TERO Unconventional Omakase in Dubai

TERO Unconventional Omakase in Dubai is Chef Reif Othman’s twelve-seat chef’s table at Dubai Hills Business Park, where a six-course tasting menu is cooked and served in front of you with no printed menu to read in advance. TERO stands for The Experience by Reif Othman, and that is a fair summary: it is less a restaurant meal than an evening spent at the pass with the chef and his team.

Who is Reif Othman?

Reif Othman is a Singaporean chef who moved to Dubai in 2005 to work at Al Mahara, the seafood restaurant at Burj Al Arab, before going on to Zuma. Having spotted a gap in the city’s Japanese dining scene, he opened his own place, REIF Japanese Kushiyaki, at Dar Wasl Mall in Jumeirah in August 2019.

The restaurant built its name on kushiyaki, the skewered and grilled meat and vegetables of Japanese street food, cooked with Italian and French fundamentals underneath. It received a Bib Gourmand in the 2022 MICHELIN Guide Dubai, and the brand has since expanded to Time Out Market Dubai, Dubai Hills and a franchise in Cairo. FACT Magazine named him its Chef of the Year in 2022 and has described him as the city’s first self-funded chef and restaurateur.

His Wagyu katsu sando, one of his signature dishes, was first served at an earlier edition of TERO in 2017, so the chef’s table has long been where his ideas are tested.

How the evening works

TERO sits behind REIF Japanese Kushiyaki in Building 3 of Dubai Hills Business Park, and guests reach it through a discreet entrance via the kushiyaki restaurant. Inside, twelve seats wrap around a U-shaped wooden counter facing the open kitchen, so everyone has a direct view of the cooking. The MICHELIN Guide, which lists TERO, notes that guests are encouraged to chat with the chef and the service team.

Your reservation starts with a pre-dining lounge experience before you move to the counter. From there, six courses are revealed one by one. There is no traditional fixed menu: the concept changes with each season, combining global ingredients, contemporary techniques and Asian-inspired flavours.

Past editions give a flavour of how far those concepts range. TERO has run an “unconventional kaiseki” theme and, in another season, a Nordic take on Korean cuisine, and earlier menus have featured dishes such as caviar with cauliflower and bonito cream, langoustine with citrus butter, and Irish duck with apricot. Do not expect those exact plates, but do expect the same playful approach.

What is included

• The six-course unconventional omakase tasting menu
• A pre-dining lounge experience
• Interactive chef’s table seating at the open kitchen

Drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, are not included and can be ordered separately at the venue. Tips, personal expenses and transport are also excluded.

Seatings and timing

TERO serves dinner from Wednesday to Sunday, with two seatings each night at 6pm and 8pm. The experience lasts two hours from your reservation time. With only twelve seats per sitting, the pace is set by the kitchen, so arriving promptly matters here: the organiser notes that late arrivals can affect how the menu progresses for the whole counter.

Bookings must be made at least 24 hours in advance. If plans change, cancellations more than 72 hours ahead are fully refunded, between 72 and 48 hours ahead half the amount is returned, and anything later, including a no-show, is non-refundable. Reservations can be moved, subject to availability, for up to 90 days from the original booking date.

Who it suits

TERO is best for diners who enjoy surprise and conversation as much as the food itself. It suits couples marking an occasion, food lovers who have already eaten their way through Dubai’s bigger Japanese restaurants, and small groups who want to book out part of the counter together.

Guests must be 15 or over. If anyone in your party is under 21, you need to say so when booking, as UAE law prohibits alcohol consumption by minors. The dress code is smart casual.

Some dietary requests can be accommodated if you tell the TERO team in advance. The kitchen handles common allergens including dairy, eggs, wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish and soybeans, so anyone with a serious allergy should raise it before booking rather than on the night.

Getting to Dubai Hills Business Park

By car, take Al Khail Road (E44) or Umm Suqeim Street (D63) and follow the signs for Dubai Hills Estate and the Business Park; parking is available within the complex. By Metro, take the Red Line to Equiti or Mall of the Emirates station, then a 10 to 15 minute taxi ride.

For more special dinners, browse our dinner and brunch guide, see what is on in November, or find more things to do in Dubai.