From high above on the 63rd floor of Address Downtown at night, the view is breathtaking. Located in the heart of Downtown Dubai, metres away from Burj Khalifa, it feels as though you can touch the glistening tower just by stretching your hand out.
It's also the perfect setting for the avian-themed Birds, Dubai's newest dinner-and-show restaurant, which made its debut on Friday. A Moscow import, with a second branch in Bodrum, Birds arrives to a dining scene already quite crowded with similar concepts.
Still, with its own unique fine-dining flair and fun song-and-dance spectacle, it's sure to carve its own little space in days to come.
The show
Called Sky Lake, the inaugural show of Birds is a blend of ballet, contemporary dance and a few jaw-dropping circus acts.
It begins with a live rendition of Whitney Houston's I Have Nothing. The restaurant's in-house singer is accompanied by a pianist on a small stage and a group of dancers with elaborate bird-inspired headpieces who writhe and twist in different corners of the restaurant.
Then the spotlight falls on a different part of the restaurant, where a contortionist performs incredible acrobatic moves, before the first course is served.
Unlike other dinner-show concepts, where the action is largely limited to a main stage, at Birds, the performers pop up everywhere. And they are evenly spaced out so guests can enjoy their meals and company.
Other stand-out performances included a circus ring and a jaw-dropping balancing act on stilts.
Despite the show being called Sky Lake, it's hard to decipher any cohesion between the acts. On the night we visit, there is even a random Michael Jackson impersonator dancing to Black or White at one point.
As the evening progresses, the beats get louder and the dance moves become more animated – with diners rising to their feet, Birds slowly morphs into a nightclub.
The dinner
The real star of Birds for me, though, is chef Dmitry Lim. Known for his expertise in pan-Asian cuisine, he has crafted a Japan-meets-Europe menu that is among the best I've ever sampled.
We start with the sea bass ceviche (Dh165), which looks like a painting and tastes like a work of art. This is followed by one of my favourite dishes of the night, bluefin tuna toro tartar (Dh435), which comes lavishly topped with caviar. Bursting with flavours, it set the tone for the rest of the evening's culinary offering.
Other highlights include the king crab claw (Dh215), a massive crab leg lusciously topped with cheese, and baby quail (Dh245), for which the bird is laid on a bed of onion confit and topped with foie gras and truffle shavings.
We end the meal with a beautifully presented lucky egg (Dh130), an egg-shaped ice cream served on fried noodles made to look like a nest.
Even if you were to go to Birds for just the food, the impeccable presentation, attention to detail and mix of flavours is worth every dirham you'll spend.
Price point and contact information
The minimum spend for groups of three and above on Tuesdays and Wednesdays is Dh600 per person. From Thursday to Saturday, it's Dh600 per person for the first seating and Dh1,000 per person for the second seating.
Entertainment acts start at 11pm.
The restaurant is open 7pm-3am from Tuesday to Saturday and 4pm-11pm on Sunday for late brunch. It is closed on Mondays.
Birds is located on the 63rd floor of Address Downtown. Reservations can be made by contacting 04 572 3919 or reservations@birdsdxb.com.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant
