Japengo in Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim, Dubai - Restaurant Reviews

Japengo

Japengo is Dubai’s quintessential ‘international’ eatery: it’s been around forever, and is frequented by a fair representation of the emirate’s population 6 Reviews

Japengo is Dubai’s quintessential ‘international’ eatery: it’s been around forever (since a time when there were only two Japanese eateries in the city’s hotels, according to the menu), and is frequented by a fair representation of the emirate’s population: Arabs, Eastern Europeans and Westerners all drop into Japengo. So what exactly does the menu mean by ‘international’? Japanese sits at the top of the table: the female staff wear ‘hip’ Kimonos, the men round-coloured shirts, and the menu squeals that sushi is ‘the height of fashion’, thus linking to the slightly random fashion ads at the back. The sushi selection is therefore sizeable, as is the Asian mix of noodle- and mainly rice-based classics, such as the Nasi Goreng.

Other cuisines include British (battered fish and chips), American (New York strip loin) Lebanese, Iranian and even Mexican (taquitos). Desserts, meanwhile, span everything from Crème brûlée to sticky date pudding. This eclectic, generously-portioned, essentially decent fodder gets whipped up in the sizzling open kitchen, to be consumed in the overwhelmingly wicker-furnished eatery, along to the sounds of trendy instrumental tunes. Japengos may strive to tick one too many boxes (international, Japanese, trendy…), but get your head round the concept, and there are plenty for you to enjoy city-wide.