The Penthouse Restaurant at Five Palm Jumeirah

The Penthouse Restaurant at Five Palm Jumeirah along the shoreline of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is one of the most spectacular places in this vibrant city, if not the entire world, in which to dine.  Tonight we had the provilege to be served dinner in this luxurious setting by none other than our nephew, Christopher “Ali” Acosta, who is a chef at the Penthouse at Five Palm Jumeriah. And he served us a feast fit for a sheikh!

Above, Chef Ali Acosta personally presents his signature dish

We had rushed to make our scheduled reservations so that we could meet up with our nephew whom we hadn’t seen in far too long. Ali is an amazing human being and you can never imagine the hardships that he and his family have gone through. In fact, it is difficult to understand the difficulty they are going through even now. You see, Ali is from the Philippines, where his three children are. Ali and his wonderful wife Ivy Mae are living here in Dubai, and although their children are with their grandparents (and doing extremely well in school), being so far apart is extremely difficult. Yet Ali, a master chef with extraordinary culinary skills, especially in the art of sushi presentation, does not let the family hardships affect his job. He is a consummate professional who never stops learning and perfecting his craft. We were honored to have him, and this most wonderful restaurant, serve our meal tonight.

Above, the views from the top at the Penthouse Restaurant at Five Palm Jumeirah are amazing!

The moment that you enter the Penthouse rooftop restaurant you are dazzled by the amazing view. It is open-air and the warm, gentle evening breeze engulfs you. No matter how refined you are, your impulse is to take an immediate selfie to remind yourself at some future date that you were actually here and that yes, the view and this place, was really this amazing. The top floor restaurant offers amazing views of the Arabian Gulf and the spectacular Dubai skyline. The word “Breathtaking” immediately comes to mind as you take in your surroundings and the view.

Dubai is a world of superlatives. Accolades like “the best” and “the biggest” stand out. At the Penthouse restaurant at the Five Palm Jumeirah however, there may not be a superlative to accurately and precisely describe this special place. “Most amazing” seems to fit the description very well.

In the culinary world, there are the five flavors: spicy, salty, sweet, sour, and savory (umami). The Penthouse at Five Palm Jumeirah has its own distinct flavor: it is the five flavors rolled into one and can only be called amazing!

The culinary craftsmanship that Chef Ali employs on his dishes is displayed in the knife skills that he has developed under years of masterful study of the art of proper food preparation and presentation. He was kind enough to personally present to us his signature dish of an expertly prepared dish of the freshest delights of tuna, yellowfin, salmon from the North Atlantic, a masterful fusion of east and west delights. All so fresh and delightfully tasty and, well, simply amazing!

Above, succulent, mouth-watering beef short rib with spicy beef glaze

Amazing service, great food, fantastic ambiance and stunning views are what it’s all about in this fine restaurant. Samir, the manager of the restaurant, welcomes you and ensures that each customer is treated as if they were a very special guest. You wouldn’t expect anything less as a customer and it’s all here. Do not miss this place when you are in Dubai, it will be a welcomed fulfillment of a must-have on your bucket list and front-runner favorite of the drops in your bucket!

All photographs are the copyright of Jim Jackson Photography. Please contact me for authorization to use or for signed, high-resolution copies.