FACT Review: Experience the evolution of the Dubai dinner show at Krasota

Located at Address Downtown, this immersive experience has been going viral on social media.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought banana bread, Dalgona coffee and dinner shows to Dubai. Back in 2020 when the world was in turmoil and nightlife was on hold, the entertainment scene in the emirate pivoted to dinner shows covering everything from burlesque to kitsch karaoke. The trend shows no signs of stopping, and the idea of going out for a quiet meal now seems as distant as the pandemic. Instead, dinner in Dubai now revolves around acrobatics, dancers and DJs.

Some dinner shows have faired better than others. The FACT Award-winning Billionaire attracts an elite clientele that flock into its golden-gilded dining room to witness balancing acts and contortionists. Dubbed the ‘world’s most expensive dining experience’, Sublimation wowed diners for two seasons with its immersive culinary concept. Next to take the reigns is Krasota, a gastro-theatre in Address Downtown Dubai.

The latest culinary concept from White Rabbit Family is an ambitious project that puts both visual arts and fine dining front and centre. Its premiere show, Imaginary Art, brought to life the paintings of late 19th and early 20th-century artists. The latest show, Imaginary Future, uses technology to reveal future scenarios for humanity through seven visually stunning acts.

At Krasota, guests dine in an immersive theatre and sit at a large circular table that accommodates just 20 diners. Each act of the gastro-performance is inspired by the pixel-perfect 3D multimedia performance projected across the curved walls and table. 

Krasota arrives in Dubai with culinary clout. Chef Vladimir Mukhin leads the project following success at the acclaimed White Rabbit in Moscow, Russia. He uses Krasota to explore the realm of future gastronomy, posing the question: what might food be like in the future?

Our name is projected onto our seat and we enter into a world of AI and robots while staff dressed in tunics and illuminated headgear ceremoniously present seven courses (and seven costume changes) in line with the on-screen imagery. We delve into a future cityscape that could be Los Angeles or Tokyo, where neon lights, towering skyscrapers and flying cars set the scene. While many dinner shows prioritise entertainment, gastronomy and a penchant for premium products are pushed to the fore at Krasota. We’re presented with Tuna and Sea Urchin atop protein bread, adorned with pearls of black and white caviar, washed down with a robust Miso Soup. The course represents the human desire to conquer the universe.

Our journey into the future takes us from the city to the moon’s surface. A jungle setting shows humans harmonising with nature, surrounded by fluorescent wildlife and a pair of gravity-defying Nike Air MAGs as initially featured in Back To The Future. Here, amidst the fallen logs and treetop canopy, we dine on plant-based meat and mushrooms inside a dainty taco shell while sipping clear cola from a glass that interacts with the slightest touch like a plasma ball. 

The tabletop comes alive, responding to our touch and allowing us to play a quick game of space invaders. After blasting asteroids and spaceships, the room transforms, propelling us into a future where flights to Mars are possible and civil war has broken out on the moon. An apocalyptic scene of a fractured moon sets the scene for an accomplished eggplant miso topped with coconut foam.

Like James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar, Krasota’s narrative examines the interplay between technology and nature. Humanity retreats to the oceans with much of the earth destroyed, evolving gills to survive the deep sea conditions. Vast metropolises are constructed amidst bulbous jellyfish and gliding manta rays, and our cutlery evolves into a crustacean-like contraption for a seafood course anchored around a seared scallop topped with uni, swimming in sea asparagus. We feel like Ariel from The Little Mermaid trying to brush her hair with a fork as we poke and prod at the scallop. 

A future Vegas appears and the tabletop transforms into a pinball machine where the human need for excess and extravagance takes over. We’re handed gloves to handle our Burgers with Wagyu and Foie Gras, dusted with edible gold. If a dish were ever to be described as ‘peak Dubai’, this is it. Despite the rich decadence of the ingredients, it’s perfectly prepared.

As artificial intelligence takes over, we delve further into technology with surprising results. Anyone might expect a Hollywood narrative where the world is overrun with robots, à la I Robot. However, Krasota offers a more positive and harmonious outlook. We dined amidst trailing binary code as if we’d entered The Matrix as we devoured quail pie served with greens and an enlivening red ponzu sauce.

Dessert offers a matcha ice cream inside a robotic egg topped with an edible butterfly as the fusion between technology and nature reaches its inevitable conclusion. The final images on the screen are poignant and bittersweet as a child plays in a picture-perfect field with a robot that has downloaded the memories of its parents. This is utopia, or at least Krasota’s imaginary Future. 

If you’ve ever wanted to step into your screensaver and escape, this is for you — but it comes with a hefty price tag. AED 1,830, to be exact. Krasota offers the perfect amalgamation of 3D projections, custom AI designs, interactive installations and haute cuisine and condenses it all into a wow-worthy two-hour dinner show. 

GO: Visit https://krasota.art for reservations and more information.