Shi Restaurant — Restaurant in Dubai

I hate to write this, but unfortunately, this is one of the first negative reviews I’ve had to leave on Google. I’d like to preface this by saying that I want to give SHI the benefit of the doubt, especially since they have so many good reviews. I’m assuming this was a one-off situation and that we were just unlucky.

My friend and I visited for Ladies’ Night, but from the moment we arrived, we didn’t feel particularly welcome. The hostess asked if we were there for Ladies’ Night, and when we said yes, her demeanor noticeably changed, becoming cold and indifferent. We tried to shrug it off, thinking we might be overanalyzing, but the experience that followed confirmed our initial impression.

I requested to replace one of the raw sushi pieces with a vegetarian or cooked option. The server immediately said no. When I asked if he could check with the chef, he declined without even trying. Instead, he gave a detailed explanation about how the sushi is prepared, but his tone came across as dismissive and visibly annoyed that I’d even asked.

I’d like to acknowledge that I hadn’t informed the restaurant in advance about my pregnancy, so I take responsibility for that. However, I’ve recently attended another Ladies’ Night at a venue in the Trade Center where they replaced all raw items on the menu without hesitation. In this case, my request was for just one small change to an appetizer, which I didn’t think would be a significant issue.

After some back-and-forth, I asked to speak to the manager, only for the server to inform me that he was the manager or supervisor for the night. At that point, my friend, who had been much calmer and more patient than I was, admitted she could no longer tolerate the server’s dismissive attitude.

We decided to leave, and the server remained unapologetic. I contacted SHI’s customer support and spoke to a very kind representative (I believe her name was Lin), who assured me she’d look into it. She later called back to let me know that the chef could prepare a smaller portion of a cooked replacement. While I appreciated her effort, it was frustrating to learn that a solution had been possible all along. My friend was unwilling to return, so we went to a nearby restaurant instead.

SHI did follow up via email, offering us the chance to come back, which I appreciated. However, this experience left a sour taste in my mouth. It’s disappointing to see how one staff member’s behavior can negatively impact what could have been a...

I went to Shi last week because i was really interested on their offer for Chinese new Year, they told me they were going to have a special set menu from Jan 20 till Jan 27th, price of 550AED per person, the idea sounded good on paper, but before booking i decided to go and have a look at the restaurant, order some cocktails since their cocktail menu seemed really interesting. I made an inquiry for a reservation last minute, they reservations team were super kind, they even sent me the drinks menu on my email and assisted me right away. To my surprise all good things ended once i got to the restaurant and the service started. I am a fan of cocktails, i love the craft and the level of creativity that you can put on them, the different techniques you can use and play with. So imagine my reaction when i ask for a cocktail recommendation and the server instead of telling the story behind it or talk to me about the spirits, he suggest one cocktail and right after saying the cocktails name, he says that is “their best seller” and “the flowerish, girlish cocktail they have on their menu”. I was shocked, and also when i asked for a cocktail that seemed a reversion of a negroni, I was told it was too strong, me a gal that drinks from a Pisco Sour to an Americano, didn’t like it at all. The cocktails were really well made, let’s don’t blame the bartender, I tried one named “Yin” made of whiskey infused tonka bean and it was extremely balanced. Then when my friend ordered a glass of wine, the answer of the server was “no, order this one” and my friend insisted with her first option, then the server proceeded to bring two glasses of wine and made my friend taste both option, at the end, he was right, the wine he was suggesting was better, but the problem wasn’t that but the way he did it, instead of backing up his recommendation with facts and knowledge, he just said “no”. Then it took an eternity to be able to order our second round of drinks. Not what i was expecting at all from our restaurant that claims to have...

A very underwhelming experience. I booked SHI for my birthday celebration dinner, was very impressed by reviews, the photos of the restaurant and food were amazing. Now, I’m not sure whether we were just unlucky, as everyone seems to love it. I didn’t. It was one of the quickest dinners out we ever had, because it was not a great experience at all. We were sat upstairs, it was quiet, and I asked if the table by the window was available, we were told it was booked. Ok, not a problem. Four guys were sitting next to us, smoking shisha, having a loud conversation and swearing non-stop. Not a great start to the evening, but hey-ho. Then we were brought a menu. Not a single sushi item had any explanation or a list of ingredients, just a name. It was literally just saying “eel roll” or “spicy sake roll”. I said to the waiter I had some questions about the menu and asked about a few items. He replied without much details or recommendations. We placed the order and then I noticed that all the other guests were offered iPads that had detailed menus with pictures of the dishes! Why didn’t waiter offer it to us? No idea. Then the food came, the food was good, but that’s it, just good, not great, no better than in any other sushi place. The waiter didn’t check on us once, didn’t ask if everything was good and if we liked the food. We finished and asked for a bill. We were not offered a desert. I saw the amazing deserts they had and was looking forward to having one, but we weren’t suggested any, so we didn’t bother. Needless to say that the fact that it was my birthday celebration wasn’t acknowledged. I had the feeling that the restaurant was relying purely on the views and instagramable-looking food. Not on service, not on quality, not on atmosphere. Would I recommend it? No if you are after an atmosphere and service. Yes, if you are just after...