Review: Not Only Fish in Jumeriah Lake Towers

We only had fish, and we definitely aren’t complaining…

Located in the Almas Tower in JLT, this boho and gorgeous restaurant boast freshness deluxe and classy Japanese flair. Not Only Fish Dubai is a Japanese bistro, where seafood and fish play a key role. We knew we just had to check it out.

To start, the ambience is incredible. As we arrive, we are greeted by the lovely Fatima, the friendly hostess, as well as a wicker fish that is hung from the ceiling. The venue has a calming feel to it with a bohemian vibe, that is complemented by European modernity.

Seated at our table we were ready to start the evening and enjoy all that Not Only Fish has to offer. We began with a glass of wine each on the happy hour offer, which runs daily from 4pm to 7pm. It includes the usual suspects of beer, wine, and house spirits as well as an Aperol Spritz and an espresso martini.

Sashimi, nigiri and beyond

We asked our waiter, Ren, an extremely helpful and informative server, which items he would most recommend. He suggested we go for a selection of sushi such as tuna with truffle and caviar, tuna and salmon tataki, yellowtail tartare, and a few others. The tuna with truffle and caviar was an opulent tuna nigiri that was topped with thinly shaved truffle and just the perfect amount of caviar.

Next, we enjoyed the yellowtail tartare which was a burst of incredible flavour, much like everything we ate that evening. Ren also recommended that we delight our palates with the crab tacos and the popcorn shrimp. The tiny crab tacos were absolutely adorable and packed a punch of flavour. Naturally, the popcorn shrimp followed suit. It had a light batter and was plated on a bed of flavourful smashed avocado.

We took a breather and chatted for a while before dipping our toes back in for round two. The second round of sushi consisted of tuna and salmon tataki which was thinly sliced sashimi torched for a smokey taste and placed on a bed of mango – it was spectacular. The hand rolls are served in a pair which is perfect for sharing. The tuna and crab hand rolls were a slight letdown as they lacked a little bit of oomph, but were still tasty nonetheless. All of the dishes are fresh and expertly plated.

Dessert anyone?

After another brief breather and some more chatting with the perfect ambient music lulling in the background, we were offered dessert. We honestly couldn’t refuse.

We shared the banana milk cake with black sesame ice cream. The banana milk cake was as expected – moist and extremely flavourful with a perfectly nutty complimenting flavour of the black sesame ice cream, it was fantastic. We also tried ‘The Secret Maya’ – a Filipino meringue that is cracked open with an entertaining flair, to reveal a passionfruit and mango mousse which is extremely refreshing and the perfect way to round out the evening.

What’s On verdict: Not Only Fish, did not only impress us with their incredible service, food and overall feel but we truly had a spectacular evening. A welcome treat that has been added to the Dubai dining scene.

Not Only Fish, Almas Tower, Jumeriah Lake Towers, open Sun to Wed midday to midnight, Thur to Sat midday to 2am. Tel: (0)4 554 0707 @not_only_fish.dxb

Images: Supplied