It may be situated in a food court in one of the world’s largest shopping malls, but this corner bistro is making waves with its new menu.

Eating in a mall food court may not be an occasion like dining at a stand-alone restaurant – it’s more of a spontaneous stop-off – but that doesn’t mean the food shouldn’t be tasty. And that’s where Social House comes in.

The casual Dubai Mall eating spot, situated on a corner perfect for people watching, has launched a new menu packed with enticing dishes.

Two new soups include a spicy Thai tom kha gai with big chunks of chicken lurking in the bottom. For starters, the generously sized halloumi salad with hazelnuts, pomegranate seeds, beetroot, mint leaves and greens was a carnival of flavours and textures. Chicken and shrimp dumplings, meanwhile, were fun to share.

For the mains, juicy pieces of chicken on top of a huge pile of spaghetti alioglio was garlicky and filling, while the Indonesian short rib rendang blew our head off with its spice.

The nachos pizza was the star though: a spicy, cheesy pizza with a topping of tortilla chips and dollops of guacamole, salsa and labneh – a guilty pleasure. The chocolate mousse with its nutty biscuit base was a nice dessert.

For shoppers who are wilting under the weight of shopping bags, Social House, with its calming wood interior and fantastic lighting, will welcome you warmly, revive you and send you on your way to go buy that handbag.

Lower ground floor, The Dubai Mall,
Tel: (04) 3398640. Metro: Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall.
Sun to Thurs 9am to 11.30pm, Fri and Sat 9am to 11.45pm.
facebook.com/socialhousedubai