We spent four days in Dubai at the beginning of September, during which time we not only tried to explore the city but also tried to get an insight into the local gastronomy. Since nearly 200 different nationalities live together in Dubai, the gastronomic palette is correspondingly wide. Almost every cuisine can be found in Locust City, so we will definitely not go hungry. Now we will show you the most interesting and definitely worth visiting places when you are in Dubai.
Hutong – Award Winning Chinese Restaurant
Born in Hong Kong, Hutong Restaurant opened there in 2003, and since then has won numerous awards, including the city’s first Michelin star for a Chinese restaurant. After Hong Kong, they were later opened in the United States and London, and at the beginning of the epidemic, in 2020, in Dubai. The restaurant is known for its contemporary and sometimes fiery northern Chinese cuisine.
Hutong Restaurant in Dubai is located next to the recently opened Museum of the Future. Its CEO, Maxime Legerde, has lived in Dubai since 2015, when he was a food and beverage supervisor at the Four Seasons Hotel. In the following years, he constantly rose through the ranks, finally getting a chance at the Aqua Group, which operates the Hutong Restaurant. Since 2019, he has been a manager of Hutong’s Restaurant in Dubai, and since 2022 as CEO.
Hutong Dubai opened in January 2020, before the coronavirus hit Dubai – which he says has been a very difficult time for them. However, a year after its opening, the restaurant has become well known among locals and tourists alike. This year, 2021, it won the Best Chinese Restaurant award, and has also been nominated several times in other prestigious categories. Together we achieved an important goal, which is included in the Michelin Guide Maxime Legerd told Orego.
And about the restaurant chain, he said that all hutong restaurants serve sometimes fiery northern Chinese cuisine, but in Dubai, unique dishes adapted to local trends and tastes have been added to the menu. In addition to the kitchen, the interiors also set Hutong Dubai apart from its parent company in Hong Kong, offering a beautiful blend of Middle Eastern and Asian cultures. This fusion is inspired by the heritage of the Silk Road, especially the Xinjiang region in western China and Kyrgyzstan, a meeting point and melting pot of Arab and Chinese cultures.
The beautiful brick patterns on the walls of the restaurant are inspired by Chinese mosques. The restaurant’s wooden screens depict coins, a sign of good luck, and the ankh – an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol on the backs of chairs – represents the company’s group logo.
In addition to the great food quality, Maxime Legeard sees the restaurant’s success in the fact that it has been able to adapt to Dubai’s needs. In addition to food, guests can enjoy live music and various specials are also offered, such as Saturday brunch, after-work drinks in the bar area, unlimited dim sum or the recently launched evening brunch; The point is, everyone can find something in Hutong – says the restaurant’s CEO.
The dishes we tasted were always of high quality, but perhaps the most special dish for us was the Peking duck.
Of course, not everyone loves Asian cuisine, so keep scrolling for more gastronomic tips!
