning plaudits from all who try it. With the same small-plate ethos as his other sites, holla ‘feed me’ to the waiting team and they’ll bring a selection of well-curated dishes. Make sure they send over goat’s cheese churros with truffle honey, puffed squid and rice crackers and beef tartare with horseradish cream. Be sure to save room for main: the smoked lobster comes served in a treasure chest; one of the finest pieces of restaurant theatre you’ll find. Whoever said Dubai was style over substance clearly hasn’t been here.