Five years after it shuttered its doors, the Okku, or <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/food/2023/01/17/okku-dubais-home-grown-japanese-restaurant-set-to-return/" target="_blank">Okku 2.0 if you will</a>, is reopening on Monday, at the Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah, Dubai. The home-grown Japanese restaurant operated from <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/food/2022/11/17/the-crossing-at-h-dubai-review-dishes-from-all-corners-of-india-done-with-flair/" target="_blank">The H Dubai</a> hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road until 2018, and was something of a must-visit for Dubai residents and visitors. <i>The National </i>got a sneak peek at the new iteration on Tuesday. “It's really all about going back to basics – serving really good food,” the venue's general manager, Marija Milojevic, tells me. About 90 per cent of Okku's original “O-style” menu has been retained, with favourites such as hushihu salad (mixed leaves with crispy duck and hoisin-amazu dressing); ginger salmon sashimi; and dynamite kani (two whole baked king crab legs with a spicy mayonnaise dressing). Keeping the dishes was an intentional decision, given the restaurant, which ran for nine years, had built a loyal following for its food. The head chef also worked at the original Okku, so it was easy to replicate the menu. Of the dishes I tried, the Wagyu beef and foie gras kushiyaki was succulent with an umami flavour punch; while the spicy tuna on crispy rice had a delightful contrasting texture. The Okku team confirms there will be new food to look forward to as well. The biggest change, aside from the move to the Palm West Beach area, is the layout and decor of the restaurant. The Japanese inspiration is apparent from the get-go, as diners enter through a lantern-lit hallway. Within, one wall features jellyfish floating in three side-by-side aquariums – but unlike in the original restaurant, Okku 2.0 serves up photorealistic recreations of the jellyfish, using LED screens. The use of digital imaging is also apparent inside the women's powder room, where mirrors hang against a fully immersive wall that shows varying scenic displays, from waterfalls to cherry blossoms. Several 3D-printed life-size samurai statues stand guard in various corners of the restaurant, which can seat 214 diners. The rest of the space has an industrial look and feel, with stone walls, an exposed ceiling and plush yet modern seating. A central bar pulls all sides of the restaurant together in one coherent vibe. There is also a 20-metre-long sushi bar and robata grill area, where guests can see chefs in action; plus a DJ nook and a private dining room in the back. Milojevic says about a third of the employees are from the original Okku, which allowed the team “to really recreate the restaurant's glory days from 2009 to 2018”. <i>Opens June 12; 6pm-2am on Monday to Thursday, 6pm-3am on Friday and Saturday; 04 666 1566; </i><a href="http://okku.com" target="_blank"><i>okku.com</i></a>
