Walking through the doors of Marina Social you are struck first by the beautiful décor of the restaurant, followed immediately by the magnificent views over Dubai Marina. Despite the early evening winter chill, we selected a table outside for its views over the marina. Fortunately, there was a portable heater made available to us to remove the chill from the air.
I was excited to try a new restaurant in a fantastic setting, but, more importantly, I was excited to meet again, after well over 25 years, two of my friends from South Africa, one of whom I studied with at university and with whom I worked to complete my training contract to become a Chartered Accountant.
We started off by ordering starters. James and I ordered the Wagyu beef tartare with a Ponzu dressing, fresh winter truffle, Parmesan cheese and crispy tuille – I have no idea what half those things are unfortunately. Meg ordered the beetroot rose with goat cheese mousse, walnuts, apple and lemon gel with consomme. Again, I have no idea what some of those items are but they sound impressive and it looked delicious. It is almost a requirement that in such a beautiful setting, with good friends, that you enjoy a glass or two of wine to start the evening and that is what we did.
The starters arrived fairly promptly and the evening was off to a good start. The beef tartar was really tasty and allowed plenty of room for the steak that was to follow as a main course.
As the evening settled into a relaxed rhythm and the sun dipped slowly below the skyscrapers of Dubai Marina, we ordered the main course. All three of us selected the tasty sounding ribeye steak, each selecting a different level of cooking perfection, from medium rare to medium well.
As the evening continued and the wine continued to flow, and the gap in our friendship of 25 years was closed as best we could over the course of a dinner, the 300g ‘Black Onxy’ steaks arrived, cooked to perfection with a side of triple cooked French fries, and a lovely peppercorn sauce.
Having braved the outside chill as long as we could, it was time to venture inside to the warmth of the restaurant. It was not long before dessert was ordered and we waited in anticipation for the sweet treat to end the dinner. James and Meg ordered the Morello cherry eton mess with crème de cassis and amarena ripple ice-cream. I ordered the Marina Social white chocolate ‘Yule Log’ with cranberry sauce. James and Meg had the pleasure of watching their desserts be hand-crafted at the table while mine was delivered just as they were cracking into the chocolate covered meringue and sampling their first taste of this unique dessert.
All in all it was a fun evening at Marina Social in Dubai Marina. The joy of catching up with old friends after so long was made even better by the location of the restaurant and the quality of the food.
Marina Social is located at the lovely InterContinental Hotel in Dubai Marina. To book your stay at this lovely hotel you may wish to start your planning by clicking here. Otherwise start your dinner reservation by visiting their website here. Their Instagram page may be found here.
Otherwise consider one of the other accommodation options in Dubai by clicking in the box below with booking.com or with Agoda here.
Booking.comVisited in January 2023.