There was something special about Fish Bazaar, the Thai seafood restaurant in the resort garden area at the Grand Habtoor Hotel in Dubai Marina – and it was certainly the food – but there was more!

The elegant atmosphere (just refurbished, by the way), the shadow-play of the lighting, the surrounding ponds and water features, the immense fresh buffet where you pick and choose from a formidable selection of seafood… the live cooking?

I’m not sure we can pinpoint just one, but add your friends and you are assured a whale of a time at the Fish Bazaar!

Or bring somebody special and choose a quiet table…

Here’s how it works:

You are invited to order á la carte, which is perfect for starters, salads, soups, drinks, and then desserts, though we also spotted some intriguing main courses!

Or, and I would not want you to miss this! – you approach the iced fresh seafood section and place your selection with your server. You then choose how you want your meal cooked (steamed, grilled, or fried) and you also order the sauces you would like (green chili garlic, soy and ginger, or sweet red chili) and sit back and see the Chef cook it right then and there in front of you, behind a glass partition.

Thai cuisine is a fresh cuisine by definition, and due to a fortunate geographical location cradling the emerald Gulf of Thailand – they sure know how to prepare their seafood! And the results are excellent.

Dinner was absolutely marvellous.

We also ordered from the menu: a tangy Thai papaya salad, a sushi platter, and the best-presented Pad Thai ever!

And don’t forget dessert!

Dining at the Fish Bazaar will be a wonderful experience, for both your palate and relationship with your company – and if you were to combine it with an afternoon at the pool as guests of the Grand Habtoor Resort and Spa, you would have one of those fantastic Dubai weekends that dreams are made of.

The Fish Bazaar is easy to find and access, here is an interactive map: