Is there substance behind the splendour..?

Pretty privilege is a real thing. And if you don’t believe that, it’s probably because you’re blessed with the sort of beauty that means you don’t have to. Going through life on easy mode can be a curse as much as a blessing though – you probably won’t have to try as hard as everyone else. And so, fulfilment will likely be harder to find.

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Tang Dubai Downtown

Tang Dubai Downtown

Tang Dubai Downtown

Tang Dubai Downtown

Tang Dubai Downtown

Tang Dubai Downtown

The same can be true for restaurants. Eateries plonked slap-bang-opposite tourist traps don’t have to beguile you with the depth of their menu, they know they’ll still win on passing trade and mortgage instalment-priced bowls of mediocre pasta. But are their head chefs and helmsmen truly fulfilled?

Tang Dubai Downtown – not to be confused with Asia Tang, Tang Town, Tang Dubai (the bubble tea place) or even Tang the refreshing powdered beverage concentrate – could, should it so wish, eke out a very handsome living on its looks and location alone. The Asian restaurant (named after the ‘golden age’ Chinese dynasty) is a purebred fizzog-turner, sat on the Dubai-Fountain-facing waterfront of Palace Downtown – and it has point-blank, fish-eyed views of the Burj Khalifa.

It’s a Nicky van der Walt concept, imported from South Africa (where it’s next to impossible to get away with cosmetic complacency), with a menu inspired by the izakayas of Osaka and the flame-lit kitchens of old Canton. It opened on New Year’s Eve 2024/25 (with a party that included The Gypsy Kings and superstar DJ, Black Coffee) and whilst it was on my radar, I had put off visiting it, because I’d subconsciously stuffed it into the ‘just another gorgeous-but-dull Asian restaurant’ pigeon-hole.

Big mistake. Huge. It might be a pretty venue, but its true and enduring beauty is found in its culinary core. The menu is largely an accumulated offering of both Japanese and Cantonese dishes (and a few nods to soft fusion), with a sublime range of small plates that secures Tang Dubai Downtown a spot in Dubai date night greatness. We tried the Yellowtail Jalapeño Sashimi (Dsh118), which comes with an expertly balanced ponzu. A curtain opening that left no doubt what ‘assumption’ had made of me.

The lobster tacos (Dhs98) and Wagyu gyoza (Dhs95) carry, again, merit badges for exceptional produce and a gastronomic savant’s understanding of sauce. Don’t skip the greens. The baby spinach salad (Dhs88) contains scattered nano croutons of dried miso that lock palate-top sabres with the fruity citrus barbs of yuzu dressing. It’s like watching a magic trick, knowing how it works, and still being left in slack-jawed awe.

Before the next course leaves the binchō-tan charcoal grill, I sneak off for a nose around the restaurant. Wherever you sit outside you get grandstand views of the BK and its backup dancing fountains. Inside it’s chic, sleek, and revelling in on-trend Manhattan glam. Looks, food, views, service, there are no cracks. Tang really is the full package.

At this point, it’s almost moot, but it’s important to state for the record, that the Wagyu tenderloin (Dhs260) is obnoxiously good, dressed to the nines with imperial sauceware. The black cod miso (Dhs245), is also an embarrassment of cuisine richness, buttery and flaky, just incredibly good food. We finish with the ‘special occasion platter’ (Dhs185), because there is no better way to celebrate the unravelling of misplaced bias than with a selection of seasonal fruit, sorbets and a sort of coconut congee brulee.

Verdict: I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard the phrase ‘the new Zuma’. It’s never correct, but Tang comes tantalisingly close.

Tang, Palace Downtown, Downtown Dubai, daily 12pm to 1am. Tel: (0)55 663 3071. @tang_dubai_downtown

Images: Provided