Hutong, DIFC, Dubai: Northern Chinese Lands With a Thud

Hutong’s storied reputation stems, partly, as being one of the first Michelin starred Chinese restaurants. Great expectations accompany such accolades closely. Will this be a Michelin star dining experience in DIFC (and does Michelin matter these days)? Hutong is clearly not your neighbourhood Chinese restaurant. My local Chinese spot does not offer Sichuan-style lobster (AED345, $94, €86, £73), wok-tossed tiger prawns (AED125, $34, €31, £26) nor Xingjiang Crispy Lamb Chops (AED210, $57, €52, £44). When was the last time you saw Egg White Fried Rice with black truffle on Deliveroo (AED80, $22, €20, £17)?

Hutong’s London outpost served upscale Northern Chinese food with finesse, ceremony and spice. Hutong Dubai manages some subtlety and ceremony (more on this later). However, spice needs to be approached with respect and self-restraint. I am dining with the charming Courtney Brandt of @atozaatar (blog here). We swiftly agree not to test each other’s limit for spice as we are here for a good time, not a Scoville endurance marathon. You see, Northern Chinese food is spicy partly because Chairman Mao was an insatiable lover of fiery heat. If you ever see a “Mao-style” dish, approach with caution and Gaviscon.

Hutong is renowned for its upscale decor. The interior vibe is dark even during this bright lunchtime sitting. The signature room features is a giant Wishing Tree, created by a Chinese master and then imported to Dubai anchored into this DIFC restaurant. I am told it is a tribute to the famous Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees in Hong Kong. A clear nod towards Hutong’s Hong Kong origins. My advice is you want to come to Hutong in the evening hours to soak in this moody interior whilst sipping their Chinese Lantern, a twist on an Aperol spritz with sloe gin and passion-mandarin cordial (AED75, $20, €19, £16). Oh yes, Hutong is licensed and waiting for the well-heeled residents and suited office folks of DIFC to line its discreet bar area.

Hutong currently allows outside alfresco dining within a green-walled enclave. It’s thoughtful in these cooler winter months but the restaurant could improve the current appearance not obscure the entrance and bring it up to par with the more elegant interior.

Hutong’s Menu

Hutong’s menu is structured into starters (AED45-90), soup (AED50-70), dim sum AED55-145, barbecue (AED240-390), meat (AED140-210), seafood (AED120-345) and vegetarian (AED45-80). I counted at least 13 vegetarian dishes found around the menu. A lucky 13 dishes should satisfy most including their steamed wild mushroom and truffle baos (AED55, $15, €14, £12), wok-tossed lotus roots (AED45, $12, €11, £9) and yu xiang crispy eggplant (AED65, $18, €16, £14).

We are in DIFC so a few over AED200 and over AED300 dishes do not raise an eyebrow. Clearly Hutong is not everyday dining. The good news is there are plenty of expense accounts prying open to entertain people with a swish new opening. Yet, will bankers and lawyers inch away from their stalwart favourite, Zuma, towards Hutong’s doors?

Hutong’s Menu and Food Highlights

Hutong continues to deliver thoughtfully designed dishes. Courtney and I agree the wok-tossed beef tenderloin with laoganma chilli sauce is a highlight (AED210, $57, €52, £44). Impossibly soft beef under a rubble of freshly sliced and seared chillies and glossy with the sheen of a polished Mahoney table. This is a million miles from your neighbourhood crispy chilli beef. The appearance sends a signal that this will burn your face with your mouth on contact due to the bed of seared chillies. We navigate our chopsticks through chillies like Indiana Jones in his Temple of Doom. The beef is a masterclass of restraint with spice that seasons first and heats second.

Spears of golden prawn and scallops rolls (AED65, $18, €16, £14) are an upcycled prawn toast. Golden, crisp and laced with a sweet seafood prawn flavour supported by spring onion and aromatics. It comes with two dipping sauces of chilli oil and soy. It is a comfort food sharing dish to make you monitor how many portions your friends ate just to make sure you get your share.

Our favourite dessert was the low-rise chocolate torte with a whisper of chilli spice cooled further by a hibiscus sorbet. The solid, crisp base adds bite and crunch to the dish. I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed a dessert in a Chinese restaurant so kudos to the Hutong team for taking that prize.

Hutong’s Other Sampled Courses

Hutong’s lasting impression is that some dishes are deserving of the notable mentions above. However, it was a mixed picture as half the dishes were unremarkable or invited more scrutiny when examined at their price point

The signature Red Lantern dish of deep-fried spiced soft shell crab on a bed of whole dried chillies (AED190, US$52, €47, £40) is a striking banquet-style dish. It arrives impressively inside a metallic pot bearing a cornucopia of acorn-sized, scarlet dried chillies blanketing over a generous soft shell crab portion. You can hear the “ooohs” around a group as this dish arrives. The crab is impressively seasoned building spice levels without ever tipping over into unpleasant territory. However, the crisp snap of the soft shell crab is lost entirely. Each expedition through a harvest of whole chillies yields increasingly-limp, battered crab. This is a shame as the dramatic presentation may sacrifice the final product.

The chilled green asparagus with roasted white sesame and a honey chilli glaze is pleasant but too simple (AED45, $12, €11, £9). Verdant spears studded with sesame are best enjoyed at the sticky, sweet sesame business end. I was like Pooh Bear getting glaze and sesame all over my fingers with sheer joy. The rest of the spear is, well, just plain asparagus. It would be a stronger dish if the whole spear was rolled in the glaze and lightly sprinkled with sesame. They are beautiful to admire but not the sort of thing that I would order again. It is a dish that feels incomplete and it is hard to imagine that it came from the same menu as the scallop and prawn dish above.