The Surf Café’s new sushi bar is a pleasant surprise…

If the Surf Café Dubai enforced a dress code it would be: strictly sea salt chic. It’s like an active wear photo shoot in there, with boardshorts and leggings as standard. It’s casual and hip with just a dash of Bondi Beach swagger.

The polished concrete floors give it a subtle industrial vibe, but the colourful Ruben Sanchez painting and gnarly long boards on the wall drive the surfer theme home.

If you’re after a breakfast fix, the avocado and eggs are a perfect no frills snack. However, it’s the new sushi bar –located on the ground floor – that’s the talk of the town.

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Sit at the counter and watch a pair of sushi pros work their magic on an authentic menu that includes sashimi and maki sets plus signature carpaccios and tartares.

An elegant bowl of sashimi arrived beautifully presented on a bed of crushed ice. The Norwegian salmon, Maldivian tuna and fresh Turkish sea bass were particularly fresh and juicy. Other stars included the stunning tuna tataki (Dhs85) which was coated in white sesame seeds, seared ever so slightly and served in a ponzu vinaigrette making it equally sweet and sour. We loved the simultaneously soft and crunchy texture.

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But the dish of the day was the glorious Japanese scallops (Dhs65). Succulent morsels marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, chopped tomatoes and basil were topped with beetroot chips. The fleshy scallop alone would have silenced the most critical seafood snob, but the addition of deep purple beetroot chips that were sweet and slightly crunchy took it to another level.

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In a city where high-end sushi restaurants fight for supremacy, it’s a breath of fresh air to stumble upon such a strong casual sushi counter. The food is also very portable. Take your serving of sushi, scallops and sashimi to the waterfront for a gourmet lunch, beachside.

Food: B+

Atmosphere: Casual

Price: Up to Dhs249 for two

Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, daily noon to midnight. Tel: (04) 3466292. Taxi: Near Umm Suqeim Park. thesurfcafedubai.com