Food Blog | 99 Sushi Bar & Restaurant | The Address Downtown | Downtown Dubai

I would say that a lot of the Japanese restaurants in Dubai are a bit more on the fusion side - namely Roka, Zuma, 3 Fils, & Goldfish (many more examples, but these are what pop into my head). I would say that 99 Sushi Bar & Restaurant is probably up there in terms of being one of the more authentic Japanese cuisine spots in Dubai. Here’s what I thought of it!

Context: I came here for their business lunch offering a few months back (just before Ramadan) - their menus do rotate slightly from season to season (one of the good points about their set lunch) so do note that you will most likely have something slightly different upon your visit.

Where it Is

It is located in The Address Hotel Downtown. What’s nice about Sushi 99 is that you can walk straight over to Dubai Mall from the restaurant and even see the fountain (if you sit outside). I wouldn’t recommend sitting outside in the summer, because it can really get pretty hot.

If you do valet your car at the hotel, it’s a pretty long walk over to the restaurant (including one faulty lift which stops on every floor because of some poor programming). I would say that it’s a pretty nice idea to park at Dubai Mall, walk over to 99 Sushi Bar & Restaurant, and then walk back over to Dubai Mall to do a bit of shopping.

Address: The Address Downtown - Downtown Dubai - Dubai - UAE

 

Operating Hours:

MONDAY TO SUNDAY
12:00 PM – 3:30 PM / 7:00 PM – 12:30 AM

LOUNGE BAR
12:00 AM – 02:00 AM

OMAKASE BUSINESS LUNCH

WEEKDAYS 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

What it Costs

When I went a few months back, this was still one of the few places that were serving their business lunch on a Friday, so this is an option if you’re looking for a Friday business lunch (do check though, because this is subject to any changes that they have made).

I went with my parents and we ate for a grand total of AED479.80.

The basis business lunch set is AED149 nett (after taxes) and we had a large bottle of sparkling water to share (AED30). There’s a 7% municipality fee & a VAT of 5%, but all menu prices have already accounted for this - so there’s no additional charge on top of menu prices.

The business lunch menu on the day of our visit was the following:

How it Tastes

Honestly, I would say that there have been 3 Japanese restaurants that I would really recommend (from the ones that I’ve tried so far). The 3 would be 3 FIls (because of quality, and their fusion twist to a lot of Japanese dishes), Tomo (because I think it is the most authentic - from their donburis to their sushis, etc.), and 99 Sushi Bar & Restaurant (because of location, and the amazing pure sushi experience).

The first dish of their business lunch menu is the hosomaki - the chu-toro with leek. Honestly, a very interesting dish to start off the meal. The rice is so soft and texture-wise very similar to the tuna so it almost blends together texture-wise. I’m a big tuna fan and this tuna is pretty good. This is on the less fatty side - so it makes for a not that fatty start to the meal.

Honestly, their next two starters seem so simple but they are actually so good.

The edamame is really elevated from simple finger food to a really umami, really sophisticated finger food that you can’t stop eating. They do it with the help of Kobe wagyu fat, shichimi togarashi (Japanese chili flakes), & truffle. Seriously, this dish is one of those finger foods that you can’t stop eating.

Their CapuMiso soup (I’m not sure what word Capu refers to) is so freakin’ yummy. And it’s all because of that layer of decadent fermented soy with seaweed, truffle, leek, and tofu foam on top. Seriously, that foam has a nice saltiness and almost fluffy texture that really takes this miso soup over the top and transforms it into something really, really good.

Their baby squid tempura is a combination of a really nice tempura batter and almost more importantly, a luxurious yuzu mayonnaise sauce. I always think the sauce is a really key component of tempura and this sauce is absolutely nailed - along with the cook on the tempura.

Next up, you have the 2 nigiri served together. The fatty tuna and the yellowtail nigiri. The fatty tuna has the classic melt-in-your-mouth quality to it - and it has a really nice marbling to it. The yellowtail nigiri is decent as well. They have some jalapeno and gochujang accompanying the yellowtail nigiri and I think it’s so-so in terms of how it pairs with the yellowtail nigiri overall.

Then, you have the scallop flambe nigiri (hotate with yuzu mayonnaise) & their quail egg nigiri (with black truffle). Honestly, I think that the quail egg nigiri is SO PRETTY. It’s such a showstopper if you ask me. The taste isn’t particularly exceptional - I’m more a fan of fish/tamago style nigiris - but it’s still pretty interesting to see and taste. The scallops are decent as well.

The main protein of the business set lunch is their outside skirt steak with galangal sauce. I would say that the meat is really good and the sauce it is paired with is really delicious as well. I’m a REALLY big fan of their potatoes. Really crispy exterior and an almost fluffy interior - and it goes really well with the galangal sauce as well. The potatoes are a bit on the heavy side (even though there are only two and are pretty small), but delicious nonetheless.

The meal is finished off with a yummy cup of coffee and a selection of chocolates.

Star Rating

8.5/10. This place is a bit pricey if you eat here without the business lunch, but their business lunch offering is among the best I’ve had. Their food is really good and they provide wonderful service as well. This is a place that I would definitely recommend you guys check out for their business lunch!