Kickin' It at Mr Miyagi's
In place of what used to be the Crab Shack, (which for whatever reason didn't quite work out), comes the highly thematic Mr Miyagi's with a fly kick in the face to the old establishment.
Mr Miyagi's promises to be the home of Asian Street Food and upon arrival it is clear that this nostalgia driven concept immediately goes into overdrive.
The transformation of the venue is actually quite amazing. A serious amount of effort has gone in to the design and despite being completely over the top, it ends up setting the tone perfectly. The styling is fun, a little tacky but on point and features all manner of Asian inspired touches from the front of a tuk-tuk and neon signage to brightly coloured ceiling mounted umbrellas along with bird cages that act as light fittings. The hard timber floors and tables provide a nice contrast to the randomly coloured chairs and table decorations, while the wooden bookshelves that adorn the walls are no doubt filled with books on ancient Japanese proverbs and fighting techniques. The walls also feature an array of framed pictures, movie posters, the roof sign of a taxi and a bunch of other trinkets and mementos too. All in all it works to deliver a highly oringinal interior with some serious wow factor.
The space has been cleverly broken down into smaller sections with booth seating to encourage the gathering of groups. Being more compartmentalized, the space now feels much more intimate. With several different pockets of interest you're guaranteed that no two visits are alike. At one end of the venue there's the very well stocked restaurant bar and at the other, another complimentary bar of mortal enemy and fierce rival - Cobra Kai. Both places have been executed perfectly and across both destinations it's very busy. There is a real buzz in air about this place. Throw in the downstairs venue Qwerty and this is a very strong and energizing line up for the Media One Hotel.
Back to Mr Miyagi's dojo, and to keep the theme going, the soundtrack is a sensational mix of 80's throwbacks from Blondie, Sugar Hill Gang to Stetsasonic and even the original Ghostbusters Theme Song......nice. It fits the bill perfectly and one can imagine some impromptu karaoke late at night going on.
Suggestively, the hostesses are dressed in School Girl uniforms. While the menu is extremely cheeky and provocative and covers Flavors from Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and Filipino fare featuring names like Lady's Boys Night, Happy Endings and No More Mr. Rice Guy. It's fun, it's irreverent and it's more of what the city needs.
Thematics aside, the key to successfully delivering on the premise is of-course the actual food.
On this visit we go for the Har Gao, the Spicy Beef Pho and the Kung Pao Chicken. Is it a knock out blow?
In a word yes.
The Har Gao at 39 Dirhams for 3 pieces is steep. It tastes good but not excellent. The ponzu sesame dipping sauce is however to die for and elevates the dish nicely. The Spicy Beef Pho is outstanding but a seriously, seriously small portion of noodle soup for 55 Dirhams. This is not your typical pho, it's rich in flavor and spicy, tangy and features melt in your mouth beef brisket, basil and white flat rice noodles. It's perfectly balanced - just very tiny. With two dishes down it seems that someone knows what they're doing on the mixing board as well as in the kitchen - which is always a great sign of a successful venue. The food is presented in beautiful enamel painted serving bowls and the table set offers you a choice of quality condiments from Pearl River Soy through to Sriracha Chili and some home made Vinegar Dipping sauces.
While the friendly staff are cracking jokes and having fun, we decide to go in for one more item which is the Kung Pao Chicken with Egg Fried Rice (55 AED). This is one of the host's Signature Dishes and it doesn't disappoint. For starters - it's a lot bigger portion and comes with some terrific crispy chicken morsels that are packed full of flavor. The rice is nice and not too gluggy and overall the dish is well balanced and not too saucy, (which can often be the case with many interpretations of this classic).
Whether by luck or good thinking, the recent announcement that Ralph Macchio is reprising the role of the Karate Kid for YouTube Red in a new series called Cabra Kai, it seems that Mr Miyagi's has got themselves onto something here.
Bottom Line:
Is it really the new Home of Asian Street Food? Well, other than the portion sizes - the food is pretty good and with a Super Terrific Happy Hour and some really engaging, helpful service it's not a bad spot to get your gang together and have some cheeky fun.
Wax on, wax off.
