Aatish: We tried the new live-fire restaurant in Dubai taking over social media

Wasl 51 has become a foodie haven. And now there’s another major contender on the list: Aatish, serving up a globe-trotting menu with live-fire cooking at its heart. The new restaurant was founded by four friends, aka the Strong Boys, a name that stuck after they were catcalled by women. The quartet brings together Reza Namazi and Amin Ebra, who operate Iranish, Alex Augusti of Just Food and head chef Abdul Hakim of The Meating Room. Together, they wanted to bring the memorable flavours from their travels back to Dubai. And so, Aatish was born. No frills here, just great food from four foodie adventurers. “You eat with your eyes first,” a concept Alex is familiar with. But beneath a painted map charting their foodie travels, we mentally disagreed as our sense of smell took over. Chefs grilled and plated dishes from the open kitchen, and the smell of grilled meat greeted us the second we took our seats. Left: Hawker’s Sup Kambing | Right: Sinan’s Sizzling Prawns We began our journey curated by the Strong Boys with the Hawker’s Sup Kambing, a soup the quartet tried at a Singapore hawker stall. They loved it so much; they returned the next day. And it’s clear why. The comforting broth carries a gentle heat, while each spoonful leaves behind a subtle taste of lamb. Sinan’s Sizzling Prawns, named after the food tour guide who showed the foodies around Istanbul, packs a serious flavour punch. We cleaned the bowl with onion bread, lapping whatever we could of the garlic butter and red chilli.