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Reif Japanese Kushiyaki: A gem among rubble
Reif Japanese Kushiyaki, Dar Wasl Mall, Al Wasl Road, Al Wasl, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 5 dishes, 1 sparkling water (excluding service): AED329, US$90, EUR80, £69.
tel. +971502357071
website. https://reifkushiyaki.com/
The Highs
The Lows
The Highs
Great service, great menu knowledge
Raw Sea Bass in Yuzu Soy, Crispy Baby Squid Kushi Katsu, infamous Wagyu Sando
Casual dining with seriously good food
The Lows
Disappointing dessert menu
Reif Japanese Kushiyaki
What to do on a Thursday night in Dubai with no plans? Typically, I crash like a crumpled heap exhausted on the sofa lazily inspecting Netflix like an uninspired Pharaoh bored of his jester. I welcome recommendations.
But Mrs EatGoSee is out tonight, so I busily thumbed through the shortlist of restaurants I keep for such moments.
Reif Japanese Kushiyaki was my first choice so I clamoured into my car and headed out towards Dar Al Wasl in Al Safa during a cool Dubai evening without a booking and in the hope of a seat. Dar Wasl is practically empty (despite a plethora of cars parked nearby). They really need to figure out a better parking system here. I walk passed several restaurants outnumbering staff to guests by a conservative 7 to 1 ratio leaving me with a modicum of hope that securing a table at Reif Japanese Kushiyaki would be simple.
But Mrs EatGoSee is out tonight, so I busily thumbed through the shortlist of restaurants I keep for such moments.
Reif Japanese Kushiyaki was my first choice so I clamoured into my car and headed out towards Dar Al Wasl in Al Safa during a cool Dubai evening without a booking and in the hope of a seat. Dar Wasl is practically empty (despite a plethora of cars parked nearby). They really need to figure out a better parking system here. I walk passed several restaurants outnumbering staff to guests by a conservative 7 to 1 ratio leaving me with a modicum of hope that securing a table at Reif Japanese Kushiyaki would be simple.
Reif Japanese Kushiyaki: One Must Book
How wrong could I be? Reif Japanese Kushiyaki is full. It is full to the rafters on a Thursday night at nearly 9 pm. Every single chair and table status: taken. Reif Japanese Kushiyaki is red hot right now. Dubai is drawn towards it and, like moths to the flame, away from the cornucopia of other options straddling the Dar Wasl development.
Eating on my own means I only wait five minutes for a seat (luckily) in front of the kitchen. Courteous, engaging staff check that I am satisfied with sitting at a low-pitched bar stool. “Perfect” as this affords me a front row seat to watch chefs in action searing dumplings and charing edamame beans.


It turns out I am not entirely dining alone tonight. A man of advanced years sitting next to me introduces himself and assures me that I was in for a treat. This is his second visit to Reif Japanese Kushiyaki this week. He grunts and nods approvingly of most dishes that land before me tonight. I did not get his name but part of me feels a moral obligation to pass on his work to other diners should I return to Reif Japanese Kushiyaki (see below).


Eating on my own means I only wait five minutes for a seat (luckily) in front of the kitchen. Courteous, engaging staff check that I am satisfied with sitting at a low-pitched bar stool. “Perfect” as this affords me a front row seat to watch chefs in action searing dumplings and charing edamame beans.
It turns out I am not entirely dining alone tonight. A man of advanced years sitting next to me introduces himself and assures me that I was in for a treat. This is his second visit to Reif Japanese Kushiyaki this week. He grunts and nods approvingly of most dishes that land before me tonight. I did not get his name but part of me feels a moral obligation to pass on his work to other diners should I return to Reif Japanese Kushiyaki (see below).
Like most of the women in my life, she knew what I needed long before I did and was just waiting for me to catch up.
Reif Japanese Kushiyaki: Vibes
Reif’s restaurant is clearly sophisticated with personality. Immediately you know this is a good restaurant, organised, planned, rehearsed but not self-important. The restaurant is relatively small but comfortably crams a lot of seating in a compact area. It reminds me of buzzing London or New York brassieres where restaurant square footage comes at a premium.
The L-shaped floor coupled with the high roof conveys an illusion of more space. This optical illusion continues with the clever use of glass: a single long pane facing Al Wasl Road and open plan kitchen shielded by glass marred with grease a la Jackson Pollock. Mocha-dipped shingles add warmth and dimension juxtaposed to a Japanese anime-style character glowing with a beating heart. Copious tables for two are pressed together as needed for larger groups. Is this the place for a romantic dinner for two? Perhaps not but it fits the bill for an interactive double date of shared plates or friends catching up.
My kitchen peep show reveals a glass house of fire, steam and heat. Billowing pots of steam pierced with steel woven baskets flank chefs turning skewers of salmon over coals and flash searing slabs of wagyu beef. The couple next to me receive their mushroom clay rice pot dish gently churned and tossed then audibly nom’d appreciably (AED105, US$29, €25, £22).
The menu is short and focused. There is no mission statement nor any no photos. Reif offers a raw menu, katsu, gunkhan (or gunkan, a type of egg roe topped sushi), kushi and then the headings dissolve into options of ramen or rice options. My eyebrows do furrow at the sight of a Puglia Burrata with smoked olive oil, chorizo and veal pancetta. I am sure it’s marvellous but I am not sure even Marco Polo brought back burrata from the east. Please feel free to drop comments below with citations for my review if I am wrong.

The same person who helpfully settled me into my front row show to the kitchen escort me through the menu making helpful suggestions. Like most of the women in my life, she knew what I needed long before I did and was just waiting for me to catch up.
Before I go blow for blow through dinner splitting hairs and waxing lyrical about each course — which I will because, hey, that’s what we’re here for — this is delicious food, cooked with consideration, intent and skill. Dubai is saturated with mediocrity masquerading as novelty. There is also a plethora of fine dining restaurants for which you will need to donate your best kidney to enjoy. There are however a select few places that do a few things and do them well without costing you the earth.
There is a reason Reif is busy tonight. Any kitchen can over (or more often, under) season a dish, drop fist fulls of spice, add dry ice and present dinner in a glass dome smoking table side. You are thinking of somewhere now aren’t you? Restraint comes through experience and confidence. It’s not good enough to know what goes with something; it’s also about knowing when to leave it alone. Reif achieves that near consistently.
This raw sea bass is an immediately alluring plate where I doubt the fish swam in this beautiful a pool when it was alive. Thick petals of raw sea bass steep in a puddle of subtle but bright yuzu soy occasionally further lifted by yellow pepper chutney. A faint linger of smokiness subtly mutes all things equally. Raw fish dishes like the now ubiquitous ceviche and sashimi can leave a monotonous soft texture in larger portions. The dusting of – perhaps – toasted or roasted quinoa is inspired to bring much-needed bite. This is a strong dish straight out the gate.

Two squid spears arrive armoured with seasoned panko crumbs striped with yuzu kosho mayo like these cephalopods were Adidas-sponsored swimmers at one time. No rings or tentacles insight: just the coned small heads of squid resembling garlic chips revealed underneath the presentation side. Delicately crunchy and breaks lightly with slightly pressure, a sleuth brewing spice builds that lingers long after the spears are decimated. The hum of yuzu does not interrupt it. Two spears are not nearly enough – this is not a sharing dish and you will/should order another portion.

So far the menu is light, dainty and unobtrusive. You could eat an excellent roast sea bass and a crispy squid dish for 100 dirhams and walk away with change (save that you should absolutely tip the service).
This would all change imminently.
This is easily a meal for two and possibly three people if shared with other items. I am a hearty eater but after half the sando I knew intimately the dread Monsieur Creosote felt moments before his demise. Collapsing tender wagyu beef is met with a rush of peppery tonkatsu sauce and creamy mayo-like blanket seeks to cool things. It’s a substantial meal featured in their signature dishes. I agree it would be criminal to come to Reif’s and not order this dish. My front-row seat to the grill tells me others also know this to be true. The wagyu is lip-smackingly good but it does not go unnoticed this takes silver at the Most Expensive Dish On The Menu Awards and accounts for 40% of the final (pre-service) bill. It makes more sense shared between two from a cost perspective vs a glutinous solo me.

The beef gyozas arrive stirring my newfound determination to press on bravely.
Inexplicably thin gyozas draped in raw beef cradle sweet, almost fruity, soupy fillings. The dressing is divine; I fleetingly consider licking the plate clean – it’s that good. It’s a return to the familiar deft touch that defined the raw sea bass and squid katsu. It’s gruesomely picturesque as pan-seared dumplings are crowned with raw meat and jewelled with spring onion rings. The four hearty gyozas make this excellent value for under 50dhs.

I am going to go out on a limb and say that I have never had a Japanese dessert that I remember fondly. Perhaps this is why this is a reinterpretation of Middle Eastern knafeh with a biscuit base, banana, chocolate and vanilla ice cream. It has all the essential elements of a wintery, warming, soporific dessert consumed shortly before a nap. Yet it feels unwieldy, all thumbs and lacks the finesse of earlier dishes. It is – dare I say – a deconstructed banoffee pie at its heart but reassembled and the stitches are showing. There is confusingly little crunch as the kanafeh is logged with moisture in the aftermath of osmosis between a wet filling and Nutella-like chocolate streak. It’s heavy, rich and flat. I recommend removing this one from the menu.


The L-shaped floor coupled with the high roof conveys an illusion of more space. This optical illusion continues with the clever use of glass: a single long pane facing Al Wasl Road and open plan kitchen shielded by glass marred with grease a la Jackson Pollock. Mocha-dipped shingles add warmth and dimension juxtaposed to a Japanese anime-style character glowing with a beating heart. Copious tables for two are pressed together as needed for larger groups. Is this the place for a romantic dinner for two? Perhaps not but it fits the bill for an interactive double date of shared plates or friends catching up.
My kitchen peep show reveals a glass house of fire, steam and heat. Billowing pots of steam pierced with steel woven baskets flank chefs turning skewers of salmon over coals and flash searing slabs of wagyu beef. The couple next to me receive their mushroom clay rice pot dish gently churned and tossed then audibly nom’d appreciably (AED105, US$29, €25, £22).
Reif Japanese Kushiyaki: The Food
The menu is short and focused. There is no mission statement nor any no photos. Reif offers a raw menu, katsu, gunkhan (or gunkan, a type of egg roe topped sushi), kushi and then the headings dissolve into options of ramen or rice options. My eyebrows do furrow at the sight of a Puglia Burrata with smoked olive oil, chorizo and veal pancetta. I am sure it’s marvellous but I am not sure even Marco Polo brought back burrata from the east. Please feel free to drop comments below with citations for my review if I am wrong.
The same person who helpfully settled me into my front row show to the kitchen escort me through the menu making helpful suggestions. Like most of the women in my life, she knew what I needed long before I did and was just waiting for me to catch up.
Before I go blow for blow through dinner splitting hairs and waxing lyrical about each course — which I will because, hey, that’s what we’re here for — this is delicious food, cooked with consideration, intent and skill. Dubai is saturated with mediocrity masquerading as novelty. There is also a plethora of fine dining restaurants for which you will need to donate your best kidney to enjoy. There are however a select few places that do a few things and do them well without costing you the earth.
There is a reason Reif is busy tonight. Any kitchen can over (or more often, under) season a dish, drop fist fulls of spice, add dry ice and present dinner in a glass dome smoking table side. You are thinking of somewhere now aren’t you? Restraint comes through experience and confidence. It’s not good enough to know what goes with something; it’s also about knowing when to leave it alone. Reif achieves that near consistently.
Raw Sea Bass in Yuzu Soy & Yellow Pepper Chutney (AED55, US$14, €13, £11)
This raw sea bass is an immediately alluring plate where I doubt the fish swam in this beautiful a pool when it was alive. Thick petals of raw sea bass steep in a puddle of subtle but bright yuzu soy occasionally further lifted by yellow pepper chutney. A faint linger of smokiness subtly mutes all things equally. Raw fish dishes like the now ubiquitous ceviche and sashimi can leave a monotonous soft texture in larger portions. The dusting of – perhaps – toasted or roasted quinoa is inspired to bring much-needed bite. This is a strong dish straight out the gate.
Crispy Baby Squid Kushi Katsu (AED42, $11, €10, £9)
Two squid spears arrive armoured with seasoned panko crumbs striped with yuzu kosho mayo like these cephalopods were Adidas-sponsored swimmers at one time. No rings or tentacles insight: just the coned small heads of squid resembling garlic chips revealed underneath the presentation side. Delicately crunchy and breaks lightly with slightly pressure, a sleuth brewing spice builds that lingers long after the spears are decimated. The hum of yuzu does not interrupt it. Two spears are not nearly enough – this is not a sharing dish and you will/should order another portion.
So far the menu is light, dainty and unobtrusive. You could eat an excellent roast sea bass and a crispy squid dish for 100 dirhams and walk away with change (save that you should absolutely tip the service).
This would all change imminently.
Sanchoku Wagyu Sando (AED145, $39, €35, £31)
This is easily a meal for two and possibly three people if shared with other items. I am a hearty eater but after half the sando I knew intimately the dread Monsieur Creosote felt moments before his demise. Collapsing tender wagyu beef is met with a rush of peppery tonkatsu sauce and creamy mayo-like blanket seeks to cool things. It’s a substantial meal featured in their signature dishes. I agree it would be criminal to come to Reif’s and not order this dish. My front-row seat to the grill tells me others also know this to be true. The wagyu is lip-smackingly good but it does not go unnoticed this takes silver at the Most Expensive Dish On The Menu Awards and accounts for 40% of the final (pre-service) bill. It makes more sense shared between two from a cost perspective vs a glutinous solo me.
The beef gyozas arrive stirring my newfound determination to press on bravely.
Beef gyoza with sweet soy & spring onion oil (AED42, $11, €10, £8)
Inexplicably thin gyozas draped in raw beef cradle sweet, almost fruity, soupy fillings. The dressing is divine; I fleetingly consider licking the plate clean – it’s that good. It’s a return to the familiar deft touch that defined the raw sea bass and squid katsu. It’s gruesomely picturesque as pan-seared dumplings are crowned with raw meat and jewelled with spring onion rings. The four hearty gyozas make this excellent value for under 50dhs.
Banana Chocolate Kataiki with Vanilla Ice Cream (AED35, $9, €8, £7)
I am going to go out on a limb and say that I have never had a Japanese dessert that I remember fondly. Perhaps this is why this is a reinterpretation of Middle Eastern knafeh with a biscuit base, banana, chocolate and vanilla ice cream. It has all the essential elements of a wintery, warming, soporific dessert consumed shortly before a nap. Yet it feels unwieldy, all thumbs and lacks the finesse of earlier dishes. It is – dare I say – a deconstructed banoffee pie at its heart but reassembled and the stitches are showing. There is confusingly little crunch as the kanafeh is logged with moisture in the aftermath of osmosis between a wet filling and Nutella-like chocolate streak. It’s heavy, rich and flat. I recommend removing this one from the menu.
Would I return to Reif Japanese Kushiyaki?
Yes, and without reservation (get it?, I’m here all night). There is a lot to enjoy here especially in the smaller dishes which I would explore further next time. The smaller dishes are very good value where you can order two to three smaller dishes for the price of one main. These can be enjoyed on your own but the small plates work best as shared dishes for couples, groups and casual business dinners. One factor unmentioned: it is not licensed. I am looking forward to coming back to Reif again.
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