No matter how advanced tourism becomes, The Palm in Dubai will always be one of the world’s most daring developments, thrusting out into the Arabian Gulf with its branches lined with some of the most jaw droppingly luxurious hotels and villas you’ll ever get within touching distance of. One of these is W Dubai – The Palm.

The hotel is a palace, but not the kind where laws are written and rules are obeyed. It’s a place for partying. The hotel glitters from every angle under the Arabian sun, and the building itself seems to rise up from the ground in a curvy, elegant sort of way. Here, you know you’re in good hands. At the very top of the hotel sits Akira Back, a panoramic restaurant with views over the iconic Marina skyline.

W hotels worldwide pride themselves on a pedigree of culinary offerings, and Dubai is no different. Akira Back is a professional snowboarder, turned adrenaline-fuelled culinary master. His restaurant blends modern tastes of Japanese cuisine with Korean flavours to create a fusion never seen in this part of the world before.

Akira Back, if you’re not familiar with the name, is someone who is familiar with a lot of names. From having restaurants and pop-ups across the world, including the infamous Yellowtail at the Bellagio in Vegas, he’s become a chef to the stars, with A-Listers on his list of regular diners.

His menus takes on a sharing culture to multiply the opportunities, where interesting ingredients are mixed with unexpected flavours.

In any ordinary setting, a tuna pizza would be a controversial choice to say the least, but anyone will agree that the Palm, or even Dubai, is anything but ordinary. Tuna pizza here is actually one of the most famous dishes.

Granted, it’s not the kind of pizza you wake up in bed with after a heavy night – it’s actually a tortilla with thinly sliced tuna sashimi, ponzu mayo and white truffle oil, with micro shiso scattered on the top. Forget what you know about pizza, because this is the future.

Ask any friend who’s dined with Akira Back and they’ll tell you not to leave without eating two things – the tuna pizza, and the AB Tacos. If you’re familiar with the magic that is Korean cooking, you’ll already be sold. These crispy tacos are stuffed with beef wagyu galbi and topped with ponzu sauce, which packs so much flavour you’ll be telling your friends about it too.

Akira Back. W Dubai – The Palm. West Crescent, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai. www.akirabackdubai.com www.wdubaithepalm.com.

Author

Northern girl Laura is the epitome of a true entrepreneur. Laura’s spirit for adventure and passion for people blaze through House of Coco. She founded House of Coco in 2014 and has grown it in to an internationally recognised brand whilst having a lot of fun along the way. Travel is in her DNA and she is a true visionary and a global citizen.

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