Oriental Dining Restaurant — Restaurant in Dubai

Really disappointed. I don't like posting this review but it's an honest one and unfortunately fully earned by the restaurant. I very much wanted to like this place and was looking forward to going. I don't expect to return again. I ordered Sliced Beef with ginger & scallion sizzler. It was not served on a sizzling flat iron but on a glass plate. You can't call it a sizzler and serve it luke warm plate drowining in sauce. I also ordered a veggie stir fry - I don't know what I ate but that was definitely NOT a stir fry. It was more like an overthickened soup or underdone soup - slop is what I would call it. The veggies were drowning in sauce, overly wilted, over-cooked and far too bland, almost tasteless, lacking any kind of bursting flavor one would expect from Malay and Singaporean cuisines. I also ordered a mixed noodle soup with chicken and prawns. There was one small prawn piece and 3 shreds of chicken in the soup - I made sure to count them when I realized how skimpy it was going to be. OK so if you want to cut costs that's understandable but this is ridiculous. Last point is the VAT is double-charged on your bill. The water bottle I ordered was AED 8 on the menu and showed up as AED 8.40 as a line item before another 5% VAT was added on top of that. The same with all of the other items - 5% tacked on above the menu price then another 5% on the total bill. See the attached picture and compare it to the printed menu rices - you'll see this is an accurate statement of doubling the VAT tax on customers. It's one thing to have a bad experience at a restaurant - we've all had one. It's another thing to rip your customers off with a tax cheat to boot. I wonder what the UAE Tax Authority would have to say about this funny business going on here. I will say the service was great. The Pinoy ladies were awesome - they always do a great job tending to customers. If you want to have a lousy meal and regret the decision, you can go to this restaurant and see...

I tried a few dishes here, and my experience was a mix of hits and misses.

Starting with the cendol honestly, it didn’t quite hit the spot. There was way too much ice and not enough actual cendol, which made it feel more watery than creamy. The coconut milk flavor was very light, and the sweetness wasn’t well balanced. I think a smaller portion with a richer mix of cendol, coconut milk, and just the right amount of ice would make a big difference.

I ordered Tom Yam (small portion), which surprisingly arrived in a pretty large bowl. At first, I was excited, but the flavor leaned heavily towards tomato sauce rather than the bold, tangy-spicy kick you’d expect from Tom Yam. I asked for it to be spicy, but it barely had any spicy . On top of that, the seafood was sparse just a few prawns and squid here, which left the dish feeling incomplete.

Now, the star of the meal the Salted Egg Chicken. This dish was absolutely delicious! The chicken was perfectly crispy, coated with a rich, savory salted egg sauce that had just the right balance of flavor. Each bite was crunchy, tasty, and satisfying. Definitely the kind of dish you’d want to come back for. I’d rate it a solid 9/10.

Overall, the food was decent, though not everything stood out. The Salted Egg Chicken definitely made the visit worthwhile, but I’d probably skip the cendol and Tom Yam next time and try something else on the menu. Hopefully, my next pick will be just as good as that...

Driving here's a nightmare. If it’s not too far I strongly suggest going over to Oriental Fusion in JLT, it’s a less stressful drive and a much better dining experience. Menu is similar - I think they are sister branches.

Even walking here from the nearby parking lot is a chore, wading through the crowds of blue collar workers going about their day. I don’t mind the ghetto but she does, something to keep in mind if your partner is…discerning.

We had the CKT and Hor Fun, nothing fancy after our big lunch earlier on. Hor Fun is spot on, but CKT could use some extra zhuzh, something’s missing. Maybe cilantro or cockles or duck eggs…it’s not quite there.

Deco is…convenient. There’s a huge pizza oven in the middle which led me to think that they just pasted their interior over the last restaurant’s without any major renovations. It’s fine though. Prices are very affordable, 75AED for both of us.

If this place is convenient for you, sure. If you’re from outside Barsha, save yourself a headache and go to...