Wasl 51 has become a foodie haven. And now there’s another major contender on the list: Aatish, serving up a globe-trotting menu with live-fire cooking at its heart.

The new restaurant was founded by four friends, aka the Strong Boys, a name that stuck after they were catcalled by women. The quartet brings together Reza Namazi and Amin Ebra, who operate Iranish, Alex Augusti of Just Food and head chef Abdul Hakim of The Meating Room. Together, they wanted to bring the memorable flavours from their travels back to Dubai. And so, Aatish was born.

No frills here, just great food from four foodie adventurers.

“You eat with your eyes first,” a concept Alex is familiar with. But beneath a painted map charting their foodie travels, we mentally disagreed as our sense of smell took over.

Chefs grilled and plated dishes from the open kitchen, and the smell of grilled meat greeted us the second we took our seats.

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We began our journey curated by the Strong Boys with the Hawker’s Sup Kambing, a soup the quartet tried at a Singapore hawker stall. They loved it so much; they returned the next day. And it’s clear why. The comforting broth carries a gentle heat, while each spoonful leaves behind a subtle taste of lamb.

Sinan’s Sizzling Prawns, named after the food tour guide who showed the foodies around Istanbul, packs a serious flavour punch. We cleaned the bowl with onion bread, lapping whatever we could of the garlic butter and red chilli.

Next up were the Psychedelic Lamb Chops, which Alex assured us we were going to love. And he wasn’t wrong. Smoky, seriously good and easily one of our favourites.

For a little extra feed appeal, we opted for the T-Rex bone marrow, a fire-roasted bone marrow served with marrow sauce and onion jam, which Alex gladly plated up for us. You know… for the ‘Gram, and it had the flavour to back the look.

The team were friendly, attentive and all smiles throughout our meal. There was a relaxed warmth to the service, with staff checking in when needed without ever making us feel rushed.

Hawker’s Sup Kambing (for two) Dhs55
Sinan’s Sizzling Prawns Dhs65
Psychedelic Lamb Chops Dhs130
T-Rex Bone Marrow Dhs120

Four foodies, years of experience and a whole lot of flavour between them? It seems the Strong Boys might just be onto something with Aatish. There’s personality behind the menu, plenty of dishes worth talking about and, most importantly, food we’d happily come back for.

Location: Wasl 51
Time: Tues to Sun 1pm to 12am
Contact: 056 387 8876
@aatishdubai

Images: Aatish

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