So 2014 was the year that Dubai went warehouse. Venues like Pier 7’s Cargo and Al Quoz’s Tom& Serg made breeze blocks and exposed air ducts de rigueur on the emirate’s eating and drinking scene.
Riding in the sandy coattails is China Grill’s new Industrial Avenue, effectively a venue-within-a-venue sporting all the stereotypes of Shoreditch chic: copious graffiti, mismatched furniture, bookshelves, fading monochrome Japanese movie posters.
The recent launch party was a case study in “five star does the underground” — it was difficult not to snigger as dolled-up girls in heels struggled to maintain balance on the deliberately pockmarked concrete floor, while waistcoated servers topped up their drinks.
Design-wise, Industrial Avenue gets the faux-gritty vibe bang on — all that’s really missing is a spotty student in a beanie behind the bar. However the rough-edged fantasy all that charming decor conjures is shattered the minute nature calls, with guests forced to walk through the decadently lush lounge bar next door to reach the toilets.
Somewhat ironically, what I liked best was the food — excellent dim sum and breaded tofu, served straight from the kitchen of China Grill, a high-end dining export from New York.
• Industrial Avenue opens to the public today, Tuesday August 25, and is available for private hire. Inside China Grill, The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, Dubai. Reservations: 04 511 7333
rgarratt@thenational.ae
