Jovee - Japanese & European Restaurant — Restaurant in Dubai

We ate at this lovely restaurant last December when we stopped off en route to the Maldives and loved the food, its energy and, of course the view of Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Fountain display. We returned to explore more of Dubai and decided to spend the evening of our 44th wedding anniversary back at Jovee. Great decision… We’d been told before from a friend who lives in Dubai to go to any of the restaurants that surround the fountains before you intend to eat to book a table. Not only to book, but to choose the table with the best views. This we did again and it worked out brilliantly. We turned up to be welcomed to our table and were met by our waiter for the night, Jamal, who could not have done more for us. He was permanently primed to provide anything and everything we needed. He’s also a very good photographer and videographer as well, providing lovely memories for us to cherish. The food was good in December but had gone up a notch or two since then and we later met Fay (the chef) who explained that they are working hard on consistency in terms of quality and this showed. After cocktails, we started our meal with popcorn chicken with a chipotle sauce and a Caesar salad, both were generous and tasty. This was followed by a salmon fillet cooked to perfection, with Jamal taking special note of the request for the skin to be crisp - it was. Meanwhile, I tried the Viennese chicken escalopes served with mashed potato and a spicy sauce which was really good but was actually too big a serving for me to manage (that’s just my age showing). During the meal one of the owners came over to thank us for returning and I mentioned that it was a special occasion, which was clearly logged as we were to find out. We turned down desert but ordered two glasses of champagne to round off our meal. Taking in the atmosphere of where we were, we suddenly heard the song ‘congratulations’ being played, within seconds staff, management and other diners were clapping and singing along as a tiramisu was brought to our table on a plate that had ‘Happy Anniversary’ written on it in chocolate sauce. Much embarrassment but much happiness that the Jovee team had taken so much time to make our meal very special indeed. So thanks to our server, Jamal who is Egyptian (and so obviously supports Liverpool in the Premier League!) to master chef Fay (the Tiramisu melted in the mouth) and to all at Jovee for an unforgettable evening. Will we return to Dubai again - who knows but if we do, a return visit to Jovee will be at the top of our list...

I had an extremely disappointing experience at this restaurant, and I feel compelled to share it.

We specifically chose this restaurant because it offers a great view of the Dubai Fountain show. We were seated at a table with a perfect view and placed our order. However, shortly after, the staff came over and told us that the table was "reserved" and asked us to move. They also mentioned that in order to sit there, we needed to order a minimum of 200 AED per person—something that was never mentioned when we were first seated.

Although we were frustrated, we moved to another table. But soon after, a Western family arrived, and the staff seated them at the exact same table without any mention of a reservation or a minimum spending requirement. They ordered a can of Evian, juice, and a glass of wine. We saw one of the staff asked them if they want to order more - they simply said No and still kept the best seats without question.

This kind of blatant discrimination is unacceptable. It was clear that the restaurant was prioritizing Western guests over others, even though we were paying customers...

Money-grabbing restaurant. very impolite. never again. I will write the problem in more detail. We were in your store on December 29th, 2023. We really wanted to sit outside to watch the water show. We were then asked to wait inside. After 10 minutes I went outside and wanted a smoke. I saw a free table for 2 people. I asked the staff if we could sit there. At the same time, another staff member guided another new customer to this free table. Of course I was shocked. I asked the staff why we weren't allowed to sit there. The staff was speechless and then said the table was reserved!! Of course that was a lie. Another 10 minutes passed. We were taken outside and given a table. Then the money-hungry boss came and said to the staff why we were left sitting there. Only customers who are eating are allowed to sit here. This sentence does not suit a shop owner and is very disgusting. How greedy someone has to be to mention such a sentence next to a customer. Please don't go there, there are many other restaurants nearby. That was my first time but also...