When restaurants arrive in Dubai, they like to have something unique to make sure they make their mark on the city. And that’s exactly what Tanuki, a new Downtown Pan-Asian spot aims to do with its rather unique host – which comes in robo rather than human form.
As well as greeting guests at the entrance, the Tanuki robot can interact with customers, and little ones are encouraged to greet the robot, ‘who will entertain them with a song or dance and offer them a ticket or voucher redeemable at Tanuki’, according to the team behind the new restaurant.
Tanuki occupies the space on the edge of The Dubai Mall formerly occupied by The Noodle House, and arrives in Dubai by way of Miami and Russia. There are more than 70 branches currently between the two areas, with Tanuki Dubai marking the chain’s first Middle Eastern venue.
The recently opened Asian spot boasts both indoor and outdoor seating, featuring a terrace with prime views of the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Fountains.
On the menu guests can expect high-quality Asian dishes at mid-market price that include sushi, sashimi, dim sum and hot and cold Asian fusion dishes. Highlights include the Tanuki Tom Yam soup, shinsei maki with Crab, warmed Maki rolls such as eel and cream cheese or California hot maki.
Guests can also enjoy hand-made Dim Sum and XianLongBao with chicken, truffle or seafood, as well as a selection of wok-fried noodles and rice dishes.
