When it’s time to impress, this celebrity chef-backed restaurant offers fine dining at its best.

Have big clients in town with a penchant for fine dining at no expense? There are more than a few restaurants in the UAE that cater to the business crowd that’s used to the finer things in life, and Social by Heinz Beck is no exception.

There are many reasons why it makes dinner such an exceptional experience, right from the platter of complimentary canapes that are presented as you read the menu. The liquid olives – the same made famous by Ferran Adria – are a welcome and unexpected treat, with more than enough wow factor to break the ice from awkward business chat to proper relationship building.

Like all good Italian restaurants, the menu is unpretentious. It’s a concise list of salads, appetisers, pasta, mains and sides. Of course, as with any chef who’s chaired over Michelin-starred restaurants, each dish features plenty of foams and foi gra gems – but a majority of the food is straightforward and familiar, just executed to perfection. Expect the likes of mushroom tortellini, followed by beef tenderloin with an apple-onion reduction, and finished by Social’s signature desert – Raspberries 1.1.

The dining room is elegant and understated, with the large kitchen on display through floor-to-ceiling windows near the entrance. It’s quiet too, and certainly a formal setting in the hotter months. Once it has cooled down, guests can sit on the terrace, which is a tad more laid back. Located in the Waldorf-Astoria Palm Jumeirah, it’s a bit of a trek for guests staying in DIFC. But for those closer to The Palm, it’s guaranteed to impress.

 

 

 

Â