We meander the Galleria to find its brightly lit ‘food court’. Standard mall fare is not what you find at the Galleria, but then the Galleria is not your average shopping mall – it’s high end.
We are swiftly seated at Sushi Art. The décor is bright and minimal. The menus placed before us are more akin to a coffee table art book, and they – like the meals themselves – are a work of art; a tome of sushi standards and colourful special creations are contained within the artful pages of the menu.
We are curious to sample the special menu created by French chef Joel Robuchon for Sushi Art. Robuchon operates more than a dozen restaurants in France that boast a whopping 28 Michelin stars between them, so we are excited to check out what all the fuss is about.
Across the menu we find unusual combinations of fruit and herbs with fresh seafood. Such a vast range of choices makes choosing extremely difficult. Everything looks superb and almost too good to eat. We zero in on the inspired crispy lobster spring roll and the spicy ebi roll (a shrimp tempura and spicy tuna maki roll). We notice further on through the menu that there is a box named after the chef which contains our two top picks and a Hawaiian roll. We order this and a Classic mix platter, which includes salmon sushi and a salmon avocado roll.
During Sushi Art’s lunch hour, most options come with a choice of two sides. We order coleslaw wasabi and spicy edamame as starters.
These small dishes are probably best served as accompaniments to the main dishes, but they are pleasant snacks while we wait.
Our main dishes come quickly. The attentive servers forget to change our saucy starter plates, so we ask for them to be exchanged. The idea of placing the delicate works of art in front of us on soiled plates is unthinkable.
The colours and textures of the mains are gorgeous. Aesthetics usually take centre stage in Japanese food, but at Sushi Art the food is like a work of abstract art. You almost don’t want to disrupt its beauty, but hunger takes over and we tear into it after taking photos and Instagramming our delights.
The crispy lobster roll is the show stealer. The combination of lobster, banana, cucumber and Robuchon’s signature mango yuzu sauce, with its lemony zing, go together visually as well as it does on your palate. The same is true for the spicy ebi roll. We love the purple potato flourish atop the roll. We cannot say the same for the Hawaiian roll. Here, the yuzu sauce is a distraction, and we find ourselves removing as much as we can from the slice of kiwi. This roll would be more successful if it were simpler. The two pieces of seared scallops melt in our mouths. The classic salmon platter is quite standard, it looks and tastes as expected. The portions are more than enough for three people, though we are only two.
For dessert, we try the chocolate and coconut mochi ice cream. The mochi layer is thin with a good portion of ice cream inside.
The service and the staff here are satisfactory, but the sushi and rolls are stand out performers. Sushi Art serves art you can eat – you can feel like an art connoisseur as you dine on excellent sushi.
The bill (for two)
Classic mix Dhs65
Joel Robuchon box Dhs154
Mochi Dhs30
Total (excl. service) Dhs249
