Overall a nice experience with overly caring service staff: Restaurant Tàn Chá (24. March 2023)

The Tàn Chá was recommended to me by a friend and the hotel concierge at the same time, so I decided to give it a try. The “Treasure of Two Rainbows (hibiscus infused Tito’s vodka, raspberry shrub, strawberry lemonade)” (65.00 AED) was quite a nice way to start into the evening. To be fair, though, they messed up a bit right in the beginning since two other drinks than the ones originally ordered were served. I mean, I get that, things are hectic (although it was quite empty), and it’s too loud, so you cannot understand your customers properly.

Since it seemed like a bargain and since the menu is way too big, so it is hard to select what to eat, we decided to go for the “Tàn Chá Set Menu” (450.00 AED), and I must say, it started excellent with the “scalded king fish”, which was refreshing and light.

The “spicy cucumber salad” went right down that alley as well. Tasty, light, refreshing, yet of a certain intensity.

The “honey nut crispy beef” was definitely a bite, which was quite exceptional. I mean, it was of rather high intensity in terms of flavour profile and with the crispy nuts on top really made you savour the bites.

The “morel Mushroom ‘water pastry’ dumplings” were quite nice – especially in combination with the soy sauce.

What I liked a lot about the “vegetarian spring rolls” was the way they were served. What wasn’t so great was the fact that they were too heavy to be grabbed with chopsticks, so you had to use your hands.

The “sweet & sour chicken in candied walnuts” was the next in line, and I must say, it was nice. A bit too intense and we got to a point in time where things were just becoming too much. Like, there was just too much food at some point – and that point basically started with the last savoury round. The thing was that there were always three plates at once coming. So, it wasn’t really an option to ask for less. It was just ‘bam’ and you got all that food.

The “stir-fried king prawns and cashew” were quite nice too – but they were definitely too much by now.

And as much as the “black truffle ‘Pi Pa’ duck” was nice, it started to not be enjoyable any more due to the amount of food.

The “steamed wild sea bass” was relatively refreshing and light, so it was still quite okay to have this one despite the total accumulated amount of food.

And while I love “egg fried rice”, I was wondering, with all that food you’re serving, why would you actually put ‘egg fried rice’ as one of the dishes in a selection of so many dishes? Frankly, to me, this doesn’t make any sense.

I guess, the same goes for the “wild mushrooms and mixed vegetable noodles”. Personally, I liked it more since it had a bit of a more intense flavour profile, but I must say, that I was somewhat surprised that it was part of the tasting menu.

While the place is quite nice, the music is definitely too loud. On top of that, the service is super friendly, but they are not at the top of their game. And they are not used to listening. When they asked if I wanted ice and lemon with the water, and I said ‘no’, it took them a few seconds until someone else came and asked. Well, I just said no, so it’s still no. And that happened a couple of times. Like, do you want another drink. No, thanks, we’re good. Two minutes later, but maybe you like another drink? No, we are still good. Five minutes later – maybe now another drink? Oh my god, seriously!? Stop it! So, all in all, it was a nice food experience, but it’s too much food and the waiters are too intrusive and annoying.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Tàn Chá

JW Marriott Marquis Hotel

Dubai (UAE)

Cell: +971 56 681 8881

Homepage: http://tanchadubai.com

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.