In the absence of of sufficient information online and (to be quite frank) not enough people talking about 3BK, it was low on my radar of new places to try. I also presumed from the ‘BK’ that it would offer a take on Thai food. It wasn’t until fellow foodie and all-round bff Zoe Bowker strongly recommended it that I instantly put it on my ‘must-try-ASAP’ list, and then got caught back up in the day-to-day and forgot to even dig deeper into what 3BK is all about.
All I remember recalling was that the chef used to work at Waka (which is also one of my favorite restaurants in Dubai), and surely said chef is now Head Chef Esteban Torregrosa at 3BK. The introduction on the menu basically tries to explain that diners can expect Asian, European, Middle-Eastern and Latin American food- a.k.a. eclectic or ‘International’. I must confess that the promise of ‘seduction, nourishment and enchantment’ was a bit of an oversell, and the club-like ambience and music was almost a disservice to what we would soon learn is quite an impressively executed menu.
The views are undeniably breathtaking, and while the lounge tables outside would be uncomfortable for dining, I’d highly recommend having your dessert, beverages and (if you’re so inclined to frying your lungs) sheesha there. It’s a great place to bring discerning tourists.
After a look at the menu, a few things jumped out at me which I knew I wanted to try. One of them was the chocolate-fed wagyu, but I didn’t want to be rude to my hosts (3BK) by ordering themes expensive thing on the menu, and as it so turned out, almost all of the the other things I wanted to try (which also happened to be the best-sellers) were on the tasting menu, so that’s what we went for and just asked them to swap the carrots for the corn dish, although I now feel like I should’ve actually just ordered both.
Here’s what we had:
Crispy prawn tacos with spicy yuzu mayo, radish and coriander. Taco ’bout taco perfection!
Wagyu 9+ maki with foie gras, asparagus and truffle.
Classic ceviche: sea bass, prawns, calamari, corn and Tigre de Leche. The best ceviche I’ve had outside of Waka- and it makes sense- after all the chef is ex-Waka!
Grilled octopus from Spain with purple potatoes cooked in octopus stock, corn and crispy quinoa for pops of texture. I would’e liked a more robust olive oil for the drizzle, but hey, small details.
Corn- so many ways. This, in my memory, is the best, most luxurious and most indulgent vegetarian dish. I’ve ever had outside of an Indian setting. The crispy kunafa encrusted halloumi cheese added beautiful contrast to the sweet and creamy corn, both texturally and tastefully.
Oxtail risotto with a generous shaving of black truffle. Another bowl of sophisticated, grown up comfort food.
I fond the palate cleanser to be way too sweet, but I’m posting it’s picture instead of the absolutely show stopping miso tres leches dessert that we couldn’t get enough of!
Coffee toffee and dulce de leche ‘oreos’ petit fours to wrap up the meal. Absolutely delightful combination of views, service, flavors and textures. 3BK hits the mark.
