Dinner By Heston Blumenthal *

Dubai, UAE

December 23rd, 2025

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal has been on our Dubai wish list for quite some time. This is not a restaurant you simply walk into, rather it’s one you arrive at. Tucked within Atlantis The Royal, the journey begins with a dramatic elevator ascent, water cascading around you, before revealing a discreet, almost secretive entrance.

Inside, the space is refined dark, elegant, and quietly cinematic. The menu, however, is what anchors everything. Rooted in historic British recipes dating back centuries, some as far as the 1300s, each dish feels thoughtfully reimagined rather than reinvented. As a family that enjoys a bit of food anthropology, this experience was genuinely fun. We opted for the tasting menu, feeling it would offer the most complete view of the restaurant’s perspective.

One of the most unique elements of the evening was the table card system. Guests can choose from three options to guide the level of interaction with the service team, ranging from minimal explanation to a deeper dive into the history behind each dish. It was a smart, engaging touch that allowed the experience to feel discreetly tailored.

The Pineapple Complication Designed By Seymourpowell

The exploration of the pineapple’s history in England was particularly fascinating. Once a rare delicacy used to signal wealth and status, its story was brought to life through a striking pulley apparatus that functioned as both interactive art and a working service piece.

That same sense of historical curiosity carried through to dessert with the nitrogen ice cream trolley, inspired by Agnes Marshall. Her forward-thinking ideas imagined rapid freezing techniques long before modern technology made them possible, turning dessert into both a moment of theater and a tribute to culinary innovation. And of course, no experience would be complete without Carmine leaning fully into the moment, his staging very much continuing (captured here). He took a turn at tableside service of the famous Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Trolley dessert, and Emma and I were genuinely impressed.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal isn’t just about dining; it’s about storytelling, atmosphere, and history, all delivered with confidence and care.