Shams El- Mutwalli Dubai

Mimi Kakushi, the newly launched Japanese hotspot in Dubai, offers a playful dining experience with a multitude of dishes to be enjoyed within a chic setting at the Four Seasons Resort.

Although Mimi Kakushi adheres to the fundamental tenets of Japanese cuisine, they have reworked the dishes to offer their own twist.

While the restaurant offers an array of dishes to try, their best-selling items include: the smashed hamachi with yuzu guacamole, crispy nori, myoga and garlic yuzu soy. The donabe pot rice with wild assorted seasonal mushrooms, seaweed butter, shiso leaves and fresh truffle is also a favourite. Lastly, the Gyoza with Wagyu and foie gras, pickled cucumber and truffle soy butter.

Guests are invited to “savour the setting as sharing plates of sashimi, sushi, tempura and gyoza fill your table. Then move on to signature creations like a Kagoshima wagyu beef, paired with an extensive drinks menu, and an eclectic dessert selection rounding off the grand finale,” the founder shared.

Entrepreneur Rizwan Kassim shared with Arab News Japan where his interest in Japanese cuisine stems from, stressing that travel to the country offered insight into the culture.

Kassim acknowledges the challenge that came with opening a Japanese restaurant in an already saturated food scene but paved his own path by creating a restaurant with a recognizable and attractive identity that differs from other restaurants in Dubai.

Mimi Kakushi’s identity can be defined as an “Orient Nouveau,” a term that simply means “the new age for the oriental region,” according to Kassim.

Elaborating further, Kassim told Arab News how “Mimi Kakushi was never supposed to be exclusively Japanese, it has influences from all over the Far East / South East Asia region – this is where the “Orient” comes from. The Nouveau is the reference to the Art Deco / Art Nouveau / New Age / Jazz era of the 1920s and 30s which is the time we have based the concept in and the biggest influence.”

The concept in mind also impacted the choice of name. Mimi Kakushi, translates to mean ‘covering ears’ and describes a bob-style haircut from the 1920s, which “marked a turning point in what was considered chic,” according to Kassim.

The restaurant feels and looks welcoming, utilizing wooden flooring, leather booths, frayed chandeliers, and a range of warm colour tones. These subtle elements contribute to creating an ambiance in line with the restaurant’s underlying theme.

Founder Kassim invites guests to step into an “oriental age back when jazz was swinging into the 1920s Osaka, merging modern art and western fashion into the nightlife and streetlife of Japan.”

Despite the obstacles faced during the process of opening a Japanese restaurant amid a pandemic, Kassim has successfully added yet another restaurant to his repertoire alongside La Cantine du Faubourg, Lana Lusa, Ninive and Twiggy by La Cantine—each one informed by a “clear vision” the team has of the interior to the food, Kassim shared.