Food Blog | Akira Back | W Hotel Dubai | Palm Jumeirah | Dubai

Really excited to be sharing Akira Back with you guys this week! The price may be a bit on the steeper side, but the food at Akira Back really is oh, so delicious. There are seriously a lot of photos, so even if you’re not eating here, just stay for the pictures of the food (if you’re not too hungry right now!)

What will be shared in this blog post relates to their Social Sunday offering - although my family did mention that on the other occasion they tried Akira Back, the portions were the same (so, portion size on a-la-carte is roughly the same as in this Sunday brunch/lunch offering).

Where It Is

Akira Back is located in W Hotel Palm Jumeirah. You can valet your car for free (stamp after your meal at Akira Back) and at the lobby, head to the left and you’ll find a lift when you walk straight and then left when there’s a division. Take the lift up and there you are! Akira Back.

Address: W Hotel - Palm Jumeirah - The Palm Jumeirah - Dubai

Operating Hours:

Sunday - Thursday:7PM - 11:30 PM
Friday: 7PM - 1AM
Saturday: 7PM - 1AM
Saturday Brunch: 1 PM - 4:30 PM
Social Sunday: 1 PM - 4 PM

(As I mentioned before, this post details what you can get with their Social Sunday offering)

What it Costs

Their social Saturday offer goes like this:

AED395 with soft beverages
AED495 with house beverages
AED695 including bubbly

There’s also a 25% discount you can avail if you eat there before March 31st 2022 (unfortunately this is a bit too late, granted there is only one more week left for you to get the chance to take the discount).

So, what do you get?

You get 3 starters (can be from the cold/hot/AB tacos section), 1 sushi/sashimi, 1 main, and 1 dessert. You will also get a free flow of soft drinks, juices & water with the lunch offering. They had orange juice, pineapple juice, and watermelon juice on the day (watermelon juice tasted fresh, pineapple juice tasted like it might have been from a carton).

Just describing it like this, it sounds like it’s small, but I can guarantee you that this is more than enough to fill your stomach! Especially considering they bring over complimentary dishes from time to time as well, which I actually really appreciate.

It really is better to just order all sorts of different things to share - for us, we basically ordered 12 different appetizers, 4 different sushi/sashimi offerings & 4 different mains. We repeated the chocolate in the cup because there were only 3 desserts on the menu.

For Social Sunday, you will have to pay before you enter and they will give you a band to indicate what package you are taking.

You can take a look at the menu right over here:

How it Tastes (Appetizers)

Usually, I don’t do this, but given there are SO MANY dishes to cover in this review, I will put them in order of my personal preference.

Tuna Pizza #1 Appetizer: Usually, I’m a sushi pizza hater. The fact that this is number 1 really speaks volumes about how yummy this is. This is actually a signature here at Akira Back, and you can absolutely see why.

The thing that really won me over is that layer of sauce between the tuna and the ‘pizza’. That umami aioli really is so good and blends the tuna together with the pizza, creating an exceptionally delicious experience. Honestly, this is the one to order two portions of if you really wanted to repeat something.

Lamb Chops #2 Appetizer: I recognize that lamb is a dish that not everyone can appreciate equally because of the gaminess of lamb, but I really like their rendition. It is just cooked so well and has a really nice sauce - the smoked jalapeno anticucho to give it that bit of spice in the dish. Really a big fan of their lamb chop. Do note that this does come a bit slower (came out after the sushi/sashimi even)

Tuna Tataki #3 Appetizer: Probably the dish that flew off the plate the fastest for my family. I didn’t even have that much of this dish because my sister was busy gobbling this up! But this is a classic example of tasty ingredients & preparation leading to tasty appetizers.

Yellowtail Tartare #4 Appetizer: Taste alone, I probably wouldn’t rank it at #4, but I think this is the dish that is the most nicely presented. It is presented tableside with a sauce and 9 condiments. After it is mixed, it is placed elegantly on a piece of brioche toast. I would say this is more of a “order for the spectacle” kind of dish. It’s also nice for a group of 4, as it comes with 4 pieces of brioche toast.

Dibba Bay Oysters 3 Ways #5 Appetizer: Maybe a bit of a shame if you’re here with 4 people because there are 3 pieces of the oyster. Nonetheless, the one that I had - the sweet onion salsa - is really good. The oyster alone is already great - doesn’t taste sandy or anything like that - and the sauce just elevates it, so I think the sauce is a nice addition.

Wagyu AB Taco #6 Appetizer: A really classic taco that you can’t go wrong with. This is probably the dish I would recommend for those who are pickier with their food - there are even 3 different types of tacos that you can choose from. I like their taco base - firm but not too hard and the filling is good too.

I just want to clarify that anything beyond this point MAY be perceived as the bottom 50%, but these are still really good nonetheless!

New Carpaccio #7: This is another one of those dishes that fall victim to my sister loving it - and one of the dishes that definitely could be a lot higher if I had a bit more to try XD. But this is another one of those nice sauce + sashimi dishes.

Lobster Tempura #8: Sometimes I’m a bit torn about whether an ingredient as luxurious as lobster should be deep-fried for tempura, but this dish definitely does the lobster justice. A simple finger food kind of appetizer that you can’t stop once you have your first piece.

Galbi Short Rib #9: Probably one of the more simple (but of course, a lot of detail is taken in the entire process) dishes among the appetizers, but you have a nice mouthful of galbi short rib + ssamjang + house pickles. A good mouthful!

Scallops on the Half Shell #10: You have a spicy combination of kimchi, veal bacon, and gochujang butter elevating a couple of pieces of the scallop. I think the flavors of this dish could be on the stronger side, but otherwise, it’s still a decent dish.

Grilled Octopus #11: This one is a bit so-so for me. The octopus in itself is so-so, and it is carried by the selection of sauces on the side. There’s also mashed potato with some sort of truffle element.

Salmon Tiradito #12: This one is probably more to do with my personal aversion for more '“out there” combinations - this one being salmon + peach. This is definitely the one to avoid if you one more of the typical Japanese/Korean cuisine flavors.

Bonus

They also gave us a few complimentary rolls, gyozas, and even a matcha-black sesame sponge cake of some sort. You know when the complimentary food is coming when a lady in traditional dress and makeup starts walking around.

Free food is free food and I kinda love this!

How it Tastes (Sushi/Sashimi)

For the sushi/sashimi, we went with 1 AB Sushi, 1 AB Sashimi, 1 Perfect Storm Roll, & 1 Protein Roll.

I think the simple way to put this would be you can’t really go wrong with the AB Sushi/Sashimi. The fish used in the making of these offerings are really good and I think these are the options you want to go for if you’re not as familiar with other types of sushi.

Perfect Storm Roll is more for those who like that crunch/fried element as part of your sushi experience. Also for those who enjoy a good chipotle mayo with their sushi.

I wasn’t as fond of the protein roll as the others, per se, but I think it offers another option for those who like tuna, salmon, and crab to enjoy!

I think it’s definitely worth having a Perfect Storm Roll to share and maybe multiple AB Sushi/Sashimi sets so you can try the different nigiri/sashimis. As again, this is more about my personal preference.

How it Tastes (Mains)

We had 1 of each main they had on their Social Sunday Menu: 48 Hour Short Rib, Jidori Chicken, Miso Black Cod, and their Tindle Tobayaki.

I think my favorite would be the Miso Black Cod. This is a really classic dish that was executed really well, bringing all the flavors together. They even have a Yuja Sake Foam - which brings a bit of sweetness to the dish and adds a layer of complexity to the flavors.

The Jidori Chicken is definitely the ‘safe’ choice for most picky eaters. You have a chicken cooked to perfection coupled with a potato puree (which also has a bit of truffle-infused inside - I suspect it is similar/same as the one used for the grilled octopus.

I would say that maybe I’m picky, but the 48-hour short rib was not as melt-in-my-mouth as I expected. The taste is great, but I was just expecting that luxurious melt-in-your-mouth kind of feeling.

I actually had to Google for the Tindle Tobanyaki. Tindle is basically a vegan chicken made from plants! I would say taste-wise, it isn’t too far off chicken, but from the texture, you can tell it isn’t quite chicken. This is probably the most nicely presented dish, with them pouring the sauce in front of you with the subsequent sizzle when it happens.

How it Tastes (Desserts)

We had each of the three desserts: Chocolate in a Cup, Apple Harumaki, and Spice Souq.

The simplest way for me to put this is: go for the chocolate in a cup and you can’t go wrong. Really rich chocolate with banana foam and vanilla gelato can never go wrong.

The other two were hit-and-miss for me. The apple harumaki is comparable to an apple churro, only not as hard/crunchy. The spice souq is so-so and didn’t leave a lasting impression for me.

Star Rating

9/10. Honestly, super yummy meal that more than justifies the price tag. A REALLY good place to go in a group of 4 and try everything they have on offer.

One extra note - because I think it is a cool thing to have (and my family kind of used it to the max) - they have a lady on the side making cute Japanese bookmarks. You can ask her to make one (and it makes for a nice present for friends and family) or you can even sit down and learn how to make it yourself - adding a personal touch!