#ChicEats | The Best Vegan Restaurant In Dubai: Could Newly Opened Chinese Dining Destination, Tàn Chá Take Out The Top Spot?

From the eclectic food menu to the extraordinary décor, Bazaar Arabia’s Nina Catt checked out the waterside hotspot

Some restaurants attract it-crowds purely based on Instagramable photo ops, falling short on the culinary experience in oftentimes spaces we’ve repeatedly seen replicated time and time again, but Tàn Chá has refreshingly managed to snub the predictability of the ever-growing culinary scene with its two-floor, multiple-room, multi-sensory spaces with ease.

And the food is undeniably something to write home about.

Located at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai in Business Bay, the vision of restaurateur Alberto Barbieri promises guests a unique and elevated experience of contemporary cuisine from Hong Kong, fused with the flavours of provincial China in a chic and sophisticated setting with mood lighting that’s oh-so on-point.

Unintentionally competing for the title of ‘The Best Vegan Restaurant in Dubai’, this waterside hotpot isn’t actually a vegan restaurant, which makes it all the more applaudable when plant-based options are often so scarce.

Elevating the ambiance, digitally projected artworks and eclectic wallpapers have so obviously been meticulously thought out, as well as the roster of internationally renowned DJs who provide a flawless soundtrack to accompany the experience that is set across two floors, no doubt to transport diners away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

With five unique spaces, each room with a Chinese name; Bā (Chinese for eight), Lǎohǔ (tiger), Húlí (fox), Tùzî (rabbit) and Yángtái (terrace), having dinner and drinks here is akin to a culinary flight through an enchanted wonderland.

But Tàn Chá is more than just a pretty face. Its imaginative menu is bursting with diverse dishes, and while the signature peking duck with sweet bean paste, truffle foie gras and yu sang sauce is whispered to be out-of-this-world, it’s the plant-based offerings that were truly mind-blowing for a vegan such as myself.

Gracefully scattered throughout the extensive menu, as I turned each page I was both amazed and delighted at the huge medley of vegetarian and vegan dishes – often a rarity, especially in such a cool venue such as this. Here is a selection to whet your appetite…

The spicy cucumber salad of black fungus, rolled with cucumber served in a Szechuan dressing garnished with balsamic pearls.

Next up is the truffle fried rice crafted with Omni ‘meat’, broccoli, oyster mushrooms and fresh truffle. Which is utterly divine.

And my personal favourite, so much so that at the end of the meal after trying many, many dishes, I asked for another plate; the Song Lu Cheong Fun – a glorious medley of shitake, king oyster mushrooms, cordyceps and black truffle paste rolled into bite-sized pieces of oh-my-goodness-please-give-me-more.

Opulent and refined with a cool vibe without being overly flashy, Tàn Chá should be added to your ‘new restaurants to try’ list, pronto. Spoiler alert, they’ll even personalise your chopsticks.

Visit Tanchadubai.com for more information or to make a reservation.