Plates of perfection

The flourish of a gold leaf garnish placed with painstaking precision; the fiery spectacle of chefs flambéing in an open kitchen; the hot glow of a sunset from the 19th-storey window that momentarily distracts you from what’s on your plate; the maître d’ who welcomes you by name on arrival: the recipe for a memorable meal can encompass many elements.

At Atlantis The Royal’s 17 restaurants – eight of which are helmed by celebrity chefs – exceptional food is a given, but it’s only the start. That’s because dining here goes beyond the everyday. Much like the legend of Atlantis – the utopia civilisation that sunk into the sea without a trace – Atlantis The Royal in Palm Jumeirah is a place where the imagination knows no bounds.

Rising 43 storeys high from the Arabian Sea to meet the sky, Atlantis The Royal's gravity-defying exterior – blocks symmetrically stacked like a work of art – sets the scene for what awaits inside. Step into the lobby and you’ll be greeted by the sight of more than 4,000 jellyfish gliding hypnotically through the world’s largest tank.

But untethered creativity is most evident when you sit down to eat. It’s no surprise that Atlantis The Royal is where the world’s most decorative chefs – culinary alchemists like Heston Blumenthal OBE – come to experiment.

Gastronomy

If one cuisine isn’t enough, you can take a tour of the whole globe in one sitting at Gastronomy, a buffet restaurant, styled on a food market. Watch as the chefs sizzle, shuck and season, while you savour the sights, sounds and scents of the world’s most celebrated cuisines being prepared. A place to expect the unexpected, Atlantis The Royal might be a creative playground for culinary greats, but it’s you that will have the most fun.

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