Mekong Restaurant at Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort — Restaurant in Dubai

Review Mekong is one of Anantara Dubai’s fine dining restaurants that promise Asian food that is a mix of Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. You need to go all the way to the end-tip of the east side of the Palm Jumeirah but be assured it's worth the trip!

The second you enter Mekong you notice it's full of this colorful yet traditional and very visually appealing decor that has an eclectic charm to it! From cute rickshaw booths outside to towering pillars that look like ceramic Chinese vases, silky curtains cluttered together against a wall to the cute little wooden chests on the table with a pink elephant in them all adds up like a treat to the eyes. Every element of the restaurant is adjourned very uniquely and attractively! We upon arrival were given a seating positioned right in the centre of the restaurant that almost felt like a private dining room that you had to get to by stepping on some large "walking stones" as they had separated the area by a little indoor pond that went around that square dining hall! Comfortable wooden couches and attentive and oh so friendly staff made sure our experience was untainted.

Being recently married, We were in a celebratory mood so we decided to order some champagne and their signature "rickshaw cocktail". 5 minutes into our order our server arrived with this huge rickshaw shaped tumbler obviously, with a flaming component to it, and a humble glass of some very smooth champagne.

Ready to order we started with some veggie dumplings and some chicken skewers. Food was on point with a special mention to the vegetarian dumplings- as they came in these almost crystallized skin and with a very drool worthy dipping spicy sauce! The skewers were largely portioned and definitely appeased our appetites! Champagne was refreshed and we decided to try another signature cocktail called the "eye of the dragon" which a) was a visual treat and b) tasted like stuff unicorns would have. Mind you the drinks here are very potent and surely a bang for your buck!

For main course we wanted to try the Thai green curry and some cashew chicken along with some Vietnamese vermicelli noodles! It's adorable how every dish on the menu is labeled with the respective country flag. The food arrived in like 15 minutes starting with the curry and the server offering two choices of rice we would like with it. One was the regular white rice and then was black organic rice. Floored by their original concept we tried both a little and went for the former as it was more suitable to our Indian palette! The cashew chicken was a melancholy of sweet and spicy and just the right mix with crispy cashews and some long beans cooked to perfection to add that extra crunch! The noodles on the other hand were subtly flavored but made a seductive combination when had with the chicken!

Completely over stuffed by now we obviously couldn't leave without the dessert so we ordered the "choco banana" on their recommendation as it was a signature and of course the very traditional mango with sticky rice pudding. We had no qualms about the taste factor so we dunked right into it and boy we couldn't stop! The sticky rice in itself was such a delight to have and the choco banana was basically steamed chocolate dumplings topped with a halved slice of banana served with 3 variations of coulis if I had to be specific! Each offering a completely different but very delectable taste to our buds.

Verdict Full points on all accounts. Our experience at Mekong was unforgettable and yes we will make a trip there again if we ever wish to eat "oriental fusion" cuisine, and you must too- not just to dine in but for the complete experience that you will get from the second you arrive! Don't forget to make a reservation!

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We really wanted to have Asian food for lunch and we came to know that they open only during the evening time so we waited for dinner and decided to head there for dinner instead. As soon as we walk in we came to know that they had happy hour from 6-7 and by that time it was already 6:40 pm so receptionist greeted us and said that we could still order from the happy hour menu. As we sat down and started ordering (thinking it’s happy hour) last min mins okay so we had dinner and many more drinks finally by the time the bill came, nothing was included in the happy hour and they charged us everything as a full price. So we asked but we thought it was the finale of happy hour and they said oh no but you didn’t order from the happy hour menu. Now as a guest we don’t know what menu belongs to happy hour or not. The waiter should inform us that this menu belongs to this and that belongs to that, so when we started asking why she didn’t mention anything. They twisted the plot and said she offered but you never asked for it. Now we dont mind paying the full price but why misinform us from the beginning? The manager was extremely rude and he didn’t want to understand our point of view, he was super defensive about the waiter and the waiter didn’t even come to our side to explain why she didn’t explain and why she didn’t mention that nothing is inclusive. Keep in mind between the drinks we ordered a special show with the bubbles that comes seperately with separate price and we still didn’t mind paying anything but the whole idea of how unprofessional the manager and the waiter is. HORRIBLE. Saddest part that both the manager and the waiter didn’t know how to apologize and accept their mistake. Even the receptionist decided to escape at that very second when we started raising the questions. customer service is bad and this really ruins the reputation of the place because of people have lack of information and knowledge. Would come again if they changed the waiters and the manager into more serious and professional people that actually know how to fulfill customer support and make the clients happy and want...

There is an excellent dining experience to be had by anyone lucky enough to find themselves at the Mekong in Dubai. When talking with the staff, do be kind and ask about the food and what they like. What you will find is that they care deeply about the dishes and their connection to it. The service quality far exceeds expectations so come for a dining experience.

They provide a small dish at the start to excite the palate with a range of flavors, which is smart as it acts like a tuning fork for the taste buds to be brought into functioning order before sampling the flavors of the dishes to come.

I had the duck red curry and was really impressed by the addition of cherry tomatoes and lychee, which I would not have known worked so well as a combo if I had not had this dish. Highly recommend.

There is opportunity to observe the kitchen through glass, which for some line cooks might be cause for anxiety, but the Mekong team appear to welcome it as it brings their patrons closer to them and the food they are preparing for them.

I really came away feeling like the Mekong cooking staff are punching below their weight class. Their menu has general fare asian items that they may feel are obligatory given the restaurant is located on the anantara resort, but they may be padding the menu unnecessarily. I am sure everything they make tastes great, but there may actually be some items on the menu they deeply love. Find those as it will contain more of their passion and that can be truly special.

Also, try to sit outside on the side without the "wheelchair seats" which seems to be for the resort pool goers…unless you just came from the...