Located amongst the hustle and bustle of Dubai’s financial district is Hutong, the 5th addition to the famous group of Chinese restaurants based in Hong Kong, London, Miami, and New York. This latest venture opened its doors in Dubai in 2020.
Upon arrival, the staff appeared a little flustered. No doubt because it was Chinese New Year and fully booked. They were, however, warm and welcoming.
We were a little early and offered a seat at the bar, and I am glad we were. The interior is stunning. It has some classic Chinese features like the red velvet shape that resembles a four-leaf clover on the chairs but still has a traditional Chinese design with an Arabic twist like the lanterns outside. The hostesses wore elegant Chinese-style dresses while the waiters/waitresses were all in black and well presented. The crowd was predominantly Chinese out with friends and large family groups.
The food focuses on Northern Chinese cuisine. There were also some unique dishes for the Chinese New Year, such as Wagyu rolls and fried Hamour, the UAE’s local fish. There was also a special cocktail named ‘Year of the Tiger’, made with Don Julio Blanco, Nigaro sake, mandarin puree, lime juice and pepper honey. Wow, the mandarin flavours were fantastic! light, but yet packed a punch with the Don Julio Blanco. The creator thought the flavours out with a lovely essence of mandarin.
We were instantly enraptured and quick to order the Expo Signature menu running until the end of March 2022. The “Hutong Expo Menu” is 498aed per person, which seems a little steep. However, we did not leave disappointed. The chef has designed the menu to share between two guests, and it’s only available for the whole table.
The food started arriving and was all visually appealing, and couldn’t help but catch one’s eye. They say you eat with your eyes, and the chefs at Hutong do not disappoint. Our star dish from the three dim sums was the Suan Cai Yu crispy Sea bass dumpling. It had a satisfying outer crunch while not taking away from the delicate flavours of the filling. I also loved that the truffle bao bun was cleverly disguised as a mushroom.
The head chef Ren Ding Xu came out to present our duck. He carved it with perfection and created just the right amount of theatrics at the table. The duck is wheeled out on a table and cut and presented symmetrically on green leaves. I can confidently say that it is the best Peking duck I have ever eaten. The skin was juicy yet crispy creating the perfect balance. Also, whenever you order the Peking duck they slice the best bits for the pancakes and then use the remaining duck meat to create a duck dish that consists of the duck meat finely chopped and fried with el dente vegetables served with lettuce to make your own lettuce wraps.
The complexity of the flavours of their food is exceptional. The Sichuan-style lobster was like Chinese fireworks in my mouth. The Sichuan peppercorns exploding in my mouth combined with the chilli could leave your mouth pleasantly numb.
Unfortunately, the dessert was underwhelming compared to the rest of the meal. I wouldn’t say I liked the flavour of the soy ice cream, and overall disappointing. It had that feeling of a movie that does not end well and leaves you feeling bewildered. “Is that it”?
We also felt a specific pressure for the pace of the food. We had asked twice for some space between courses, which the waiters ignored.
I believe this is due to the two-hour time slot. Mainly for this menu, I would say that two hours is not sufficient. We were at our table for 2.5 hours. Fortunately, they did not ask us to move.
The Chinese New Year also had lion and tiger dancers, which was a real treat!
Highly Recommend – one of my best Chinese restaurant dining experiences.
Booking advised.
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