Located in the newly reopened The Address Downtown, The Restaurant ticks all the boxes from an interior design point of view - the place is stunning! The only downside is that there are no guests to enjoy the sleek and elegant restaurant - and during my visit a Thursday night, I even had to go look for staff to guide me to the bar - add to that that they had to call for a bartender, and the result is borderline “The Shining”. The bartender that finally does arrive knows his way around in the bar, but after serving the drinks, he was off again. Weird feeling being totally alone in a bar - or actually the whole restaurant. As it turns out, The Restaurant is even open 24/7, which makes me think that this is nothing out of the ordinary for the staff - if they do have any guests in the wee morning hours, they probably would feel as lonely and unattended as myself.
If you can find the bar and then find a bartender, you will be able to enjoy the zenlike quietude of being alone - sometimes needed in a place like Dubai.
Atmosphere: 3/8
The place is literally deserted - on a Thursday night.
Cocktails: 5/8
Cocktails are decent, but they lack panache and soul.
Bartender: 5/8
Our bartender was just above par, but he could as well be out of touch due to the lack of guests.
Ice: 3/8
Small ice cubes dilute the drinks too fast.