There is one word that describes dining at Clay Dubai – and that is Wow! Just Wow!

In fact, Dubai is blessed with so many outstanding restaurants, that it is difficult to come across one that is a clear head and shoulders above others – well, Clay Dubai is the one.

And I’m not even going to say much about the impressive interior design…

… nor even the amazing location on Bluewaters Island – any closer to the Dubai Eye and you’d be dining in it!

And I also won’t dwell on the excellent teamwork by the service staff – you know how most places have divided up the tables, and if you don’t catch the eye of your dedicated server, others will float past?

Not so at Clay Dubai, where our main guy, professional to the core, Mr Collet, could count on basically all his colleagues, plus Mr Luca from the bar, to stop by our table as needed – impressive team spirit!

Because I want to focus fully on the food.

Rarely, and I mean above and beyond, does one experience a brunch where the sheer delights on the palate are as magnificent as at the Nikkei Brunch at Clay Dubai.

I was taken on an epicurean journey of immense pleasure – and I take my hat off to the talent (and hard work!) that goes on in Clay Dubai’s kitchens.

Absolutely a spectacular gastronomical feast, second to none, and destined for culinary awards and accolades, no doubt.

And as I mentioned, the other components: the premises, location, decors, service, etc., were already fantastic – so for the food to capture so much attention, is a well-deserved credit and acknowlegment.

The Nikkei Brunch is a set menu, though I noted a very interesting a la carte and live sushi counter, as well – but for Saturdays, starting at 1 PM, the brunch arrives in waves, and you have the choice of mains.

The concept is one of fusion between Japanese and Peruvian cuisines – but Clay Dubai is going to knock this out of the park for you, so be prepared for flavors, aromas, and textures where your eyes close shut as your palate shoots off fireworks of ecstasy to the brain, which will reboot continuously with an overload of rapture.

I kid you not, I’m saying top of the top culinary delights, and every single serving.

Be prepared.

Ceviche with flavors so deep and bold, that it made all previous ceviches I’ve tasted turn sour!

I’m not sure what magical ingredients were used, what potions and concoctions, but the combination of tastes were complex, but also balanced – smooth and suave, yet powerful and even shocking – basically all you could say was: “Wow!”

And it wasn’t even the perfection of acidity – the very base of a ceviche is lime juices, after all – it was far deeper, like a whole universe of nuances opening up in layers on the palate: heavy, earthy umami tones; but also bitters, in sparks and flowing in and out of the palette of flavors – really a masterpiece, representing a finess and sophistication of culinary cultural excellence.

If humanity were to capture the essence of fine cuisine and send it into space, to represent the apex of this world’s flavors to alien life forms, Clay Dubai’s ceviche would be a good choice – except it would guarantee an alien invasion as they’d come chasing down to find out where that yumminess was coming from!

And it wasn’t only the ceviche…

Clay Dubai’s guacamole equally blew away all previous guacamoles – they just can’t compare. Bow your heads to the King of Guacamoles!

Again, it was the complexity and depth of competing yet collaborating flavors – it was simply genius.

And the Japanese-Peruvian fusion aspect was evident – but selecting and combining the very right amounts of which ingredients from each cuisine was the real achievement.

And the result was truly life-changing – and I don’t mean to exaggerate, but from now on the standard has been re-set. When I taste a guacamole from now on, or a ceviche, I very much doubt it will reach anywhere close to what I tasted at Clay Dubai…

See the humble edamame, as another example:

Just steamed or flash-boiled soya beans, right?

Oh no! You put one of these babies onto your tongue and you reach a Zen moment in your culinary development.

That’s not a casual “sprinkling” of dried herbs and spices you see – that’s the realization of years of experience and expertise in mixing and creating flavors so the dish is elevated to new heights. I nibbled, licked, and sucked off every millimeter of each of those fresh beans – magnificent. Simple, and simply. It was just soya beans…

And so on and so forth, including also the great selection of drinks.

Pisco Sour – tight and clean flavors, definitely a top-quality spirit, and prepared with care and mastery.

And the same for cocktails originating from the Japanese side of the Nikkei fusion – precise tastes, targeted accurately, chilled to perfection.

Salads followed the same overall philosophy…

accompanied by delightful and sophisticated wines…

And can you believe we still haven’t reached the end of the starters!

Again, a closer look at that guacamole, stuff made from dreams – is that matcha green tea? And leche de tigre?

Nikkei fusion smiles at you.

The hot starters arrive…

… and a magnificent tower of fusion sushi!

And as with all dishes, the attention to the details was exceptional…

just as the commitment to a true fusion – a creation from the best of both worlds – and not simply throwing two disparate parts together.

I’ll stop here, due to length limitations, and also to preserve a bit of your surprise at the main dishes!

But a sneak-peek at the desserts is required, as they also were marvelous.

Baby Churros for the win… with a super Tres Leches in the background…

Overall, Clay Dubai’s Nikkei fusion Saturday Brunch has set the bar for Dubai’s finest restaurant scene – hopefully we will see other fusion cuisines rise to the occasion and attempt to at least reach the same new standard of magnificence that Clay Dubai has presented – because as of now, without any hesitation whatsoever, the crown of best Dubai brunch sits firmly on Clay Dubai on Bluewaters Island.