At the Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers, giving onto the Dubai Creek, there is the Creekside Japanese Restaurant.

Every Friday, “Omakase” welcomes you to an Asian dining experience with live-cooking stations, al-fresco dining and unique views – since “Omakase” means ‘the Chef’s choice’ in Japanese, it is an opportunity for the Chef to show off!

And he sure does! Specialties include sushi, sashimi, noodles, teppanyaki, dim sum and a salad counter for all tastes.

Besides the ubiquitous sushi,

which is plentiful in all shapes and forms, with a special mention of the Spicy Tuna Maki sans Nori – fabulous!

But what floored me was the creativity of the team in charge of the salad and apetizer section!

In Dubai we are spoiled for choice when it comes to 5-star dining, and we hardly give the salads a second glance as it’s normally the same sort of dishes, rehashed, perhaps shifted around a bit, but pretty much it gets repetitive – not so at Creekside Japanese Restaurant!

I was so impressed, I noted them down for you.

Now see what a creative genius they have in charge of the salad bar:

Fuji Apple Salad
Kimchi and Maple Labne
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Tofu and Shiso Leaf
Marinated Slow Poached Salmon with Peppered Mango Salsa
Crispy Chicken and Rice Noodle
Salad with Plum Dressing
Chilli Compressed Watermelon and Coriander
Shiitake Mushroom Salad
Pickled Artichokes and Red Radish
Cream Dory Tataki
Corn and Beansprout
Black Sesame
Crispy Eggplant and Sweet Miso
Phad Thai Salad
Thai Beef Chilli Salad
Pickled Oyster and Cucumber Tagliatelle

That’s not a salad bar: that’s a symphony of flavours!

I could hardly bring myself to go beyond the salad and sushi sections.

But there was more: two live-cooking tappanyaki stations, a long line of self-serve buffet favourites, another station for the tempura, pad thai, and Chinese steamed buns and dumplings… and of course the desserts!

There is a children’s corner (avoid being seated anywhere near there. Even the parents made sure their table was in the opposite hall) and also avoid the window tables as the sun’s heat beats in; however, now that the weather permits, dining outside is an appealing option.

All in all, Omakase is a brilliant brunch on the Creek!

The Creekside Japanese Restaurant is easy to find, and here is their website.