Fine dining before the Opera: Kizmet

This homegrown, eclectic restaurant in Downtown Dubai deserves a pre or post opera visit.

 

Located right next to Dubai Opera in Downtown Dubai, Kizmet is right next to Japanese fine-dining favourite Kohantei, thus, broadening your list of dining options in Downtown Dubai. A homegrown Dubai gem, by the founders of Dubai's Bake and Spice, Kizmet offers some of the most unique dishes with delicious locally available produce.

As soon as you arrive at the restaurant, you will be mesmerized as every nook and turn is carefully curated. To some, it might come across as slightly gaudy, but if you've lived in Dubai for a while, you will realise that every piece is well thought about with the diversity of the city in mind - from the honeycomb styled flooring mirrored in their miso butter served during bread service, quirky locally sourced art and even the luscious ever-changing carpet as you walk up the stairs.

Downstairs, the layout is perfect for social dining, whereas upstairs you will find a lovely library bar. The cocktail menu is inviting, with several funky names and flavours layered in a way you probably have not thought of before. At AED 65 each, they are unique and a steal. I encourage you to experiment and leave it up to Kizmet (which means destiny, or fate. That depends on the cocktail). They also offer an extensive liquor and wine list.

The menu is large enough to give you a variety of choices, but here are a couple of dishes that you need to try: octopus arancini with pistachio aioli, a duck pizza complete with smoked duck, goat cheese and chilli honey as well as their delightful bone marrow - a melt-in-your-mouth hearty dish complete with puffed white rice and sourdough. For dessert, I highly recommend their apple pie and chai ice cream dessert. The portions are sharing style, so feel free to order a couple of dishes and enjoy them with plenty of company. The staff is very well educated with the menu; you can trust them with your recommendations.

If I had to pinpoint a fault, it would be the music. The music at Kizmet was a miss for me, too loud and lots of hip hop that would probably make a diner wary & frustrated if in the company of several people. However, for some, it might add to their experience and I caught many a diner grooving to the tunes.

Kizmet offers extremely reasonable prices, given the location, great service, and high quality of food. It also doubles as a co-working space in the mornings; the charming setting is bound to give you creative inspiration. You can also avail free bubbly when you show your Opera ticket post the show, so that's always a plus. Besides this, I've been informed that they will soon offer breakfast. On Wednesdays, they have oysters available at AED 5 each for a minimum spend of AED 30, which is a steal. I'm sure their menus would change with the season too; as a Downtown resident, I can't wait to go back and sample the rest of the menu.

You will walk out of Kizmet, struggling to categorise it in some sort of cuisine. Take my advice, don't. This is Dubai as we all know it. It's not perfect but warrants a visit time and again. The food draws you back to the restaurant just as the city will call you back - time and again with its superlative flavours & melange of cultures.