Sam Dx
Google
5/5 stars for presentation
2/5 stars for everything else
Wow, I'm so glad I spent my special occasion at Kinara, Vikas Khanna's restaurant in Jebel Ali, Dubai. The first time I went, I was blown away by the glam and presentation. But, silly me, I thought the second time would be just as magical.
Boy, was I wrong. The food was good, but not "wow, I'm going to die from flavor explosion" good. The portions were small, because who needs to feel full when you're paying top dollar?
The quality of food was amazing, but that's not exactly a unique selling point, is it? I mean, I can get amazing quality food at literally any other restaurant in Dubai.
But what really made our experience special was the waiting. Oh, the waiting. We waited for what felt like an eternity for our food, and even longer for the dessert menu card. I mean, who needs dessert when you can just stare at an empty table for 20 minutes?
And don't even get me started on the service. Our server seemed to have forgotten that we existed, because nobody bothered to ask if we needed anything. Not even a refill on our drinks.
All in all, I'd highly recommend Kinara to anyone who wants to be disappointed on their special occasion. But hey, at least the presentation is pretty.
*Pro tip:* If you want to enjoy your meal, go somewhere else. If you want to take Instagram-worthy pictures, then Kinara is the place for you.