Five years after it shuttered its doors, the Okku, or Okku 2.0 if you will, is reopening on Monday, at the Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah, Dubai.
The home-grown Japanese restaurant operated from The H Dubai hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road until 2018, and was something of a must-visit for Dubai residents and visitors.
The National got a sneak peek at the new iteration on Tuesday. “It's really all about going back to basics – serving really good food,” the venue's general manager, Marija Milojevic, tells me.
About 90 per cent of Okku's original “O-style” menu has been retained, with favourites such as hushihu salad (mixed leaves with crispy duck and hoisin-amazu dressing); ginger salmon sashimi; and dynamite kani (two whole baked king crab legs with a spicy mayonnaise dressing).
Keeping the dishes was an intentional decision, given the restaurant, which ran for nine years, had built a loyal following for its food. The head chef also worked at the original Okku, so it was easy to replicate the menu.
Of the dishes I tried, the Wagyu beef and foie gras kushiyaki was succulent with an umami flavour punch; while the spicy tuna on crispy rice had a delightful contrasting texture.
The Okku team confirms there will be new food to look forward to as well.
The biggest change, aside from the move to the Palm West Beach area, is the layout and decor of the restaurant.
The Japanese inspiration is apparent from the get-go, as diners enter through a lantern-lit hallway.
Within, one wall features jellyfish floating in three side-by-side aquariums – but unlike in the original restaurant, Okku 2.0 serves up photorealistic recreations of the jellyfish, using LED screens.
The use of digital imaging is also apparent inside the women's powder room, where mirrors hang against a fully immersive wall that shows varying scenic displays, from waterfalls to cherry blossoms.
Several 3D-printed life-size samurai statues stand guard in various corners of the restaurant, which can seat 214 diners.
The rest of the space has an industrial look and feel, with stone walls, an exposed ceiling and plush yet modern seating.
A central bar pulls all sides of the restaurant together in one coherent vibe. There is also a 20-metre-long sushi bar and robata grill area, where guests can see chefs in action; plus a DJ nook and a private dining room in the back.
Milojevic says about a third of the employees are from the original Okku, which allowed the team “to really recreate the restaurant's glory days from 2009 to 2018”.
Opens June 12; 6pm-2am on Monday to Thursday, 6pm-3am on Friday and Saturday; 04 666 1566; okku.com
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY
Wimbledon order of play on Tuesday, July 11
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Centre Court
Adrian Mannarino v Novak Djokovic (2)
Venus Williams (10) v Jelena Ostapenko (13)
Johanna Konta (6) v Simona Halep (2)
Court 1
Garbine Muguruza (14) v
Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
Magdalena Rybarikova v Coco Vandeweghe (24)
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Spec%20sheet
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
World Cup final
Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
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