Ninive — Restaurant in Dubai

Absolutely would not ever recommend this place!! The food portions are small and completely overpriced. The service cannot be rated because it doesn't exist at this venue and the overall evening was ruined by the treatment of the staff. We booked this place to have a nice ladies night out to celebrate a friends new job. Upon booking we advised we would like to come for wine and shisha and we were told it would be 250 pp which was fine. After being seated we were asked what we wanted for dinner, we told the waiter we had booked for just wine and shisha to which he seemed very disappointed and went off to get his female colleague. She comes to our seated area to explain to us that somehow WE have misunderstood our booking and that we need to spend the 250 AED on dinner ? Now obviously that makes ZERO sense because we are spending the money either way so 🤷‍♀️ anyway , we told her we would be happy to spend the money for drinks and shisha only  as that was what we booked for,  she didn't like that ... Guess what? now we have a second disgruntled rude waiter... GREAT! So she rolls her eyes and says she will come back to agree to let us spend our money how we want... How lovely.. joke absolutely ridiculous. She then returns and says that it is OK for us to spend the 250 pp on drinks but shisha is not included , she also had the audacity to tell us if we didn't do so we would be black marked and not be able to make a booking at the venue again... what is this mean girls "you can't sit with us" like sweetheart please we don't want to come back 4 years living in dubai and not once have I had this experience!.... honestly it is laughable at this point but whatever! we know it is nonsense but we agree, and ask to speak to her manager. She leaves and never returns. How nice. So, we decide to be the bigger people and order some salads, a side and a main... FYI the kebab MAIN was a small side bowl of 3 kibbeh pieces... I will say that the food tasted nice but the portion size was terrible. Despite this food sized for ants we still stay polite and continue our evening although at this point we are over this rubbish venue. But wait! It gets better!! After finishing our tiny portions of food another waiter comes to our table to advise we have a few minutes left before we have to give up our table ..... WHAT??? At this point finally the manager comes over. He kneels down beside us to "address our concerns" NOT fix the problem or apologise for his staff, although he did say he had no clue what had been happening up until this point as the hostest never informed him.. how surprising. He agrees to let us pay only for what we had which honest was only 200 dhs less than the fee and truly the least he could do at this point. He then states that we would have been told it is a 2 hour time limit per table when we booked and went as far to claim that it is the standard booking time for all venues in DIFC was only 2 hours as if we are gullible tourists passing through dubai... mind you the table next to us were allowed to stay because they had more people seated? We asked to see the venues policy, we weren't given that, we told the manager that we had not been informed of this table timing because who goes to dinner for just 2 hours?... but apparently its impossible we weren't informed when logic would be to check that your staff are maybe mishandling bookings instead of blaming your customers.. but whatever. To conclude and as I told this manager, money is not an issue I would pay triple this amount for good food and service without hesitation but, to be told how to spend my money, be treated so poorly, and told I have to leave... like come on it truly doesn't get much worse that that! 1 star for the location and set up and that's about it. Please do not waste your time or money to have your night ruined by pretentious people and based on the other negative reviews just get a reply to a bad rating the next day telling you to DM their @ page to discuss your concerns when they don't even address the issues...

Surrounded by ever-busy Sheikh Zayed highway, glittering downtown lights and the hussle of the financial district, Ninive of Dubai is a brilliant idea. It caters to the growing need of every cosmopolitan city for a little paradise of greenery, privacy and peace. A place that looks good, feels good and contributes to goodness. That’s what Ninive is for me.

Decorated in the best traditions of One Thousand and One Nights, where gold is everybody’s favourite colour, Ninive communicates Arabian luxury and guest’s comfort as the priority. The interior elements, accented with warm light lanterns, fluffy cushions, low foamy divans and a feeling of privacy, make you immediately forget all your worries. The focus on complete divine relaxation is partly achieved by impressive service, and partly by wafts of shisha travelling with the breeze from table to table.

The menu is created with a deep understanding of present desire for an unforgettable experience, exclusive food magic at the table and pomegranate seeds. The later was elegantly sprinkled on several mouth-watering appis, which didn’t last long. I especially enjoyed the absence of ceviche, a dish that the majority of Dubai restaurants tend to force into their cuisine recently.

There is no strict definition of Ninive’s cuisine type. It’s noticeably influenced by the Middle East, Persia, South Asia and nearby states, however things aren’t easy. I appreciated the trend of moving away from serving a boring spread of stereotypical dishes towards crafting the new Haute Arabic food couture to impress and startle.

Chef Ibrahim

I spotted chef Ibrahim right at the entrance. Confidently powerful in the kitchen, he projects charm, charisma and a love of food. I couldn’t stop staring at his act through the glass wall of the kitchen located right behind the bar. Easily mesmerized by super skilled professionals, I couldn’t keep my eyes or iPhone off him. Intrigued by my non-stop flash, chef Ibrahim laughed and visited my table for a quick chat. He was as entertaining in conversation as in the kitchen.

Chef of the bar Marc

Marc is another personality not to miss at Ninive. Many guests stop by the bar just for an opportunity to observe this awesome guy and share a bunch of jokes. Enigmatic, always on the go, anxious in a fun way and incredibly skilled, Marc is a character that could be plucked from Cirque du Soleil. I knew there was something cheeky in his past watching the way Marc tossed a napkin next to me. That’s for me to know and for you to discover.

Haytham

Haitham was introduced to my table half way through the dinner and for the first few appearances I kept on referring to him as Olivier. He never corrected me, smiling rather charmingly. He captivates attention with a soft approach to service, sharp attentiveness and enthusiasm. Haitham concurred my heart by performing a master class of Moroccan tea pouring, sharing a few...

An absolute disaster. Went there with a couple of friends to celebrate an event. We have booked through a phone call and was informed that we would need to spend a minimum of 250 aed per person, which we didn't actually mind,even though it sometimes feels like starting off with the left foot when you hear these "conditions". When we reached there, we ordered some wine, as we had eaten before, so all we wanted to spend the money on was alcohol, sheesha and perhaps a fruit platter. We were soon told this wouldn't be possible as they have a mandatory dining experience. ?!?!. We agreed to spend 250 aed pp from the beginning but we found outrageous to be told on WHAT to actually spend that money. Not to mention they told us on the spot that sheesha wouldn't be included in the mandatory spend of 250 aed. Say what??? We asked for the manager which showed up only after 2 hours to tell us we need to go as they expect other guests at that table,and that we were only allowed to be sitted there for 2 hours, which again we never knew or was not informed. He claimed there should have been an sms stating this but since we booked via phone call, we didn't get an sms. Obviously we were not planning to go in a place where we'd be kicked out after 2 hours and being told what to order. Unfortunately, I think this has been taken too far, they keep claiming that is "their policy" but when asked to show us where is written , of course they failed to do so. We do understand all venues want to acommodate clients that pay a lot , but this was a complete fiasco and they are going too far with this. Not to say the food,except the salads, is not good at all, and we had to ask for bread!!! My friend asked for a blanket that never came. I would absolutely NOT recommend this place. Not to say the ladies at the entrance need an attitude fix really. 0 customer...