Row on 45 review: What to expect at the two-Michelin-starred Dubai restaurant

Jason Atherton’s relationship with Dubai is well documented. The British chef has worked at and launched several UAE restaurants, including Gordon Ramsay's Verre at Hilton Dubai Creek and Marina Social, and he has shared his admiration for the city’s culinary scene on the UK television series Dubai Dishes.

Last year, he returned to the emirate with his latest offering, Row on 45. Row, which stands for refinement of work, is on the 45th floor of the Grosvenor House hotel. Having been open for less than a year, it was lauded with not one but two Michelin stars in July.

Atherton tells The National that he opened the venue to be “one of the best restaurants in the region”. Speaking about the guides, he says: “They are not there for me, they are not there for chefs nor restaurant owners. They are there for you, the guest ... our job is to make sure our cuisine and service match up to the very best in the world.”

Row on 45 was one of five restaurants added to the Michelin Guide Dubai this summer, and the only newcomer to receive two stars. There are now 19-starred restaurants, 15 one-star outlets and four with two.

Here, The National explores what exactly makes Row on 45 “worth a detour”, according to the French culinary guide's two-star ranking.

Inside Row on 45

The Row on 45 experience starts the moment I step out of the car. Entry is via a designated door and elevator, and the restaurant is above City Social, a slightly more casual offering of Atherton’s.

Row on 45 itself houses just 22 seats, so attention to detail and intimacy are key pillars of the dining experience. The evening starts in the lounge, where visitors can partake in a welcome drink and the first three of 17 courses – yes, 17.

The staff are attentive, friendly and knowledgeable, but not overbearing; I really do feel like a guest for the evening. About seven chefs are buzzing around – by my maths that’s one for every three customers – including Atherton himself, who makes an effort to speak to every diner. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, with no stuffiness – a fine line well walked for a venue that prides itself on delivering an epicurean culinary voyage.

The music does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to the aforementioned relaxed feel. Throughout the evening, songs from the likes of Oasis, The Smiths, Ray LaMontagne and even the 2000s pop-punk boy band Busted play.

“Is this your playlist?” I ask Atherton, to which he replies: “Of course!” He explains that, like the menu, the playlist changes with each season and can be found on Spotify. By the time I am in my taxi home, I have found the playlist of 103 songs and added it to my regular musical rotation.

What's on the Michelin-starred menu?

Row on 45 serves two set menus – one main menu and a vegetarian counterpart. Guests can either opt to take on one in its entirety, or swap in dishes from the vegetarian menu to accommodate dietary requirements, Atherton says.

The same 17 dishes are served throughout the season. The second offering was unveiled at the beginning of September and will run until the end of December, when it will make way for a third set menu.

Covering every base, I take on the classic set menu, while my dining partner opts for the vegetarian offering. However, as it’s 17 delicious courses, I am going to stick to reviewing the main menu, as a 34-course review risks detouring into dissertation territory.

In the lounge, we begin with an oyster, caviar and meringue dish, which serves as a pop of contrasting textures and tastes, with sweet and savoury taken care of. Advised to eat it in one bite, we do exactly that and the dish does something to calm my nerves, as it’s manageably bite-sized. Perhaps a full 17 courses will, in fact, be doable.

Fresh and citric bluefin tuna served in a small tarte case follows, with a nostalgic nod to Atherton’s childhood next – an elevated cheese and onion crisp sandwich. For any British visitors, the creation will feel like a taste of home, despite looking absolutely nothing like the HP Sauce-drenched Hovis sandwiches I would have built as a pre-teen.

We then move into the main dining room, where we’re told we can read the menu, which is presented in a personalised but wax-sealed envelope, or keep the experience a surprise. We opt for the suspenseful approach, which is rewarded with a langoustine and umi custard, a dish that truly melts in the mouth, followed by seasonal amabei pink sweet shrimp – an ingredient that was hand-picked by the head chef on a trip to Japan. The shrimp is succulent and sweet and served with crispy heads, which you're encouraged to eat whole.

The menu momentarily diverts away from seafood for the Noirmoutier potato dish. Ahead of the meal, if you were to tell me that a potato dish would be a highlight among umi, shrimp and langoustine creations, I’d have scoffed, but this is no mundane mash. The silky French potatoes are braised in stock and then topped with chive oil and a generous helping of caviar. The vegetarian version is almost identical, swapping caviar for cedar seeds, which offer a similar pop-in-your-mouth sensation with a light earthy flavour.

We’re then onto the Norwegian Bodo scallop dish, a succulent piece of seafood served on a beurre blanc with a kick of XO sauce, a nod to Asian influences in Atherton’s cooking. And then a croissant-like brioche tower arrives, which we’re encouraged to eat with Hatta honey and chicken skin butter. Any meal that comes with a halfway croissant is a success in my eyes, but this is particularly buttery and flaky, and the rich chicken skin flavour contrasts with the sweet honey perfectly.

It's around here that I start to feel too full – eating the whole brioche block has a lot to answer for – but I quickly find my appetite when a piece of samegarei (a robust Japanese white fish) arrives at the table with some of the crispiest fish skin I have ever eaten.

The only meat dish of the night is the 10-day-aged Barbary duck, which is glazed and presented whole to the table, then carved into a manageable slice of breast meat and served in a rich jus.

From there, we sample a disk of Colston Basset stilton cheese served with white chocolate, another contrast that sounds like it should jar but absolutely works, followed by a palate-cleansing melon selection and a chocolate dessert. Far from a classic pud, the sweet cube is crafted with Piedmont hazelnuts and artichoke, resulting in a fluffy texture that is defined with a distinctly savoury depth.

About ready to be rolled out of Row on 45, we’re then moved to the chef’s library, which Atherton says is a space he and his wife designed to feel like they were welcoming guests into their home.

We sample a refreshing cooler take on tea and cake, with a cold brew tea and financiers, followed by a dark chocolate tart and a digestive trolley, serving a creative selection of petite fours. I finish the night on a high, with a rhubarb and ginger macaron, and matcha and pistachio mochi.

How to book

An evening at Row on 45 is not a short one. Expect to go on a real culinary journey, as promised by the team, with a three-hour seating. To fit 17 dishes in, that is almost to be expected.

The restaurant is open from 7.15pm until 1am, with the last seating at 8.45pm from Thursday to Saturday.

Top tip – if you are celebrating a special occasion, be sure to say so when booking. The team enjoy making a fuss out of their visitors, as we saw a few people celebrating birthdays or anniversaries leaving with bunches of flowers or special cakes.

The 17-course menu costs Dh1,145, wine pairings start at Dh845 and soft drinks Dh445.

This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant