Tucked away in a corner, right at the top of Dubai Mall, is Tulum, a Mexican restaurant which offers, in the chef’s own words “authentic Mexican cuisine.”
The fourth floor of the UAE’s super-mall is about as far from the once quiet and beautiful but now so-cool-it-hurts Mexican beach town from which this restaurant takes its name as it’s possible to be. But, what this Tulum does have though, is a spectacular view over the Dubai Fountain, more on which later.
The owners say they have worked hard to source ingredients direct from Mexico and we’re told that’s where all the avocados we’re about to eat come from. Mind you, with Mexico responsible for nearly half of the avocados eaten in the world, it would be a shame if they’d come from Peru.
Still, the guacamole they were used for was what it should be: creamy, savoury and with a good kick. A scallop ceviche was equally punchy, before bone marrow esquites and a tomato tortilla soup arrived to calm things down.
Avocado tempura was a delicious mouthful of deep-fried creaminess with a smokey chipotle sauce. They come in portions of three. Order more, because one will not be enough.
The grilled octopus and squid, Tulum’s best-sellers, were blowtorched at the table and were a little heavy on the torch, but we can forgive that because of what followed: dessert.
Listed as Consuelos on the menu, what arrived was a kind of churro bun. Sandwiched between it was a vanilla and salted caramel ice cream. The churro crunched under the spoon and the simple mix of sweet, deep fried dough and slightly savoury filling made us sit quietly for two minutes, concentrating intently on the bowl in front of us.
Meanwhile, out on Tulum’s terrace, other diners were watching the Dubai Fountain show. The main advantage of being so high up in Dubai Mall is the view it affords you over the lake. From here you get a far superior view of the show, like an inverted fireworks display. As the temperature begins to drop and sitting outside is an option again, Tulum’s terrace will be well-worth climbing the escalators for.
