Strawfire Ignites Abu Dhabi’s Dining Scene with Fiery Japanese Fare

Abu Dhabi’s luxury dining landscape has a sizzling new contender: Strawfire, helmed by the acclaimed Chef Ross Shonhan

Located within the opulent Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Strawfire has quickly garnered a “scorching-hot reputation” since its opening last year offers exceptional Japanese cuisine by Chef Ross Shonhan.

The restaurant specializes in warayaki, a centuries-old cooking technique from Kochi prefecture that uses straw-fired flames to infuse ingredients with distinctive smokiness. We were told the straw is shipped all the way from Vietnam twice a month and the restaurant consumes around two tonnes a week, absolutely mental.

The Ambience

We can guarantee you have never seen or dined in an ambiance that is even close to what you will find once you enter the sleek sliding doors of the restaurant, the silk panes lining the walls, with the dried straw all over and a huge full moon hanging low near the entrance all designed to depict a rice harvest in Japan under a full moon.

Strawfire offers guests a journey through five thoughtfully designed spaces:

• The Tsukimi Lounge transports diners to a moonlit Japanese evening, with lighting and materials that evoke a full moon harvest.
• The main dining room features an open grill at its center, where chefs expertly perform the warayaki technique under golden drapery that mimics dancing flames. Handcrafted Kumiko panels add traditional authenticity, creating a dynamic interplay of light and shadow.
• The Toyama private dining room is a visual spectacle, adorned with hand-painted silk walls and ceiling inspired by classic Japanese artworks. This room also houses the world’s largest synthetic Shimenawa rope—a colossal 7.3-meter, 830-kilogram piece handmade in Toyama—adding historical resonance as these ropes traditionally mark sacred spaces in Japanese shrines.
• The Outdoor Terrace dining offering stunning views of the Presidential Palace and then there is the Tsumiko Lounge

Throughout the restaurant, glass displays showcase premium Japanese and Australian wagyu with impressive marbling scores (10-12), alongside fresh seafood presented on ice. Each dish is served on carefully selected ceramics and plateware, enhancing its visual appeal

The main dining room is setup like a theatre with table grouped facing a glass walled open kitchen with brass sheets on the roof against which the straw flames lick and dance off of  when they rise as straw is fed to the fire, almost like a  choreographed orchestra that is pure theatre, first time visitors should ask to be seated as close to the glass as possible to get the best views.

The Menu

Strawfire’s menu is a comprehensive exploration of Japanese cuisine, divided into precise categories:

• Izakaya-style small plates
• Tempura
• Skewers
• Salads
• Hand-rolled sushi, nigiri, sashimi, and maki rolls
• Main courses featuring seafood and premium wagyu
• A dedicated focus on vegetables, rice, noodles, and house-made pickles

For the first timers there is the First Taste of Strawfire menu that is designed as a sharing menu with a minimum of two pax at AED 450 each covering all the highlights of the menu.

There is also the traditional, Chef’s Omakase Menu, a symphony of six courses featuring the finest of seasonal ingredients prepared using different cooking techniques priced at AED 550 per person.

We opt for the Omakase, the chef comes over to discuss our likes and requests which are then incorporated into the six course menu so you get to enjoy what you love made to the highest standards possible.

A unique aspect of the Omakase is that for a small additional fee you get your own personal mixologist who creates bespoke drinks to match each course based on your likes and requirements and these drink recipes will be on file forever, you can come a decade later and they will be available for you to drink, they will also make recipe cards for you to take with you, simply the height of pampering, we loved it

The Omakase Experience

On our visit for dinner, we went omakase which literally translates to, ‘I leave it to you’, so basically you leave the menu to the chef to decide and here are some of the highlights.

• The Tarbouche oyster offered a subtle smokiness from the warayaki, its plump texture perfectly complemented by a bright red shiso mignonette.
• Japanese wagyu sashimi showcased exquisite marbling, elevated by mizuna and bonito powder for a deeper umami.
• Wagyu gyoza featured a rich, buttery filling encased in delicate wrappers, brightened by sharp ponzu.
• Otoro bluefin tuna belly melted effortlessly, leaving a rich, lingering flavor.
• Uni was pure indulgence—sweet, creamy sea urchin at its finest.
• The Japanese wagyu special cut offered complex layers of sweetness and deep umami.

We concluded our meal with stunning dessert platter with fresh fruit, a refreshing trio of chilled mochi passion fruit mango, matcha, and coconut and Japanese cheesecake.

The most unusual drink we ever had was at Styrawfire, the stunning Gochujang Bloody Mary a stunningly smooth drink with the fiery gochujang paste giving it the red colour, mescal being the spirit used topped withs slice of wagyu beef sitting on top of a cylindrical block of ice sit the signature S emblazoned on it, pure art.

The presentations and flavours of each dish were absolutely amazing, we are willing to wager that Strwafie will be on the Michelin Star list in the next cycle and will have a wall full of awards from all the popular media platforms as well.

The Verdict

Strawfire delivers impeccable Japanese dining, setting a new benchmark for culinary excellence in Abu Dhabi. It stands out as one of the capital’s finest restaurants—if not the very best—making it an outstanding choice for celebrating special occasions or simply indulging in a top-tier dining experience.

The Contacts

For reservations please call – +97126907999

The Location

Strawfire by Ros Shonhan is situated inside the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Al Ras Al Akhdar, Abu Dhabi.