MANĀO Dubai, a Michelin-starred Thai restaurant at Wasl Vita, earned its star in 2025. Picked up the Michelin Young Chef of the Year award for Chef Abhiraj Khatwani the same year. It is currently sitting at number nine on MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list. That is a lot to live up to. Two new offerings launching this week suggest the kitchen is not slowing down. Starting Friday, 28 March, a new Chef’s Special Tasting Menu is available for dinner. And from the same weekend, the popular Sunday Lunch now also runs on Saturdays. Here is what both look like.
The New Chef’s Special Tasting Menu at MANĀO Dubai
The tasting menu is eight courses. It is dinner only and runs nightly. The format is familiar: a curated progression of dishes that covers the kitchen’s signatures alongside three entirely new creations. So if you have been before and want a reason to return, this gives you one.
Optional supplements let you add dishes outside the set: Curry Puff with Beef (AED 38), Crab Shoulder (AED 89), Stir-fried Oyster Blade with Holy Basil (AED 90) and the Mango Sticky Rice (AED 62).
How the Eight Courses Play Out
The menu opens with Beef Miang, Wagyu beef with shrimp paste relish and peanuts, and the Lobster Khanom Krok, a fermented rice custard topped with grilled lobster tail and coriander flowers. Both are long-standing favourites. The Scallop Rice Cake follows, then a Sour Tomato Broth that adds a quieter, more complex note to the early courses.
Mid-menu, the Sticky Rice Roti with Beef arrives: coconut-smoked short ribs, kaffir lime relish and fermented sticky rice. A Coconut Meat and Pomelo Salad with coriander flowers lightens things before mains. For the main course, you choose between a Southern-style Spicy Lamb Curry with spiced rice and stir-fried morning glory. Or a Yellow Curry with Prawn. The Rosella Granita and White Rose Custard closes things out, with wild ginger and longan. It is delicate and aromatic, and it lands well after the intensity of the earlier courses.
The tasting menu is AED 350 per person and runs nightly at MANĀO Dubai, Wasl Vita, Jumeirah 1.
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Weekend Lunch Is Now Saturday and Sunday
The Sunday Lunch at MANĀO Dubai has been a fixture for a while. From this weekend, it expands to include Saturdays as well. It is à la carte, which means you order what you want rather than committing to a set menu.
The format suits a long, unhurried lunch just as easily as a quick one. You can work through a few light bites and leave, or order across the menu and stay until 5 pm.
What to Order at MANĀO Dubai Weekend Lunch
The Sticky Rice Roti is AED 47 per piece and is worth ordering more than one. Grilled Chicken Skewers are AED 39 each. The Crab Khanom Krok is AED 85. Heavier dishes include the Yellow Curry of Prawns and Cumin Leaf (AED 90), Crispy Seabass with Mango Salad (AED 130) and Stir-fried Beef with Holy Basil and Preserved Greens (AED 85). For dessert, the Sticky Rice, Coconut Ice Cream and Shaved Ice is AED 55.
Prices are accessible for a Michelin-starred kitchen, and the à la carte setup means you control the bill without having to think too hard about it.
Contact & Location
Chef’s Special Tasting Menu
- Date & Time: Dinner service, nightly from Friday, 28 March
- Price: AED 350 per person (optional supplements available)
Weekend Lunch
- Date & Time: Saturday and Sunday, 12 pm – 5 pm
- Price: À la carte from AED 39
For Reservations: +971 4 272 2389
Images: supplied
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