Finding Miss Wang
Shrouded in mystery and located deep within the confines of the Majestic Hotel you may find Miss Wang. You will need to work hard to seek her out as she is deliberately hard to catch. To gain her culinary affections your journey will include a flight of stairs and you will need to follow the stenciled signs to find your way.
If you've made it this far then you have no doubt made it to this quirky late night venue.
Behind the singular black framed door lies a dark and moody interior that sets the tone nicely and compliments the street food vibe. The concrete tables and earthenware crockery are all on point, and with a smattering of paintings and the obligatory street art mural, this seems to be a well thought out concept. (That is coincidentally brought to you by the creators of Nola and Mythos which are both great, so it seems they have another hit on their hands.)
Dubai seems to be going through an Asian food renaissance at the moment, so the mysterious Miss Wang will need to keep her guard up if she is going to fend off the competition.
The food for the most part is very good and presented nicely. The Volcano Shrimp, Skewers and the Short Rib are all outstanding, while the Dumplings and the Ramen Noodles are slightly less successful, the sweet potato fries were also pretty darn good as something to munch on while waiting for the main action.
The Crunchy Volcano Shrimps (49 AED) were very good but perhaps not the biggest portion, while the 3 Sake BBQ Pork Skewers (49 AED) were extremely succulent and tasted great. They are prepared with Wang's secret marinade which is definitely best kept under wraps. The Koren Beef Short Ribs (79 AED) promise to be cooked to perfection and it was everything you want in a slow cooked rib, sticky meat falling off the bone and packed full of flavors that are deep and really well balanced. The garnish adds a little crunch and the moreish sauce would be perfect for sponging up with some steamed rice.
The Ramen Noodles (38 AED) were a bit of a disappointment is so far as they were soba noodles and turned out to be a little soggy in the red curry gravy and not well balanced against the fried tofu, while the Sesame Pork Dumplings (36 AED) were a little bit of a lack luster affair - good but not great would be the best description.
There are quite a few more items on the menu worth trying and the meal could've been turned from great to outstanding perhaps if some of these items were chosen over others such the Teriyaki Chicken or the Thai Flat Breads. Making up for these small stumbles was the service, which was of a very high standard and extremely helpful and friendly.
So while the secretive host was never spotted, her scent was close, close enough to sense that good things are happening here and with a very competitive happy hour for both food and drink along with a live band there is not much of an excuse to not pay the secluded Miss Wang another visit.