Hoseki holds up.

A subtle and unique Japanese experience.

Should you be interested, I’ve written about Hoseki previously, from my first visit when the Bulgari Hotel opened. It was, and remains, one of the favorite restaurants in the UAE. As I am rather consistently asked, my top three restaurants consist of the nine seats at Hoseki, the five seats at the original High Joint, and the twenty or so at Tresind Studio. Apparently, I like limited space dining.

In a city where I rarely visit the same place twice, Hoseki had been talked about with my food group, the BonBons, for a few months before we decided to make a booking. There are three different packages available at the lunch seating (and two for dinner):

• Kohaku AED 700 per person (1 hrs.): Appetizer Mozuku, Japanese omelette, miso soup, approximately 10 pieces of sushi.

• Hisui AED 1200 per person (1.5 hrs.): Appetizer Mozuku, Whitefish Sashimi, boiled fish, octopus monkfish liver 10 pieces of sushi.

• Ruri AED 1700 per person (2 hrs): Appetizers Mozuku, Hairy crab, white fish sashimi, Boiled fish…