You know that feeling when you come away from an evening and think, wow what a place…well that was a bit of last night! Jack’s sister and husband are staying with us in Dubai at the moment for some sunshine and I must admit, I do turn into a bit of a hostess with the mostess when guests stay, or at least I try! Being a foodie, the funnest part for me is of course booking and finding the best restaurants that Dubai has to offer. It sounds harder than it seems because the choice is ever-changing and it’s important to pick the spot that highlights Dubai in its best light!

A lot of our families tend to think Dubai can be a little soulless when in-fact if you go to the right places, it can be a really breathtaking experience. We decided on a restaurant called Marina social, which was opened by the same Michelin-starred chef, Jason Atherton, who’s responsible for some of my favourite restaurants in the UK (and weirdly enough where I’ve had one or two dates – of course date night at Marina Social with Jack has by far been the best ;). If Pollen Street Social, Social Eating House or Little Social ring a bell then you’ll know the standard of food these restaurants serve!

The whole experience is a sharing style tapas concept with inspiration drawn from the Mediterranean. In my eyes, it’s the best way to do food…you get to try an array of incredible dishes in just one evening, plus its sociable (I guess that’s where they were going with the name!) and invites discussion over the food and cooking.

We started off with drinks in the Social room, which is the bar attached to the restaurant. Although it naturally brings in a pre-dinner crowd, this place does some really unique cocktails which makes it good for a trip all by itself!

This was the prettiest cocktail I have ever seen!

Post-creative cocktails we went out onto the terrace of the restaurant which shows a really pretty side to Dubai and started with a selection of starters;

Squid ink crackers (totally moreish) and goats cheese ‘churros’ with truffle honey. The goats cheese and truffle combination is SO delicious, especially if they happen to be your two favourite ingredients!

Next up was the creme de la creme of the meal. Even with just a bite of each dish, you can taste the thought and love that goes into the food. I’ve had many burratas, steak tartares, Hamachi tuna dishes and pea salads – but these were all a step above the rest in creativity and taste.

We probably over ordered – as you do – but there is not one ounce of regret coming from here! The salmon and duck leg agnolotti were favourites, both exceptionally cooked and packed full of flavour, plus very different dishes/combinations to what I’ve had before.

Main courses;

As you may know, I’m not really a dessert person. More than anything I’m typically full with delicious food by the time it comes round! However I’ve been watching the latest series of MasterChef recently and every time a soufflé pops up, my tastebuds go a little crazy. So when I saw the flavours of a rhubarb and custard soufflé on the menu, there was no stopping me!

It was brought and presented to the table in a fun, interactive, way and tasted absolutely exceptional! Gooey and sweet rhubarb chunks at the bottom of the soufflé all immersed in a hot creamy custard. Yes please.

Jack had the Pineapple parfait & carpaccio, mango and coconut snow dessert which was a perfectly refreshing dessert to follow the indulgent meal we just had! On top of the outstanding food, this is restaurant that ticks all the boxes. We visited on the equivalent to a Monday night in the UK, yet every table outside was taken with a buzzing atmosphere. The waiters make sure that each ‘show’, each interaction and each plate are all placed and done with a smile and the greatest of attention to detail.

Go to Marina Social’s website for more details, I would recommend a table outside overlooking the Marina whilst the weather still permits us to do so!

LLG X