My friends Zoe Bowker, Jade Worsely and I picked Tan Cha (located at the JW Marriott Marquis) as our latest choice for a girls’ night out. It cannot be stressed enough how often we are underwhelmed by overhyped new restaurant openings, and while we desperately wanted Tan Cha not to disappoint, we went in fully prepared for the high likelihood of the worst. Spoiler alert: Tan Cha (a Michelin Guide restaurant) not only met our high hopes, but it also exceeded our expectations by every yardstick we used in our evaluation!

Let’s jump right into it:

The Food: Whenever I dine out with Zoe Bowker, I try more non-seafood-based items as she’s highly allergic and I prefer for us to try and discuss the same menu items. We started off with some beef, chicken and vegetable Dim Sum, and liked them so much that we almost entirely and exclusively ate only the dim sum, with the exception of the Peking Duck.

Admittedly, the Peking Duck (as impressive and Istagramable as the presentation was), was the only thing I didn’t particularly love, with more gaminess than I personally care for.

It’s worth mentioning at this point that I have since been back to have their most satisfying weekend Dim Sum Brunch and find it to be the best value-for-money brunch for a Dim-Sum-loving non-drinker. AED 250 for unlimited and incredibly delicious Dim Sum, paired with high-quality bottomless Green Teas, and at a small surcharge, you can upgrade to bottomless Oolong Teas (all teas at Tan Cha are sourced from quality-conscious, artisanal local tea brand HAIYATEA).

I look forward to heading back and trying some of the seafood-heavy options beyond the Dim Sum.

The Ambience: This is a very important factor to me because I don’t go out just to eat. I like to make a whole evening out of it, catching up with friends and unwinding. If we were to strictly talk about food quality in the Chinese cuisine sphere, Long Teng and Chuan would be serious contenders. Sadly, however, I would only really consider dinner at either of those two places if I were to entertain business visitors or family I couldn’t really let my hair down with. When I think of Chinese food in an energetic ambiance, only Hakkasan used to come to mind but now Tan Cha have joined the ranks and are quite frankly very capable of giving them a run for their money.

From the Downtown Hong Kong-inspired modern yet Asian-influenced fit-out and lighting, to how ideal the acoustics are (getting louder for the party people only after 11 p.m., thus giving my friends and I plenty of time to actually talk and catch up), Tan Cha is a venue I would gladly head back to time and again.

The Drinks: I have to say that in the 8 going on 9 years that I’ve lived in Dubai, this is the first and best year yet to have seen proper Mixology taking place in zero-proof drinks. As someone who does not consume any alcohol whatsoever, I’ve always opted for sparkling water over the sickly sweet juices and smoothies in the name of mocktails- until recently. With brands like Lyre’s entering the market, and non-alcoholic beverage programs receiving serious recognition, I’m starting to discover (and very much appreciate) what the bartenders are now whipping up with 0% ABV spirits. Tan Cha’s take on the Paloma is by far the best I’ve ever had- incredibly refreshing, perfectly balanced and addictive!

The Service: Truly some of the best and most genuinely warm and organic service we’ve experienced, ever. The only other places that come to mind with service as flawlessly charming and welcoming are Tresind Studio, Ossiano and Maya Bay.

The Tea: This is an unusual metric but a fair one in my opinion, for a Chinese restaurant. To my knowledge, Tan Cha are the only Chinese restaurant investing in high-quality artisanal tea and an extensive tea training program for their staff.

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