Toro and Ko

Jamie Bissonnette and Ken Oringer are the duo behind some of Boston and NYC’s most popular restaurants. Having opened up the hip, yet classy Toro Ko in City Walk early this September (one of the few licensed venues in Citywalk), Toro Ko offers both indoor and outdoor seating, a stunning upstair lounge area and a speakeasy bar in the restaurant itself!
With a Barcelona inspired tapas bar serving up Spanish favorites and an open kitchen counter in the downstairs area, you can expect a casual and fun experience at one of the newest eateries in town.

The menu boasts over 50 kinds of tapas, we decided to try some of the recommendations and started with the Catalan Bread, served warm and crisp with a tomato, garlic, olive oil dip, a delicious start to the meal. We also ordered a half dozen oysters served with escabeche dressing and lemon. Then came the Pintxo De Queso De Cabra, goat’s cheese toast with caramelized onions and truffled honey, a riot of flavors and one of the highlights of our starting tapas. Another extremely flavorful dish was the Spoon of Sea Urchin, Caviar and Quail Egg, a delightful dish. The Patatas Bravas could have been slightly more crispy, however the spicy tomato sauce and aioli was on point. A must-order dish is the Grilled Corn, we never knew corn could taste so good! Grilled Corn on sticks with aioli, lime, pepper and roncal cheese, we did not want to stop eating these. A classic dish was the Smoked Chicken Croquettes, a light smoky flavor and tender melt-in-your-mouth chicken. We ended our tapas-run with the Octopus with potatoes, charred onions and a Spanish smoked sweet paprika (Pimenton De La Vera) – Another great surprise recommended by the staff.

As we reached the mains we were starting to get full so we went for a Classic Marisco Paella, the small portion which was ample for 2 people to share. Reminding us of Spain, the paella is served with a whole lobster and a mix of prawns, mussels, clams and calamari, scraped from the pan and served tableside, deliciously authentic. We ended a great meal on a high note with Churros served with dulce de leche, chocolate and velvet sauce, the only good way to end a Spanish meal!

You may have to loosen the purse strings a little for this one.. but the tapas at this newest addition to the Dubai restaurant scene will transport you right to Barcelona.

Approximate cost: AED 350 per person.

Toro and Ko, City Walk Dubai. 12noon to 1.00am, 04 590 5433