I ate at the world's most bonkers hotel restaurant, turns out it's right on trend

The new breed of hotel restaurants is anything but boring - as this frequent traveller discovered on a recent trip to one of the world's most extraordinary new hotels. 

StreetXO Dubai at One&Only One Za’abeel. Picture: Alex Jeffries

Did you ever think street food needed a makeover? Spanish avant-gardist David Muñoz – he of the three Michelin stars and manicured mohawk – does. 

At Street XO, his experimental restaurant in Dubai’s One&Only One Za’abeel, the dishes appeared like blasts from the kitchen pass. The croquettes were crowned with sea urchin, the tacos boosted with octopus and the ramen enriched with a slick of foie gras. They came with equally elaborate instructions. “Use the tweezers” or “paint the strawberry sauce”. These pointers were gleefully shared by my waiter whose uniform resembled a straitjacket.

Taco de pulpo with robata-grilled octopus at StreetXO.

At first I thought Muñoz was out of his mind, but eventually I recognised the method in his madness – downtown fare injected with uptown flair. Most of the outré inventions tasted pretty good, and the graffiti-filled interiors, which could double as a Cirque du Soleil set, were playful, as were the electronic beats and zinging cocktails. Clearly, Muñoz wants you to have fun.

There was a time when hotel restaurants were joyless affairs, but leading players have turned up the wattage. At One Za’abeel, a slew of theatrical eateries by big-name chefs filled The Link, a corridor connecting two skyscrapers, and lined the pool areas. There was little reason to leave.

StreetXO Dubai at One&Only One Za’abeel. Picture: Alex Jeffries

And there’s the (steak) rub. If hotels can’t convince guests to feast at their properties, they squander precious revenue. By extension, lodgings devoid of culinary cred are increasingly dismissed by pernickety food enthusiasts. “When choosing hotels, travellers aren’t just booking rooms, they’re booking tables,” said a recent report by travel site Expedia entitled “Unpack ’25”. Hotels are sprucing their restaurants, top chefs are sharpening their knives, and travellers are prioritising their palates. “Sixty-three per cent are interested in booking an Australian hotel with a notable dining experience,” according to Expedia.

Atria at Ritz-Carlton Melbourne. Picture: Wayne Taylor

From Wildflower at Como The Treasury in Perth to Peppina at The Tasman in Hobart and Hellenika at The Calile in Brisbane, Australia has plenty of hotel hotspots. One of my favourites is Atria at The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne where you can savour lofty, lovely dishes by chef Michael Greenlaw, like dry-aged duck with decadently crisp skin and wood-fired abalone spangled with finger lime, all while admiring staggering city views. In Sydney, Brasserie 1930 by the Bentley Restaurant Group is a highlight of staying at Capella. The gleaming space is the ideal spot for a round of Sydney rock oysters, smoke-kissed steaks and French 75s.

Dining at Brasserie 1930, Capella Sydney. Picture: Kristoffer Paulsen

The ultimate test of a hotel restaurant is whether you would gravitate there of your own accord. In Dubai, one of the only times I left One&Only was to seek out Atlantis The Royal on Palm Jumeirah for its chic Greek eatery. Estiatorio Milos is an haute Hellenic concept with multiple satellites – I’ve happily Zorba’d into its branches in Athens and New York – and heavenly signatures, such as zesty taramasalata, zucchini flowers loaded with cheese, and exquisitely grilled Mediterranean fish like tsipoura. The cross-town commute was slow, but Milos was worth the schlep.

Dubai's Atlantis the Royal features 17 restaurants including eight by celebrity chefs.

In Las Vegas also hotel restaurants rule the roost, yet dining out can remain a gamble. “How’s everything tasting?” asked my waiter at the pan-Asian diner in my hotel. The food was irredeemably bland, and I offered a meek Mona Lisa smile. The next day, I hotfooted it past blackjack tables, slot machines and dead-eyed revellers to The Cosmopolitan, where I relished a meal at Momofuku. From shishito peppers dusted with smoked salt to lamb ribs with fiery chilli yoghurt, everything was lip-smackingly flavourful. When the waiter posed the same question – it’s an American quirk – I beamed like the Cheshire cat.

A sure sign of a hotel restaurant’s success is when it’s adopted by locals. At the Mandarin Oriental in Singapore, Cantonese diner Cherry Garden was jam-packed with residents celebrating birthdays and toasting deals when I visited. And there are so many roaring lunch options in the Lion City. As a hotel guest, I expected to breeze in, but the host appeared agitated when I requested a table for one. After a short wait, I was seated on the far edge of the bustling room. One bite of a golden char siu puff explained the mob scene.

As hotels are refining their eateries, restaurants are adding slick rooms. In Australia, gourmands have long made the trek to Brae in Victoria’s Otway hinterland, Lake House in Daylesford, and Stillwater in Launceston. All serve up vibrant dining and polished digs. 

Saint Peter at The Grand National Hotel in Sydney's Paddington.

The most noteworthy new arrival is the Grand National in Sydney’s eastern suburbs where chef-patrons Josh and Julie Niland recently debuted a 14-room hotel atop their acclaimed fine-diner Saint Peter. It’s akin to a suave Paddington pied-à-terre.

In collaboration with Grand National owner George Penklis and designers Studio Aquilo, the Nilands have finessed the rooms with the same attention to detail they devote to their menus. “Having someone else run the hotel bothered me more than not doing it ourselves,” Josh told me. Added Julie, “Not many hotels are run by chefs, and we can really elevate the food.” Aside from astonishing meals, that could mean hand-made chocolates at turn-down and freshly baked crumpets and smoked trout for breakfast.

My advice: cook up an excuse to stay.

Originally published as I ate at the world's most bonkers hotel restaurant, turns out it's right on trend