Variety has long been the spice of life for food lovers plotting a culinary course for Dubai's vibrant Jumeirah Road.
The sheer abundance of options – from fine-dining in five-star hotels to street food joints and cool cafes – means it can be a formidable task to stand out from the crowd.
SEA Bistrot, with a prime spot in Jumeirah 3, is one of the newest openings in the diverse district looking to make a splash.
The SEA in the name stands for South-east and Eastern Asian, with the restaurant drawing influences from Japan, China and Thailand in an intriguing menu.
Opened by award-winning chef Shane Macneill – who has carved out a stellar reputation over decades at renowned restaurants such as Nobu in London and Milan and Dubai's Shanghai Me and MayaBay – alongside wife Djo, it promises to be an exciting addition to the ever-expanding Dubai dining scene.
The venue
SEA Bistro forgoes the glitz and glamour often associated with the emirate's restaurants, in favour of a more intimate experience. Substance wins out over style here.
The restaurant space, fully renovated by the couple themselves, is set across two floors and seats only about 20 people.
We head to the upstairs dining area, which is simply, but carefully decorated with Asian-inspired pictures adorning the walls and potted plants dotted around the floors.
It is a warm and inviting atmosphere that immediately puts us at ease. My dining partner and I feel like we are welcomed guests for a home-cooked meal – but it is not often the dishes are overseen by a world-class chef.
The menu
This is a menu that focuses on quality over quantity, serving up a select list of dishes showcasing the best tastes from across Asia.
We are hungry to get started with the appetisers, diving in first with the chicken and prawn nems (Dh36), a staple of Vietnamese cuisine that has been exported around the world.
The deep-fried rolls are cooked to perfection, with the crispy first bite giving way to the melt-in-your-mouth morsels of chicken and prawn inside.
Our appetites well and truly whetted, we move on to the beef gyoza (Dh42). The finely diced wagyu beef, mixed with kimchi, spring onion and ginger, is a delight. The meat is tender and packed with flavour, leaving us wanting more as we consume our last bite.
We round off our trio of appetisers with the duck salad (Dh64). It is a dish wholeheartedly recommended to us by the attentive restaurant staff, and we soon see why.
The braised duck is encased in a deep-fried batter, making for a fantastic combination of flavours that demonstrate the expertise of the kitchen team.
The beautifully balanced dish is lifted further by a sprinkling of celery, apple, pine nuts and pomegranate and mixed cress, accompanied by a tasty plum sauce.
With our stomachs satisfied but thankfully not yet full, we get ready for our main courses with anticipation for what is to come.
We share the chicken Thai pepper (Dh68) and the red prawn curry (Dh70).
The pan fried, corn-fed chicken, served with black pepper, lemongrass and chili gets top marks for presentation and passes the taste test, too.
The crispy chunks of chicken are tender and juicy and blend well with the black pepper sauce.
As good as the chicken is, it takes a backseat to another Thai favourite, the red prawn curry.
The rich, aromatic and creamy curry sauce has us fighting to get our spoons to the plate first to enjoy another sampling.
The generous portion of succulent prawns and baby sweetcorn are well worth a mention too, making for a fitting celebration of Thai cuisine.
We were glad there was still room for dessert, too, with the decadent chocolate mousse and sumptuous tres leches cake, topped with mango passion compote and candied nuts, capping off the evening in style.
Standout dish
While both main courses delivered, the duck salad was the undoubted star of the show. When duck is cooked well, it can be the tastiest of meats, and this was the case here.
The delicate mix of flavours, marrying the crisp and crunch of the batter with the tender and flavoursome duck, demonstrated the high benchmark for quality laid down by the restaurant's well-regarded chef.
The verdict
This is a restaurant that doesn't shout out from the rooftops with flashy decor and bright lights, but instead lets its food do the talking.
The carefully curated menu pays homage to some of Asia's most beloved dishes and the team clearly takes pride in serving up an authentic experience.
Diners won't need to save up all week to be able to make the most of a visit either. This is high-end food provided at affordable prices.
It is rare to get fare of such quality without breaking the bank. The pricing strategy means the restaurant can become a favourite haunt for many, rather than a one-off visit to the latest opening in town.
Contact details
SEA Bistrot is at 456, Jumeirah 3, Dubai. It is open Monday to Sunday, from noon until 11pm. Reservations can be made by calling 04 834 6786.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant
