Review of Tribes African Restaurant at Dubai Mall.

The best place in the world to eat out in has to be South Africa, the quality, the price, the service, in my opinion, it cannot be rivalled anywhere else in the world in general terms.

We spent 4 years living in South Africa, prior to relocating to Dubai just over 2 years ago, and although we're originally from the UK, I still think of South Africa as home, annual visits back to Pretoria just aren't enough for me, I miss my friends, the culture, the lifestyle and I miss the experience of eating out, dinner, lunch, coffee and cake.

Any opportunity for a 'taste of home' is welcomed, but also avoided. 'What if it's not the same? 'It looks the same?' Will the food taste as good?' 'Will the service go above and beyond?'

There's another South African chain in Dubai, that disappointed us greatly, but we visited shortly after we moved here and probably made too many comparisons, but we've been back and I can safely say, the food and atmosphere is not the same.

We hadn't intended to have dinner out the afternoon we visited Dubai Mall, but we spotted Tribes and both thought 'why not?' besides it was also on the Entertainer App, so if it didn't meet our high expectations of South African Dining, we would have still have had a meal and a pleasant evening at a fraction of the cost.

*We received nothing in exchange for this review, I just had a lovely evening that I wanted to share.

From the moment we stepped inside we knew it was going to be a good meal. The general vibe, the celebration of someones birthday, we felt at home instantly as the waiters prepared a table for us so we could sit at the window overlooking the fountains and the Burj Khalifa.

Drinks were served and order taken in good time, without being hurried or having to wait too long. The most delicious bread was brought to the table while we waited for our meals.

The food arrived, it was well presented, smelt good, both meals were hot, the portions were generous and everything was delivered together, no waiting for sides or sauces.

What makes a bad experience for me when I'm eating out and can influence whether I return, are:

a) constant interruptions from the waiter, being approached to ask about the food when we are clearly having a conversation and multi visits from other waiters, head waiter and manager, and

b) the removal of plates, glasses, serviettes the second some one finishes eating. In some cases as soon as the cutlery is put down the waiters swoop in and clean the table, remove place mats and wipe the table, while other people in the group are still eating.

However I needn't have worried, none of the above happened, although the manager did come over to ask how our food was, as well as the waiter, but our eating and conversation wasn't interrupted, it was at an appropriate time.

Dining out for me is not a pleasure, it is not something I look forward to or get excited about. I don't consider dining out as an experience, we eat, we pay, we leave. However our visit to Tribes was fantastic and we'll definitely be eating there again and trying some more of the menu.