MR MIYAGI’S

Wok stars or phogettable food at new Media One Hotel spot?

Crab Tavern is dead, long live Mr Miyagi’s. Gone is the dark wooden décor, replaced by a lick of frivolity in the form of Mr Miyagi’s – a playful, tongue-in-cheek restaurant (look up at the naughty neon signs) serving Asian street food. Around the corner but still connected to Mr Miyagi’s is the bar area named Cobra Kai. Check out our bar review on p72.

It was a particularly busy lunchtime crowd when we visited and was made clear from the moment we sat down that we might have to wait a bit longer than usual for our meals. Luckily, bags of prawn crackers (Dhs15) hang from the tables so you can enjoy a prelude to your food.

The ‘pho goodness soups’ had mixed reviews. While one diner raved about the simplicity of the ramen shrimp tempura (Dhs55) – it arrived packed with thick noodles, an egg and spring onion – another felt the beef pho (Dhs55) was lacking flavour. She spent half of the meal drenching it in Sriracha. The crispy chicken katsu (Dhs75) is a perennial favourite, but Mr Miyagi’s gets extra points for thoughtfully serving the curry sauce in a jug, so you’re free to drench the dish as much as you please. It comes with sticky Japanese rice, which has a vinegary tang that cuts pleasingly through the curry.

Mr Miyagi’s makes for a great lunchtime option, but it’s even busier at night. It has décor and personality oozing from every corner. A word of warning – pay attention if you use the bathroom, as the ‘Ladys’ sign is coloured blue and the ‘Boys’ sign is pink. It’s all part of the cheeky décor, but can lead to some red-faced moments, not that we would know anything about that…

aMedia One, Dubai Media City, Dubai, daily 11am to 2am. Tel: (04) 4207489. Taxi: Media One. mrmiyagisdubai.com