Hawkerboi - The Park JLT — Restaurant in Dubai

We visited this restaurant for my boyfriend’s birthday dinner. I had mentioned the occasion in our reservation and even confirmed it again over the phone when the restaurant called to double-check.

We arrived and the place was really cool and vibey, and I have to say the food was fantastic. We ordered a Thai beef salad that was absolutely delicious and some beef satay skewers that were super tender and juicy. We also ordered half a duck, which was really good, though we couldn’t finish it because it was just a lot of food for us.

Honestly, the food was the highlight and we’d definitely come back just for that.

Now, on the service side, there were a few hiccups. We were initially seated near a terrace door that kept being left open, so it got uncomfortably warm. We moved to another table after finishing our starters, which was fine, but there were some little service mix-ups, like a waitress asking if we were ready to order when we’d already eaten half our meal and were just waiting for the next course (the duck).

Drinks were a bit of a letdown. One cocktail had almost no noticeable alcohol, and another that was supposed to be vodka-based turned out to be prosecco-based, basically a mix-up in either product knowledge or the bar’s execution. (Called Hawker Berry I guess, waiter said it’s vodka based but it was served in prosecco glasses and was bubbly, which was nice but definitely not a vodka).

When we were done with the duck (we couldn’t finish it, were too full), we decided to order just one dessert for us to share. Staff knew we were full as they even asked if we wanted to take the leftover duck to go, we said no, and ordered our mango sticky rice (which was yum and very enjoyable !).

When we were done with the mango sticky rice, my bf was very sleepy, so he ordered Red Bull. We were full and tired, ready to leave, so I was about to ask for the check.

Here the awkward part starts: at the end, they brought out a birthday dessert (a brownie with ice cream) with a little celebration (a hat put on my bf’s head and some singing and clapping) which would have been sweet if they hadn’t just added it to our bill without warning. We were already full and hadn’t ordered it, so paying for an unrequested dessert felt pretty inconsiderate. I wish they had just asked if we wanted a surprise dessert and let us choose which one, or let us know it wouldn’t be complimentary. Or could have done that clapping and singing when we ordered the desert of our choice - the mango sticky rice.

Because of that, I ended up paying for something we didn’t even eat, didn’t choose, didn’t request.

Overall, the food was fantastic, and I’d come back for that alone, but the drinks and service details could definitely be improved.

If they wanted to do a birthday celebration moment, they could have easily done it when serving our mango sticky rice dessert: something we had actually chosen and paid for. Instead, knowing we are full, just finished our dessert, they brought out an additional birthday dessert that we never wanted. We had no interest in it, but they included it in the bill without informing us that it wouldn’t be complimentary. Of course I paid without saying anything, but I just feel this is wrong. You don’t impose the dessert you want on your clients and ask them to...

Hawker Boi, the infamous supper club, now has a permanent home, one the first floor in Splendor Fields,the Park in JLT. Which on its own is a gorgeous place. Now here’s what to expect, firstly it’ll be licensed,( it’s not yet but I was told soon ) also it’s advised to do a reservation, if you’re more than five people, cause they’re open for dinner only atm and service starts at 7pm. They’re accepting walk-ins but I went on Friday night and it was packed. Tbh it’s a place that has the perfect balance between I’d go here on a date & let’s hang out here with friends. Food portions are small, so I would say the more the merrier so you order more dishes and try everything. They have a specialty roast menu. I have attached photos of the menu. Now what did we have, in no particular order:-

Fried Squid ( these were crisp & delicious,generous portion) Chicken and Truffle Shumai ( were only 3 😭, were so goo, I wanted to order a dozen) Prawn Skewer ( ask for the sauce on the side, if you’re not a fan peanut sauce, cause they’re grilled to perfection) Takir Lemonade ( it’s a cooler, get it ) Thai Colada ( there’s no pineapple in this colada, something different to try ) Thai Beef Salad ( possibly the best I’ve had in Dubai, in the longest time, I love the General Tsao salad at Common Grounds, and I’m generally a fan on Thai Beef Salads so I try them everywhere I see them on the menu, this one was perfection. The beef was tender, the spice was right ) Duck Gyoza with Ginger ( generous portion, and freshly prepared they do a selection of other duck dishes too) Char Kway Teow (a definite order, they’ve again the juicy beef with flat noodles, aromatic stuff ) Wok Fried Soft Shell Crab ( the sauce is good, the crabs are done well, you’d love this main course, order some rice on the side ) String Beans ( I’ve had better 🙊🙈) BBQ Pineapple ( I wish there was lesser cake & more bbq pineapple in this, not my jam ) Mango Sticky Rice ( I’ve had better)

I would revisit my desserts choices cause they weren’t things I tried. Rest everything is great & I can’t wait to be back with the gang. So happy that such chilled places are opening up in Dubai. Also there’s parking right infron of the plaza as apposé to the general situation in JLT which is a plus for this venue in my...

Let me just start by saying – vibes were immaculate, the artwork on the walls; sublime, the cocktails; supreme, and the food.. really really good.

Went as a walk in with my boyfriend on a Friday night and we had only two options of seating - the bar or the terrace as indoor was already fully booked. It was busy, we sat at the bar for drinks and though the prices were a bit high (comparable to your typical DIFC joint), they were decent. The place was already buzzing by 8pm though the DJ wasn’t there yet. We then moved to the terrace, and at the midst of May in Dubai it was already quite warm. Between two people, we ordered the duck gyoza, papaya salad, baby chicken, and massaman curry and a side of paratha. Everything was really quite tasty, papaya salad reminded me of the kind you’d get at a fried chicken shop on a random sidewalk in Bangkok, but with a twist, though I wish they pounded the papaya a bit more or shredded it thinner - it was still quite stiff but def delicious. Gyozas were lovely, the duck flavour just hits you quick but this dish’s superstar is the sauce, after we had finished the gyozas I was gobbing on the gyoza sauce like it was my next cocktail lol. Literally grabbed the little sauce tin and sipped on that gyoza sauce like no tomorrow. Mains arrived, I enjoyed the massaman curry that came with a side of white rice although I found it quite rich for my palate and asked for some vinegar on the side to cut through the creaminess. Baby chicken was beautifully cooked and tender.

Overall a great experience at Hawkerboi. Service was top notch too. Though there was only one waiter covering the whole terrace she was on top of it and had a great attitude and gave really good recommendations. Really friendly, even though it was obvious that everyone was fighting for her attention. By the time we had left there was a queue of people waiting to be seated, obviously for really...