Soulful performances and a quintessential Dubai menu make for a brilliant night out… 

Dubai’s dining scene is particularly trend led. Be it Greek restaurants, Peruvian concepts, or beach clubs, every few months, a theme takes centre stage in Dubai’s dining scene, and everyone wants in on the action.

Post-Covid, dinner and a show concepts have been a dominating Dubai dining trend, and venues that blend dining with after-hours dancing and entertainment have filled a void left behind by super clubs with capacity for thousands. For many, the desire to be squished on a dancefloor under bright strobe lights, surrounded by a thumping sound system has been replaced by more intimate spaces that still provide entertainment, but in a more sophisticated way.

Which is exactly what Aretha promises, a glamourous live music restaurant that’s added to the plethora of culinary hotspots at St Regis Gardens. It’s clear from the offset that this isn’t about daring stunts or gasp-inducing acrobatics, instead, Aretha wants to shine a spotlight on powerhouse vocals, a node to its namesake Aretha Franklin and other 1970s stars from the golden era of music.

The venue certainly looks the part, adorned in various shades of crimson in textural leather and velvet that gives it a sultry supperclub feel. All of the tables, laid with crisp white tablecloths, are arranged neatly around the stage in the middle, a single spotlight illuminating a grand piano, adorned with a plush oversized bow on our visit during the festive season.

We arrive for our 8.30pm reservation and it’s clear we’re part of the early seating, a friendly hostess informing us that the entertainment will begin from 9pm. We take our seats and peruse the menu, best described as crowd-pleasing Dubai dishes, with options like tuna tartare and beef carpaccio to start, followed by mains of grilled seabass, truffle pasta and miso black cod.

On our visit, there’s also a selection of festive specials, which is where we order the smoked salmon (Dhs220) from, served with spongy blinis and a sour cream, which you’re invited to build together to the ratio you like. It’s fresh and generously plated. The enoki tempura (Dhs80), the mushrooms arriving crispy and golden, lightly battered for a lovely crunch.

Our mains arrive as the music starts, and a rotation of male and female power vocalists belt out hits that range from John Legend and Dj Khaled to Frank Sinatra and Whitney Houston. They appear from stage right, stage left, from above, from behind the bar – it’s all very grown-up supper club feeling that immerses you in each song. A trumpet and electric guitar further add to the wow-factor of the musical experience.

The mains we try are excellent, with the miso black cod (Dhs280) flaking effortlessly, the sweet miso glaze adding a lovely flavour, although we’re not so keen on the bitter taste of the spinach salad. The grilled lamb chops (Dhs240) are our favourite, and the meat is well cooked and tender, swirled with a simple but tasty jus.

Desserts are fantastic, and the exotic pavlova (Dhs80) is a gloriously sweet treat perfect for sharing. It arrives as a deconstructed pavlova with cubes of zesty mango, drizzles of passionfruit, and pieces of meringue topped with flakes of gold for that sparkling Dubai touch.

The performances through the evening take us the entire way to the end of our meal, and as the last performers finish around midnight, the DJ is taking over, and guests that have been singing along from their seats are slowly making their way to the stage, the animated Aretha team encouraging them out of their chairs to get involved in the action.

Verdict: Our best advice? Reserve late and party into the early hours.

Aretha, St Regis Gardens, Palm Jumeirah, Weds to Sun, 8pm to 3am. Tel: (0)4 880 5242. @arethadubai