Off The Hook Review: Best Seafood at Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai, UAE

Off The Hook at Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai, UAE

I skipped Ibn Battuta Mall on my last trip to Dubai.

It’s one of those malls that a lot of tourists visit,
but I assumed there wouldn’t be much to do there,
so this time I finally stopped by for dinner.

Since it’s a huge mall, the parking lot is definitely spacious.

There weren’t that many open spots left in the evening,
but unlike Dubai Mall, it didn’t feel like the kind of place where you spend 30 minutes
circling around just to park.

The main thing about Ibn Battuta Mall is its country-themed design.
Each section is decorated around a different region,
and this one seemed to be China Court.

Honestly, nothing that special though. It’s China Court, but then you’ll see Turkish food and random things like that.

Once you step inside the mall, the ceiling is designed
to look like the sky, but to me it felt a little dated,

even though on Instagram Reels
people somehow make it look unbelievably pretty.
In real life, it’s not that impressive.

The mall itself also feels a bit old, like it’s seen better days.

I spotted this strange structure and wondered what it was,
and apparently it’s called the Elephant Clock.
Why that counts as a clock, I still don’t know.

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Anyway, our actual destination was
Off The Hook, Off The Hook,a
Filipino-style seafood restaurant.

On Google Maps, it’s listed as Off The Hook.

Off The Hook at Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai
is over by Persia Court,

and Persia Court is the part that’s famous for being beautiful.

The Persian-style decor from the walls to the ceiling
really is gorgeous, but it wasn’t quite as bright and vibrant as I expected.
Maybe because we went at night, it felt a little dim.

In the center of Persia Court, there are two cafés
set back-to-back—one is illy

and the other is Starbucks.
I heard people actually go out of their way to see this “pretty Starbucks.”

It is grand, I’ll give it that.

But maybe I was just tired that evening,
or maybe Dubai has so many even more over-the-top places
that this one didn’t really wow me.

I’d already seen plenty of dome ceilings like this around the city.

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This Dubai seafood spot near Starbucks,
Off The Hook, has several branches since it’s a chain.

It’s very similar to a place in Dubai called Dampa,
from the ordering system to the food itself,
so they really feel like competing brands. After trying both,
I think each one has its own pros and cons.
I’ll get into that below.

Even though it was dinnertime and there were quite a few customers,
the dining room still felt relaxed and roomy.

Here was our table.

They also had a high chair ready for babies.

Time to check the menu at this Dubai restaurant.

It looked like most people order one of the set menus,
and the Solo setis just right for two people.

Looking closer at the Solo set,
you have to choose two kinds of seafood

from a longer list, which was honestly the hardest part because I wanted to try more.

Once you pick the sauce and spice level, your order is done.

They also had a Ramadan special. Even though Ramadan was already over,

during Ramadan, after sunset,
there’s a meal called
iftar, when people break their fast and can eat.

The set also includes two basic drinks.
We got red iced tea and citrus soda.

Neither one was especially good—both tasted kind of cheap.

Before the main food came out, the staff member taking our order
suggested fried calamari as an appetizer,
and of course I said yes.

If someone tempts you with fried squid, how are you supposed to say no?

Once you put on the gloves and apron,

you’re ready to eat.
This is the kind of place where everyone eats with their hands,

so there’s no cutlery. Same at both Off The Hook and Dampa.

And finally, the seafood arrived.

They laid waterproof paper over the table, scooped out the rice,
and then poured the seafood stir-fry right on top.

We chose the Asian Special sauce,
which they said is the most popular flavor.

For seafood, we picked shrimp and mussels.
We skipped the crab because it looked like too much work.

The seasoning didn’t feel unfamiliar at all,
and I think it’s the flavor that would suit Asian palates best—spicy, savory, and easy to love.

The mussels came right out of the shells, and the shrimp
were easy to peel too, so it was very easy to eat.

The only issue is that you have to eat the rice this way too,

and it’s trickier than it sounds because
the sauce on your fingers somehow keeps ending up around your mouth.

It felt like a full hands-on dining experience.

My husband shared a useful tip:
use an empty mussel shell like a spoon.

It works for a bit, but if you press too hard the shell breaks,
so after a while I just went back to scooping everything up with my hands.

We finished almost everything, with just a little rice left behind.

Personally, when it comes to sauce flavor, I’d say Dampa > Off The Hook,
but when it comes to seafood that’s prepped in a way that’s easier to eat,
Off The Hook > Dampa.

Even the gloves at Off The Hook were sturdier and more comfortable.
The ones at Dampa leak oil and tear off too easily.

Still, if flavor matters most to you, Dampa wins.

Thoughtfully, there’s a sink inside the restaurant,

and even though the plastic gloves were strong enough that nothing really leaked onto my hands,
the smell still lingers,
so definitely wash your hands before you leave.