TakaHisa Japanese Restaurant: So Ostentatious, Even the Truffles Have Louis Vuitton

TakaHisa’s nine-course menu is ostentatious, like its decor, where even the black summer truffles come served in Louis Vuitton luggage before being shingled over pearly white sashimi. Dishes flow one after the other. Gossamer, overlapping sheets of Ozaki beef carpaccio. Supple, rosy and with a lardaceous sheen, all bolstered by pops and bursts of saline caviar. A raft of smoked bonito, purple-hued and, so thick it’s nearly steaky, is steeped in a citrus ponzu. Chef Takashi presents a slab of simply steamed Hokkaido hairy crab, and when I disclose to Ms South Africa that “I’ve never seen a hairy crab before” (why does that sound rude?), Chef Takashi retrieves one for me as I stare into its beady, dead little eyes. The crab is sweet, but plateaus at a little simple. An array of sushi comes next. TakaHisa’s sushi is vastly superior to that insipid plasticine stuff that morosely circles conveyor belts in malls and airports. You know the places. A plump otoro nirigi shimmers. Its fat succumbs to the tongue’s own body heat and bequeaths fatty delicious.

TakaHisa’s ingredient quality is self-evident (with the certificates to match), but the steamed Japanese abalone perched in chef Takashi’s mustard yellow special sauce of uni and soy tells me he also knows how to cook and build flavour. He layers uni petals over gently cooked rice in a svelte, custard pale sauce, rich with umami and more uni. Ms South Africa opts for ribbons of beef with summer truffle. We end dinner by slinking a spoon into the depths of a matcha cheesecake served in a Louis Vuitton tea cup, where I enjoy matcha for the first time. Four nubs of the sweetest, soft Japanese mango round everything off.



From top to bottom: SHIROMI TRUFFLE white fish sashimi with truffle; OZAKI BEEF CARPACCIO Thinly sliced fresh Ozaki Beef served with caviar; and STEAMED JAPANESE HAIRY CRAB Steamed Japanese hairy crab from HOKKAIDO.

TakaHisa Restaurant, Should You Come?

TakaHisa is not the only omakase in town. One is The Experience by Reif Othman. A personal favourite at half, if not a third, of the price. Hoseki is TakaHisa’s true counterpart. Hoseki is spendy. Really spendy. Just like TakaHisa. Both restaurants are priced for people who struggle to spend their home currency elsewhere these days.

My philistine palette will tell you that – food-wise – TakaHisa and Hoseki are both excellent and comparable. Hoseki is all seafood, while TakaHisa offers Ozaki beef and, arguably, serves larger albeit fewer portions. Hoseki is also open for lunch where TakaHisa is not. So which one should you go to? It comes down to the experience you want.

TakaHisa is immersive and recognisably “high-octane Dubai”. A place to shoot John Wick 5. It’s more macho, brusk, interactive and splashy in a way that aims to impress clientele with a predilection for more is more. It is in Caesar’s Palace Dubai after all. The service is more accessible. The chefs are almost within arms’ length, which makes dinner feel more personal and live, while you chat with the team through a melange of English and Japanese. I would change the seating arrangement as the omakase U-shape seating lies in the middle of a walking artery to the outside seating area. People pass behind us throughout the evening. This takes me out of the experience a few times. More exclusivity and privacy is not too much to ask at this price point.

Conversely, Hoseki has a restorative zen quality. Peaceful, spa-like and elegant. Frankly, the kind of place that I should visit weekly for my mental health. Hoseki’s manicured finesse is a stark contrast to TakaHisa, and one some will prefer. Only waitresses in brilliant lime green kimonos with an intuitive anticipation of the guests’ needs will pass behind you to top up water and chilled Austrian Grüner Veltliner. Frankly, it feels very special in tone and delivery. Yet, Hoseki can be a little sterile and distant, with diners engaging in library-like low whispers. There is minimal if any, interaction with the chefs. You witness a lot, but participate in very little.

So is Hoseki better then TakaHisa? Some diners will go to both, but they will have a preference. I would bring my parents to Hoseki because they like both staging and ceremony (but Mr EatGoSee Senior hates raw fish and cold rice, so there’s that). TakaHisa is where I bring my friends as it exudes a certain buzz where anything could happen. The service is warmer, more casual; a place free from the strictures of formality.

To answer the question: TakaHisa is worth it, even at this price point – and so is Hoseki. TakaHisa is a novel experience with excellent ingredients, entertaining and, as a good friend says, cheaper than flying to Japan.



From top to bottom: AWABI KIMO SAUCE Steamed Japanese abalone with chef’s special sauce; OZAKI BEEF CARPACCIO; Matcha Cheesecake; and fresh handmade nigiri sushi selection.

TakaHisa Restaurant, Who Should Come?

Diners who are willing to commit assault and battery on their credit cards. People looking for high-quality ingredients prepared and sensibly presented during an intimate dining experience with first-hand access to a skilled chef. Fans of high-end omakase dining, but with a more casual, engaging service. Caesar’s Palace guests. Bluewaters Dubai and Dubai Marina residents.





From top to bottom: HATSU KATSUO TATAKI, lightly smoked early summer bonito slices with ponzu citrus sauce; fresh handmade nigiri sushi selection; wine selection includes this pinot noir Chateau du Beaune; matcha cheesecake and the STEAMED JAPANESE HAIRY CRAB, a Steamed Japanese hairy crab from HOKKAIDO.