Dubai Design District (d3) has expanded its culinary offerings in the quest to bring authentic dining experiences to Dubai, with four new café and restaurants opening up in the region’s largest creative hub.
The latest to join d3’s growing food scene include Otaku, a minimalist Japanese-inspired bakery and speciality coffeeshop; The Name, a contemporary restaurant, café and social spot; Smat, a modern Emirati restaurant and café; and G.O.A.T serving some of the city’s juiciest burgers with a view of the Dubai Creek.
The new restaurants add to the buzz of Rethink Summer, d3’s long-running programme of cultural events designed to promote the city as a global creative capital, where visitors can enjoy a number of exclusive dine-in deals, free ice-creams, creative workshops, retail promotions, and much more.
Khadija Al Bastaki, Executive Director of d3, said: “As well as a global hub for creative businesses, d3 is a destination where people come for inspiration, entertainment, freshly-brewed artisan coffee and exquisite cuisine. Whether it’s the art, architecture or unique dining concepts, each experience offers a connection to city’s vibrant cultural scene. We are proud to be home to a wide range of original restaurants and cafés that you won’t find anywhere else in Dubai. We are certain that our quartet of new restaurants and cafés will be a delight for everyone who visits our community, as well as this season of the Rethink Summer.”
Otaku, which means ‘home’ in Japanese, is a minimalist bakery inspired by Japanese culture. Otaku strives to carve a niche in the local market by offering homemade baked goods along with specialty. It also carefully selects and exhibits exclusive retail items such as mugs, kettles, and tumblers from Japanese brand Kinto. The minimalist interior design and soft materials offers an expressive, calm and subtle ambiance.
The Name is a contemporary restaurant, café and creative co-working-cum-social space. It offers an artistic, modern and bright environment for individuals to relax and refuel. It combines a concept store and a resto café, offering an integrated experience where guests can shop, eat, mingle or work. The restaurant serves up a tempting menu of homemade Mediterranean-inspired dishes with a Levantine touch, including smoked pastrami and cheddar sandwich, freshly-baked flat bread with spicy black angus and labneh, as well as a selection of vegan dishes, such as batatas with vegan melted cheddar.
Smat blends the classic with the contemporary to bring a fresh and unexpected discovery of the Emirati cuisine to diners, from the traditional fragrant machboos to the locally caught hammour bathed in coriander pesto to succulent chicken breasts marinated in yoghurt and Indian-inspired cauliflower pakora burger. Smat is a homegrown contemporary Emirati restaurant & café that aims to surprise you with an exciting twist to traditional Emirati food. The restaurant has collaborated with farmers to bring the freshest organic specialty beans – a favourite among diners. Some of the chef’s favourites include regag parmegiana, the Emirati breakfast, and juicy lamb shank machboos.
G.O.A.T, an acronym for greatest of all time, is a homegrown burger store set alongside the banks of the Dubai Creek by d3’s The Block – a recreational facility for the community and visitors. The backdrop of a gorgeous landscape and the unique vibe of d3 will urge diners to indulge in the perfect burger. Whether it is the classic double wagyu cheeseburger or the Arigato with teriyaki sauce, shemeji mushrooms, enoki tempura and Japanese mayo in a soft brioche bun, you just can’t go wrong with a G.O.A.T burger.
Strategically located in the heart of Dubai, d3 is one of the city’s lifestyle and business destinations. With state-of-the-art infrastructure, co-working spaces, retail showrooms, commercial offices, smart city technologies, and a business-friendly framework designed to meet the needs of the industry, the community offers creative talent the tools to drive innovation. With dozens of international and homegrown public artworks and installations, the business district continues to empower the emirate’s economy and elevate Dubai’s status as a UNESCO Creative City of Design.
