The Review
Netsu — the word means heat in Japanese — takes its name from a cooking philosophy that is older than any chef's reputation. Warayakiya is the Japanese technique of cooking over burning rice straw: a flame that burns fast and hot, imparting a clean smoke that is unlike anything a wood or charcoal grill achieves. In the hands of Chef Ross Shonhan, who built his reputation at Bone Daddies and Sexy Fish in London before crossing disciplines into fine dining, this becomes the theatrical centrepiece of the most compelling Japanese dining room in Dubai.
The restaurant occupies a ground-floor position at the Mandarin Oriental Jumeira on the beachfront — a space of airy dimensions, light materials, and Japanese architectural restraint that creates the sensation of a very elegant interior and a very desirable exterior at once. The large open kitchen takes centre stage, with the warayaki grill visible from most tables and the flames providing a live performance that sets the mood from the moment you are seated. The cavernous room is light and sophisticated without the darkness that Dubai's Japanese restaurants often favour; here, the light works in the food's favour.
The menu divides between the warayaki grill, sushi and sashimi, and a broader Japanese kitchen that encompasses tempura, chawanmushi, and rice dishes. The grilled sections are the undeniable heart of the offer: Wagyu short rib cooked over straw and finished with ponzu butter, whole fish preparations that are dramatic in presentation and precise in execution, and an A5 Japanese beef course that is the most expensive item on the menu and justifies every dirham. The sashimi selection, sourced with the seriousness the restaurant's setting commands, is the equal of any counter in the city.
Average spend runs AED 800–1,400 per person including wine, placing Netsu in the upper tier of Dubai's Japanese dining market. The Mandarin Oriental service standard — attentive, warm, technically accomplished — elevates a very good meal into a memorable one.
Best for Close a Deal
Netsu is an ideal deal-closing table for the executive who has already used all the obvious rooms. It is different enough to demonstrate taste, prestigious enough (Mandarin Oriental, open kitchen theatre, Wagyu) to signal seriousness, and relaxed enough in its energy to allow a business conversation to breathe. The beachfront setting at the Mandarin is one of Dubai's more elegant pieces of real estate, and the visual drama of the warayaki grill provides the kind of shared spectacle that creates the emotional warmth on which deals close. Bring your counterpart here when you need to move from negotiation to agreement. The straw fire does the rest.
Signature Dishes
The Wagyu short rib over warayaki straw is the dish that defines Netsu: A5 Japanese beef, cooked over a heat that leaves the exterior with a delicate char and the interior at a temperature that can only be described as inevitable, finished with a ponzu butter that brightens without overwhelming. The chawanmushi with truffle and Wagyu fat is a custard of exceptional depth. From the sashimi selection, the bluefin tuna counter ordering — where the chef selects the day's finest cut — is the appropriate choice for a table that trusts the kitchen. The rice with ikura and shiso is the kind of dish you order thinking it is a side and finish wondering if it was the main event.
What to Know Before You Go
The restaurant is located at Mandarin Oriental Jumeira on the Jumeira Beach beachfront — fifteen minutes from Downtown Dubai by taxi or Uber. Valet is available. The beachfront terrace seats are available during the October–April season and should be requested when booking. Dress code is smart casual; the Mandarin Oriental environment rewards and accommodates business attire. Reservations are recommended one to two weeks ahead for dinner. Private dining is available through the hotel for groups. The team accommodates dietary requirements with notice; the sushi and sashimi menu naturally suits pescatarians.
Also in Dubai, see Nobu Dubai for Japanese-Peruvian at Atlantis, Hōseki for Japanese omakase at the Bulgari, and Zuma Dubai for Japanese robata in DIFC. For all Close a Deal occasions globally, see our dedicated guide. More in our Dubai dining editorial.