It makes me extremely happy to witness Dubai flourishing with unforgettable dining experiences. As the world moves away sitting nicely face-to-face and chewing in silence accompanied by outdated piano tunes, cheeky new entertainment is to the rescue. Miss Tess at Taj Hotel is that kind of place: immerse yourself in street style Asian cuisine at its tastiest, funniest and brightest. Walk-ins are most welcome for example. Booking a table is suggested for bigger groups or for Korean BBQ. Being a girl from the boring generation, I called to reserve a wonderful spot on the terrace facing the Burj.
The appearance of Miss Tess is inspired by the true story of an Asian woman who grew up learning to cook the delicacies of her continent and sharing her skills and knowledge with the loved ones. Under its roof Miss Tess unites the most common and exotic options from Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, China, Korea, Indonesia and Thailand (thought I spotted a few Malay specialities too).
Strolling through Miss Tess is a pleasure. The open space is visually divided into zones representing different cultures, and my eyes jumped from one fun detail to another. Think delicate Japanese partitions, Chinese lamps, Korean beauty magazines, wisdom posters and so much much more to discover for yourself. I randomly walked into some local warriors who made my night to take a crazier turn.
Turns out, every Monday Miss Tess challenges the brave and foodies to a one-of-a-kind hot noodle challenge. Every participant is obliged to sign a form and commit to strict rules, which involve limitation in time, strategies, beverages and even napkins. The challenge starts with the arrival of the team, who cheer, chant, observe and judge, and, obviously the noodles. The whole place turns upside down during the next twenty minute and it’s a great pleasure to watch faces of walking guests trying to figure out what’s going on.
The challenge is challenge indeed. A big fan of Ting Irie’s burning hot off-menu wings, I could barely handle a few bites of Miss Tess’s noodles. The secret sauce consists of special chillies, dried chillies and fresh chillies plus something super mega spicy that made me sob. Please do not let the few veggies on the top fool you. This dish is hot hot hot. Compete only if you are physically and spiritually fit. No exception.
Once done with the challenge (lost by me), do dig into other bits and bites as everything on the menu is longing for attention and review. No matter what you choose or where you sit, I promise you won’t forget Miss Tess until the next visit
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Life at Her Brightest 