Review: Taiga, a premium teppanyaki debuts on Bluewaters

Dubai’s doesn’t have many teppanyaki restaurants. It’s a thought that enters my head as we arrive at Taiga, newly opened on Bluewaters. It comes from the team behind the much-lauded Takahisa, a Japanese fine dining concept located in Banyan Tree Dubai. For the group’s second restaurant on Bluewaters, they’ve created Taiga as an elevated imagining of a teppanyaki restaurant, with the same quality and focus guests can find at Takahisa. The restaurant is modern and minimalistic, intentionally dimly lit so it’s instantly atmospheric. On the right side, a 19-seater teppanyaki counter runs down almost the entire length of the restaurant, while on the left a handful of tables offer more traditional seating, with a private dining room also available for up to eight guests who want to be closed off from it all. Wine fridges filled with one-of-a-kind labels fill the wall behind the restaurant tables, further adding to the high-end feel. The best seats in the house are undoubtedly at the counter, where the scents, sights and sounds of each dish come to life, and it’s cleverly illuminated with spotlights to ensure every guest feels like they’re playing a starring role in their own culinary theatre. Polished but not overbearing, our multi-course omakase menu is served with a well-paced rhythm. There’s plenty of interesting anecdotes about the ingredients and their sourcing along the way – from the fish flown in from a specific supplier at Japan’s Toyosu fish market six times per week, to the ozaki beef, produced by a private breeder who only sells 300 cows per year. The omakase is a true showcase of what Taiga does best – built around the best produce in season in Japan. The entire experience is built around the traditional Japanese philosophy of “Itadakimasu” – an expression of gratitude to nature and the producers that take care of it. As such, the ingredients are what really shine through each course. We begin with a homemade sweet potato soup and are somewhat surprised when the thick and creamy cut arrives cold. But don’t let that put you off – it’s refreshing and delicious, and the sweet potato sourced from Chiba is packed with flavour. Our appetisers begin with a seasonal sashimi selection, with the delicately cut piece of tuna belly dissolving almost as soon as it hits the tongue. Then comes a foie gras sauce with truffle, which veers on the side of being a bit too rich, although the punchy onion sauce helps balance the powerful flavours.