Zuma Muscat

Zuma Muscat brings the international Japanese restaurant brand to the W Muscat hotel in Shatti Al Qurum, one of the busiest dining areas on the coast. It follows the informal izakaya style of eating, where dishes arrive to share across the table rather than in strict courses, and the restaurant is set up around three cooking stations: a main kitchen, a sushi counter and a robata grill. The dining room looks out over the Gulf of Oman.

The menu changes, but the structure stays the same. Raw fish comes from the sushi counter, grilled dishes from the robata, and hot plates from the main kitchen. Ordering a mix from each station, a few plates at a time, is the best way to eat here. Crafted cocktails are part of the experience, as Zuma operates as a licensed venue within the hotel.

Hours are later than most restaurants in the city. The hotel lists Zuma as opening from 4pm to 1am on Sunday to Wednesday, 4pm to 2am on Thursday, and 1pm to 2am on Friday and Saturday, so a weekend lunch is possible too. Book ahead for Thursday and Friday nights, which are the busiest of the week, and ask for a table with a sea view if you are celebrating. Expect prices at the upper end of the market.

It suits couples, groups of friends and business dinners, and the later hours make it a natural choice before or after drinks elsewhere in the hotel. Smart dress is the norm in the evening. Vegetarian and allergy needs are best raised when booking, so the kitchen can advise. If you are staying elsewhere, a weekend lunch from 1pm is a quieter way to try the menu, with daylight views over the water, and it leaves the evening free for the opera house or a walk on the beach.

W Muscat is on Al Kharjiya Street in Shatti Al Qurum, close to the Royal Opera House and the Bareeq Al Shatti dining strip. A taxi from the Qurum or Al Khuwair hotels takes only a few minutes. Ubhar and several other restaurants are within walking distance, and Qurum Beach is close by for an evening walk.