Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel - Dubai

Thanks to Whats On, myself and a pal of mine were lucky enough to win a nights stay in Emirates Towers plus four dinners at a handful of their amazing restaurants. Booked in for the weekend before I was heading back to the UK on holiday, the stay came at a perfect time and gave me a chance to chill out and catch some rays before heading home. I have always admired Emirates Towers from a far  - as well as being one of the most stunning architectural buildings among the Dubai skyline, the two towers combined also offer a luxury shopping destination suitably named the Boulevard as well as a roster of  great restaurants, night clubs and cafes as well as hotel rooms and offices. To sum up, you could live there (and only there) for 6 months and probably not get bored. 

Emirates Towers is also part of the infamous Jumeirah Group, so as an added benefit of staying at Emirates Towers guests can use the beach at Jumeirah Beach Hotel as well as Wild Wadi giving you the best of both worlds - a day by the sea and a day surrounded by the buildings, hustle and bustle and of course the shopping of Down Town Dubai. 

The hotel itself is consistently voted one of the world's finest business hotels, and I can see why this would be the case. Location wise, it is right next to DIFC - the biggest financial district in Dubai, and in terms of the benefits of the hotel, the majority of the restaurants are tailored towards business dinners/lunches and all offer exquisite fine dining menus, fancy interiors and incredibly attentive staff. The 400 rooms on offer come decked out desks, high speed internet, an essential coffee machine and huge floor to ceiling windows allowing tonnes of light into the room. 

Our room was completely different to the hotel rooms we normally stay in.. On entry, the curtains automatically opened to show off amazing views of the Burj Khalifa, the bed, perfectly placed in-front of the window (I could of sat for hours with a coffee in the morning just gazing out). Everything electric was automatic from the lights to the curtains with a handy panel by the side of the bed to control it all - no actual switches present or necessary. Even though the rooms weren't huge they had everything you would of wanted from a large swanky bathroom with a large bath and shower, a plasma TV, a sofa and desk area and a huge, mega comfy bed with massive squishy pillows - they need to start selling these online! 

Even though the rooms do not have balconies, there are smoking rooms available and other designated areas throughout the hotel. There is also a hotel spa (which I sadly didn't get a chance to try) as well as a handy shuttle bus system ferrying people to and fro from Jumierah Beach Hotel, Wild Wadi, Souk Madinat and Dubai Mall. All in all it was pretty faultless in terms of a business hotel and I would recommend anyone to stay there if they were stopping over for a night in Dubai (its conveniently close to the airport). The staff are accommodating, and will always go the extra mile to help and the choice of restaurants on offer is outstanding with every type of cuisine under the sun on offer.   

West 14th - Oceana The Palm, Dubai

West 14th might just be my new favorite joint in Dubai for a casual dinner - I can't believe its taken me this long to try out the fab steak shack on the Palm. Overlooking the sea with views of the Marina on the main land, West 14th is a great place to unwind or gear up. Offering up swanky indoor dining options, decked out with black and red interiors appearing sleek and very 'New York' as well as a chilled out al fresco eating area, filled with long tables, great views, cool breeze and a bar which is reachable from every angle - the perfect place for sunny d's - flips flops are not only allowed outside when eating, they are appreciated which is nearly unheard of in a place as dressy as Dubs.

At the core, West 14th is a steak house, however, fish and fresh market veg are also served up as well as other meats, vegetarian dishes and other fruit de la mer.  Vegetables are often home grown in Dubai however the steak comes straight from a ranch in Nebraska - ordered by Mr West himself - the resident butcher at the Oceana based hang out. I must say, the steak is delicious and reasonably priced for the quality...

Quality must be high up on the list of commitments Mr West wants to keep, as the wine (we sampled a selection of whites, reds and rose), like the food, went down a treat - the cheapest glass being 38aed, meaning you get more for your money (so i thought..). This however, is not necessarily the case. As it tastes so damn good it is very easy to spend more than anticipated - a clever trick there from Mr West. The ingrained West 14th stamp that is burnt into pretty much everything (chopping boards, uniforms, menus etc) is prominent for all customers to see giving the place a unique/edgy touch, and the staff, emblazoned with large name tags, are helpful, friendly and on the whole, knowledgeable.

Just a few things to note:

• Drinks service can be quite slow - be warned!
• Happy Hour is from Saturday - Wednesday with two for one offers between 6-8
• They do a great (so im told..) brunch on a Friday donned "The Butchers Brunch" 
• From the car, its quite a walk in heels - make sure they are comfy! 

Its safe to say that ill be heading back for many more steak nights in the near future. 

TOMO - Raffles Hotel, Near Wafi Mall, Dubai

Set on the 35th Floor of The Raffles Hotel sits TOMO which brings Dubai authentic food straight from the heart of Japan. TOMO - meaning 'lifelong friend' - encourages people to come, eat splendid food, share memorable occasions and is a place where the staff and chef want the diners to feel at home (which is very apparent through the attentive and friendly servers).

Split into bar and restaurant, it is easy enough to pop in for a drink as it is to go for dinner with large, spacious rooms inside as well as two expansive balconies which wrap around each side of the top floor offering up amazing views of the extensive sandpit skyline and down town Dubai.

TOMO surprised me in a few ways. Firstly, being out of the center of the 'city that never sleeps', there was a lot of life in this hotel with people bustling around the hotel, the glam pack heading to People by Crystal or Qbara, or shoppers hitting up the Wafi Mall. Secondly, the views were incredible, giving you a full on view of the sun set with barely any obstructions (try and ignore the odd crane that crops up). And thirdly, the extensive, unique menu and healthy light cocktail choice.

They offer happy hour until 7pm every night with a selection of BOGOF offers (including cocktails!). Try either Cucumber or Noshi Martini - light and (reasonably) healthy as far as cocktails go.
When it came to ordering food we decided to be slightly adventurous (as the menu is quite wild and wacky compared to other Japanese menus i have seen) and got a selection of hot and cold dishes to share. It was the first time I had also seen a variety of 'tuna' on the menu. Not only was there normal tuna, there was also a fatty tuna, a very fatty tuna and a medium fatty tuna... to be honest, i didn't really see the difference until we tried the fatty tuna maki rolls - so delicious - i'd like to know what they feed these fish!!

Other dishes to try would be the tempura Gobi fish, the rice porridge with egg and salmon and the pickled octopus. As far as sushi restaurants go I wouldn't choose it over Sake No Hana, however it is the best all round Japanese restaurant I have been to and well worth a visit.

Note: even though it is a great spot to visit throughout the year, in order to dine outside with the views, go in the cooler months as the terrace is closed for dinner during the summer months.