Kitsune

Heavenly Japanese food courtesy of the ever-reliable Fairmont. We went, we saw, we tasted, we liked 4 Reviews

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It was another poncey Japanese restaurant opening in a long line of poncey Japanese restaurant openings. I had already heard tale of the all-white decor, the peculiar Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon waiter uniforms, and the occasional burst of atmospheric white smoke. From the sound of things, the place had the aura of the afterlife’s most exclusive restaurant.

I warned my date, who has never had much tolerance for these seen-and-be-seen ventures. While the space was everything I heard it would be, and more (the managers were also fully swathed in the virginal colour), it was also surprisingly approachable. This could have been because the venue only recently opened and was therefore not yet attracting the snooty, well-dressed herds it presumably desired. Or perhaps the staff were genuinely cut from a different, friendlier cloth. Either way, in spite of all its laughable pretence, Kitsune charmed us.

The management loved ceremony. After our waiter delivered our amuse bouches, a creamy shot glass full of a sleek, astringent zucchini-mushroom broth, he stood before us with two rocks, which he hit together to cause a spark, and then bowed. This was our signal that the meal had officially begun.

The menu proved more original than some of its contemporaries in town. Sometimes these kitchen innovations worked, sometimes they didn’t. My starter of unagi (fresh-water eel) in a balsamic reduction was sublime, with an oh-so-slight crisp exterior giving way to airy flesh, all coated in a sensually musty sauce (I blush just thinking of it). The house sushi, which I ordered on the waiter’s recommendation, however, was a complete mess. Each piece contained lobster, yellowtail, tuna, and a few other types of fish that I couldn’t make out.

Picking up the overstuffed mounds was messy and, while I delighted at the freshly grated wasabi that accompanied the dish, I couldn’t understand this sushi mishmash, which was too busy to allow a single flavour to dominate. I wondered why the waiter steered me away from the chef’s choice sashimi, and as I munched on the chikuwa I wondered why he’d recommended it over the prawn or soft shell crab variety.

Chikuwa is essentially a tube of processed white fish. At Kitsune, they sliced it, wrapped it in seaweed, battered and fried it. I imagine it would make nice hangover food in a cheap Tokyo diner, but, at a swank Dubai restaurant charging Dhs58, I felt a little short-changed.

Mains offered better value for money, though they were still pricey. Slices of Japanese wagyu came encrusted in thick swabs of a decadent teriyaki syrup and were served up perfectly pink. The steak’s texture was so rich it bordered on mousse. My date’s orange salmon was silken under a basting of honey. Desserts also fared well, though they didn’t inspire the same rapture as the mains. Rather, they were very, very good, but didn’t quite elicit moans.

They might have been somewhat plain, were it not for the restaurant’s homemade sorbets and ice creams. A gooey, chocolate ice cream nearly overpowered the sweet, honeyed slices of grilled banana that came with it, but it pulled back before doing so. Instead, the flavours danced a little tango. A ginger, lemongrass crème brûlée read more exotically than it tasted, though a scoop of thyme sorbet managed to elevate it beyond the classic.

Kitsune can’t help but feel other-worldly (the name stems from a spirit fox popular in Japanese folklore). In fact, the celestial environment had succeeded in making us feel cloistered and coddled. Leaving the space felt as startling as escaping the womb, or, I imagine, being spit out by a cloud. What can I say? The contrast between this comfy enclave and the clatter of Sheikh Zayed Road was stark. Still, I was glad to know that with a reservation and Dhs600 I was free to return to this ethereal cavity whenever I felt like.

The bill (for two)
1x Large Acqua Panna water Dhs25
1x Unagi Dhs51
1x House roll Dhs50
1x Chikuwa tempura Dhs58
1x Orange salmon Dhs98
1x Wagyu Dhs260
1x Crème brulee Dhs40
1x Banana yaki Dhs40
Total (including service) Dhs622

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