When you eat amazing food in a stunning setting, yet the restaurant is empty, you wonder if there’s something up. Satine launched in April this year, as the Mediterranean restaurant above the also new and popular Nikki beach based in Pearl Dubai. And it hasn’t taken off…yet.  

What does Satine mean?

According to the Satine website, the restaurant was inspired ‘by the star character of the hit movie Moulin Rouge, played by Nicole Kidman. With her fiery red hair, her elegant style and her unique personality, Satine’s passion and emotion would mesmerize the senses of everyone she encountered.’

 “They called her the ‘Sparkling Diamond,’ and she was the star…of the Moulin Rouge.”

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‘Elegant style and unique personality’

Off the beaten track

It’s not uncommon all around the world, for people to travel a little bit outside the City to go to an exclusive amazing restaurant. I’ve wondered will that be a trend here. While people visit Bab Al Shams, the reasons are a bit different. It is a relatively accessible desert retreat, as apposed to just a place for a meal.

While Nikki Beach doesn’t appear too far from the city on the map, (it’s on the coast and not too far from Downtown Dubai) it’s still a good way out and is very much in isolation. It will be great to see if more restaurants appear off the beaten track, that are worth the journey out. 

Filling the void

This is the type of restaurant you would love to know existed if you were going on holiday. Glamours interior, peaceful setting and great food. You may expect to find Satine located in the Mediterranean, but this type of beachside exclusive restaurant is not that plentiful in Dubai. I would say it’s the only one of its kind. 

What to order…

The food has a freshness about it, eager to please and full of surprises. The following selection won’t disappoint. 

Crab or Squid & Muscles. Beef filet, stracciatella truffled celeriac and horseradish with burrata and lasagna. Finish with the perfect peach desert.  

Oh, and the Moscow mules to cool off after a day at the pool aren’t bad either!

Details

Location: Satine is located on Level 1, Mezzanine Floor, Nikki Beach Dubai, Pearl Jumeirah, (see map below) .

Cost: Starters will set you back between 75 and 175, and mains range form to 120 to 290 AED. Sides average 35 AED and sweets are 50 AED 

Opening times: Saturday to Wednesday 19:00 – 2:00 and Thursday to Friday 19:00 ≠– 3:00. Also every Friday and Saturday the terrace will open early at 17:00 for “Satine Sunsets”

The Verdict: This place is about to become a popular hot spot

It usually takes a while for word to get out about any new restaurant in Dubai.  I remember when living opposite Pier 7, watching it being built for a year, and wondering for the next year why they built it because no one attended, but then all of a sudden it was full, and continues to be. 

But if you work in a restaurant that isn’t busy, it’s hard to keep up morale. The staff at Satine have no need to worry, this place will get busy. Probably not during Ramadan. But by the end of the year, we will all have photos such as the below in our Instagram feeds.