FACT Review: Experience Dani García’s fire omakase at Smoked Room

Smoke and embers converge to set Dubai’s dining scene ablaze.

Dubai’s restaurant scene is sizzling with the arrival of Smoked Room at St. Regis Gardens. Created by culinary disruptor Dani García, the newly-opened restaurant within a restaurant combines culinary clout with an homage to the fire style of cooking. 

Smoked Room is the sister restaurant to Leña and draws inspiration from its original location in Madrid, which holds two Michelin stars. The intimate and discreet dining room awaits discovery through labyrinthine passages that spiral through the restaurant’s centre. However, you’ll smell Smoked Room before you see it, as whisps of smoke from the open hearth fill an intimate dining room reserved for just 14 diners each evening. The result is an exclusive and personalised omakase experience, where the meal is left entirely up to the chef. 

Under the guidance of Garcia’s protégé, Chef Jesus Lobato Suarez and Restaurant Manager Ugo Calia, guests dine on an ever-evolving menu where the essence of smoke and embers add depth to the flavours of the finest seasonal produce.

Seated at a semi-circular table of light wood juxtaposed against rugged black walls, diners have a fireside seat to experience the menu. As wafts of smoke unfurl around the room and the pop and crackle of the embers punctuate the storytelling, the fire acts as a touchpoint for the food, beverage and service at the alluring Smoked Room. As we feel the grill’s warmth and watch the culinary maestros at work via a mirror reflected upon the ceiling, it’s hard not to be impressed by the precision of the operation at hand.

The meal begins with a piece of truffle beneath a wine glass, which is mixed with butter and spread across a three-times-fermented brioche that is pillow soft and beautifully doughy. From here, the menu begins to surprise with its utilisation of Japanese techniques and Andalusian heritage, where each element of the dish is smoked or touches the flickering flames of the fire. While we won’t spoil the 14-course odyssey, highlights include the Amaebi from Hokkaido served with brown butter and smoked pepper. Here, the pink shrimp is served raw to promote its sweetness and creamy texture before being topped with brown butter for a subtle nuttiness and fermented yuzu for a kick of spice. It’s a dish that complements rather than overpowers the delicate shellfish.

The Kombu-Jiime Otoro Sashimi with smoked caviar and miso utilises the ancient Japanese method of preserving fish by curing it between layers of kelp. Pressed between the seaweed, the tuna belly is infused with umami and served swimming in a clarified miso soup. Topped with a generous dollop of lightly smoked caviar, the resulting dish is a robust flavour revelation.

Although each dish has its merits, the Smoked Eel Nitro Tomato impresses the most. A smoked eel mousse is shaped like a tomato and dipped in liquid nitrogen to retain the form. Served with a sweet bell pepper caramel and ajo blanco almond soup, it’s a plate that plays with perceptions. 

Depending on the day, the flow of dishes traverses the ceviche-like Aburi mackerel and citrus tomato dashi; charcoal grilled pigeon; charcoaled lobster with green peppercorn sauce; and sweet corn chawanmushi with smoked leek vichyssoise, hairy crab and uni. Yet Smoked Room signatures remain, such as the Smoked Duck Anolini served with a consommé infused with fresh herbs. The gamey duck dumplings topped with chestnut mushroom carpaccio and smoked olive oil provide a homely and comforting plate that is heightened by the intensity of the broth. 

Similarly, the ceremoniously presented smoked risotto is served on a gold plate and adorned with 24-month Parmesan and generous shavings of earthy black truffle. However, the Wagyu A5 from Saroma is Smoked Room’s pièce de résistance. Beautifully grilled to ensure the fat in the meat offers a tempting texture, the cube of premium beef is embellished with 34-year-old soy sauce and fresh wasabi.

Desserts are served in a separate room, part speakeasy and part cigar lounge, where bushels resembling kindling or match sticks are clustered on the ceiling like otherworldly life forms. It’s a private setting to indulge in a beautiful burnt pumpkin puree and mandarine sorbet; apple, green shiso and yoghurt; or to relish in the final remnants of the fire found in the chocolate, barley miso and smoke. 

Having dined at Smoked Room twice, FACT can attest to the quality of this audacious dining experience. From bees pollinating tea buds to instil them with a honey flavour to dry ageing, extraction and fermentation, Dani Garcia’s stunning sensory experience sets St. Regis Gardens alight with its warmth, sparks and crackles.

Smoked Room’s Fire Omakase experience starts from AED 950 per person. Guests can opt for wine or tea pairings, which range from AED 590 with seven glasses and AED 290 with seven cups per person, respectively. Smoked Room in Dubai is open Wednesday to Sunday from 8pm. 

GO: Visit https://grupodanigarcia.com for more information.