Busaba Eathai – Dubai Restaurants

//Busaba is now permanently closed

Busaba Eathai at The Beach JBR is the first international branch of Alan Yau’s popular Thai restaurant chain. This is one of my favorite restaurants in this area of Dubai, and if you like Thai food, I’m sure you’ll also love Busaba. All the Thai classics are on the menu, and even though some of the dishes had been added a Busaba touch, the flavors are still genuinely Thai.

The restaurant is elegant and looks a lot more expensive, than it is (most mains are in the 50-70AED bracket). Busaba doesn’t serve alcohol and beverages are a bit pricey, but it will still take quite an effort to spend more than 150AED per person on dinner, dessert and drinks.

There’s so much good stuff on the menu, but if I have to pick a couple of favorites, it would be Char-grill Duck, Som Tam (green papaya salad) and Tom Yam Talay (swet and sour seafood soup). Betel leaves with pomelo and shrimp is also a wonderful appetizer. You order rice separately, and there are several different kinds to choose among. I like the coconut rice with the curries, but I prefer sticky rice with most of the other dishes.

Desserts are 30AED, and I can only recommend that you step out of your sticky rice comfort zone and give the Red Ruby a try.  It is a Thai dessert with water chestnut, mango and red syrup in coconut milk and it is very delicious. Even if you aren’t usually a fan of Thai desserts, I think you would like it.

The service is nice and the staff members are very friendly and make you feel welcome and appreciated. It didn’t take more than a few visits, before I felt like a regular, with some of the people working there even remembering my name. That’s just one of those small things, which makes me love Busaba even more. The staff knows the menu and how the dishes taste, so don’t be afraid to ask for their advice, if you’re not sure what to order, or how spicy a dish is.

Busaba Eathai can be a bit hard to find, as it is tucked away at the far end of The Beach (abeam Amwaj Rotana), and you don’t really see it, if you don’t know it’s there. Busaba opened recently, and a lot of people (even those working at The Beach) still don’t know about the restaurant, so if you get lost and want to ask for directions, ask for Sapori di BICE, which is right next to Busaba, and which most people know where is.

• When it’s not too hot outside, the best tables are one stair up on the outdoor patio.

• The spicy dishes are marked with an “s”, and that “s” should be taken seriously, as it indicates that the dishes are indeed Thai spicy. If you’re not sure whether you can handle the heat, ask for a less spicy version.

• Busaba doesn’t serve alcohol.

• Busaba doesn’t take table reservations, but getting a table is only rarely a problem.