Qabu review: Andalusian chef puts region's ancient Arab past on a plate in Dubai

Paco Morales's haute cuisine history lesson is a dinner for the ages

Paco Morales shows off his Spanish restaurant's three-star pedigree with beautifully plated dishes in Dubai. Photo: Qabu

Update: Qabu by Paco Morales has permanently closed

Haute cuisine, history and heaps of Arab heritage are served at Qabu, the brainchild of Paco Morales.

And less than a year after it opened in Dubai, the restaurant was included in the Michelin Guide Dubai following a glittering ceremony at One&Only One Za’abeel, where Qabu is.

Andalusian chef Morales, whose Noor restaurant in Cordoba holds three Michelin stars, brings the cultural connection between the Spanish region and the Middle East together at the restaurant in Dubai.

Science, trade, arts and the ways of life were moulded by a shared religion and, via his mini-kitchen time machine, he’s whipping together his versions of the past on a plate. With a hungry mind and curiosity piqued, I head to the cosy corner of The Link, Dubai's famed cantilever, for a lesson to savour.

Where to sit and what to expect

The Link is big. Enormous even. It’s 100 metres above ground, 230 metres long and has the world’s longest cantilever (67 metres). It plays host to 10 restaurants and bars, with some of the world’s top chefs jostling for space and plaudits – Anne-Sophie Pic, whose venues have earned 10 stars over the years, making her the most decorated female chef; Bo Songvisava and husband Dylan James, who have a star in Bangkok; and Tetsuya Wakuda, who has two stars at his restaurant in Singapore and now one in Dubai.

They all spill out into the space, which has become half palatial food hall and half bucket-list destination already. Qabu sits at the furthest end from the lift, meaning I can tick off the experience while working on the step count. StreetXO by the world’s best chef Dabiz Munoz sits directly beneath on floor four. While his venue is loud, brash and punk rock, The Link, and Qabu in particular, is like a classical violinist playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons metres away.

The restaurant itself is all muted terracotta colours with swish leather-style furnishings. There is a curved open kitchen, lightwood detailing and an extraordinarily kitsch statement chandelier. It’s surrounded by triple-height windows that soak the space in light, or bring the twinkling skyscrapers in at night.

It’s simply too gorgeous and contemporary, but dinner at Qabu begins with a dose of tradition from the Middle Ages, as we’re warmly greeted and shown to the bar for a pre-dinner drink (the list of mocktails is excellent) before our waiter brings over a gold-plated jug of water to begin the “handwashing ceremony”.

No, it’s not a quick trip back to the depths of Covid: it’s a ritual that dates back to the beginnings of Islam – and it’s a nice touch to begin.

Qabu sits at the end of The Link with Burj Khalifa views. Photo: Qabu

The menu

While there is an a la carte menu, this is experiential fine dining and that means the real fun is found in the chef's set menu. Titled Al Andalus, it is an 11-course journey (though a smaller version is in the works) through sweet, savoury, smokiness, shellfish, sorbets, sponges and so on.

The aim is to share the story of the region and the chef's childhood in Cordoba, where Noor, meaning light in Arabic, is. Before getting into the dishes and their origins, the plates, bowls and cups they're served on are worth a mention. They're stunning hand-painted Moorish mosaics and patterns synonymous with the region's aesthetics.

For the dishes, highlights include little nuggets of details such as the amuse-bouche of turmeric toast topped with salt-cured lamb, which harks back to the days when the seasoning was more expensive than gold. It's served with an aubergine bun that has a date and sugarcane jelly on top. The latter was one of the first crops cultivated on an industrial level in Egypt after being introduced in the seventh century.

The first sea bass dish represents the significant trade routes that converged in Al Andulas a millennia ago, with tomatoes (first imported from South America in the 15th century before becoming a cornerstone of Mediterranean cuisine) served with a delicate piece of fish that's cured in a marinade of vinegar and olive oil, better known as escabeche, which is believed to have been born in the region. There are notes of mandarin, too, to highlight its Asian connection.

The prawn course with turnip and caviar, served on a hand-painted Moorish-style plate. Photo: Qabu

As Morales' lesson goes on, his standard of cooking soars. In the middle of service, while still in the throes of the savoury courses, there's a reminder of his three-star pedigree built on dividing opinion. Pistachio is served as a cream, or “karim”, and an ice cream version, alongside smoked herring caviar, black bread crumble and green apple.

It's Noor's speciality dish and is presented on a Moorish-style painted dish. It's painfully pretty and sparks the sort of conversations more commonly overheard at art galleries – “Oh yes, I see what he's trying to do here; do you think security will let me touch it?”

There are dishes of sauteed lobster (which is the best of the night); roasted beef loin (ask for a little more cooking if you don't want yours blue); and more sea bass.

Desserts of a fake mint sponge and a quartet of Qabu's version of petit four end the night. The former celebrates the history of chocolate's lesser-known cousin carob, while the latter puts star anise, cinnamon, coffee and dates centre stage.

It's a two-and-a-half-hour dive through the history books and by the time I come out of the other side, all I know is that, if all classes were taught like this, I'd probably have a PhD in history by now.

Standout dish

Lobster, butter and sheep's cheese? Whichever genius first put these together deserves to be up there with Aristotle or Archimedes. Though it's Morales' elegant and dainty precision that pulls it off to aplomb.

The lobster is so soft, it's almost translucent (no, it's not raw). It sits on a bed of emulsified butter and six cubes of Manchego surround it. It is literally sunshine on a plate.

The lobster course gets 10 out of 10 for taste and presentation. Dean Wilkins / The National

Price point and contact information

The Al Andalus set menu is Dh895 for food only; a la carte prices range from Dh150 to Dh250 for starters; Dh330 to Dh370 for mains; and Dh95 for desserts.

Qabu is open daily from 6pm to midnight. For reservations, call 04 666 1777.

This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant