Wakame is a modern fine dining restaurant in downtown Dubai that celebrates the flavours of Eastern Asia, from Japanese wagyu to the street food of Colombo in Sri Lanka. Located on the 3rd floor of the five-star Sofitel Dubai hotel, Wakame comprises a restaurant, bar and private dining room with menus that offer a contemporary approach to Asian cooking and flavours.
The interiors are smart and have clearly been devised with Japanese-inspired features in mind. A cosy colour palette of dark browns, greys and lots of natural wood are used throughout, while woven lampshades hanging from the ceiling, a wood-panelled ceiling and cosy lighting create a warm and seductive space to retreat to in the evenings.
There are lunch, a la carte and vegan menus available, with the former comprised largely of bento and donburi dishes. The a la carte menu is divided into various sections including dim sum, bao, tacos, sandos, raw dishes, salads, maki and various other sharing plates. Diners can journey from Hong Kong to Hokkaido to Tokyo with just a handful of dishes! Examples might include crispy lobster bao served with chilli garlic mayonnaise and caramelised onion, crispy duck salad with mixed leaves, wonton crisps and hoisin goma dressing, wagyu beef tataki with jalapeno and kizami salsa, korean fried chicken with gojuchang and yoghurt sauce and robata grilled tiger prawns with yuzu crème sauce and spicy mayonnaise. Don’t miss the dessert menu where guests can order the likes of a chocolate matcha fondant with a green tea centre and tonka bean ice cream, and miso caramel cheesecake with chocolate ice cream.
Finally, the drinks menu revolves around a selection of fruity mocktails, including Coco Paradise made with passionfruit, almond, coconut and green apple, and Wakame Colada featuring coconut puree, pineapple and almond.