There’s a moment, somewhere between the 74th and 76th floors of Ciel Dubai Marina, when the city begins to tilt beneath you. The horizon bends, the coastline glows like circuitry, and suddenly you’re suspended in a world that feels more dream than dining room. Up here, amid the perfume of yuzu, jasmine, and smoked soy, Tattu Dubai hums with the pulse of something new – a British idea reborn in the clouds.
The first international outpost from Manchester-born founders Adam and Drew Jones, Tattu Dubai isn’t just another high-end import. It’s a full-blown statement – a three-tiered vertical experience carved into the world’s tallest hotel: restaurant, sky pool, and 360-degree lounge stacked like chapters in a design-led fairytale. It’s the kind of opening that reads as both ambition and punctuation mark; a sentence that begins in the North of England and ends above the Persian Gulf.
When the brothers launched the original Tattu in 2015, they weren’t chasing scale. “Tattu was never intended to be a chain,” Adam says. “It would defy our ethos of offering unique experiences.” Instead, each venue became an experiment in immersion – a dining room as narrative, a cocktail as character arc. The Manchester flagship’s cherry-blossom canopy became a symbol of a wider philosophy: a place where storytelling, sensory design, and Asian-inspired cuisine collided under low light and loud intent.
That combination worked. London, Edinburgh, and Birmingham followed – all distinct, all intricately designed. Yet the brothers resisted over-expansion, preferring craft over copy-paste. “Every time we open a location, it needs a point of difference,” Adam says. “Having the opportunity to take our place as one of the highest restaurants in the world was one we couldn’t pass on.”
The Dubai move felt almost inevitable – a city defined by altitude and appetite. But it wasn’t a random leap. Before signing on Ciel, the brothers considered Saudi Arabia and the United States. “There’s a positivity and sense of ambition in Dubai that’s unrivalled,” Adam explains. “Entrepreneurialism is embraced and risk-taking is admired. Every day feels like a Saturday.”
That energy aligns perfectly with the Permanently Unique Group, the brothers’ ten-year-old hospitality collective. Its name – both defiant and slightly tongue-in-cheek – sums up their strategy: build concepts that can’t be replicated. Alongside Tattu, the group runs Fenix, a modern Greek-Mediterranean spot, and Louis, a live-music venue blending Italian-American indulgence with supper-club swagger.
Tattu Dubai, though, is their global flagship. It isn’t just an address; it’s a thesis on how experience is engineered. Level 74 is the main restaurant – lacquered wood, glowing koi motifs, floor-to-ceiling glass. Level 76 is the world’s highest infinity pool, lined with daybeds, soundtracked by DJs, and fuelled by Japanese-fusion dishes and premium bottle service. Above that, the Sky Lounge and Terrace – a fully air-conditioned open-air terrace, the kind of architectural contradiction that feels perfectly Dubai. “Each space tells its own story,” Drew says, “but they all feed into the same narrative. That’s why the brand works.”
Storytelling is, in fact, the brothers’ secret ingredient. Adam studied law before realising he needed colour over contracts. Drew came through event management and nights spent learning hospitality from the inside – front of house, kitchen, marketing, promotion. The contrast works. “We both have our own areas,” Adam says. “It keeps us in separate lanes most of the time, but that family bond is a powerful advantage when we come together on strategy.”
“Our designs are complex and delivered with purpose,” Drew says. “In Dubai, each floor takes guests on a journey. Where you sit on one visit could feel completely different the next. That intrigue keeps people coming back.”
Even the food mirrors that ethos – evolving but disciplined. The menu merges contemporary Chinese and Japanese influences, led by Chef de Cuisine David Pang, blending Tattu’s signature plates with regional tastes. It’s not copy-and-paste fusion; it’s adaptation with respect. “It would be naïve to think every market is the same,” Drew says. “We’ve worked hard to understand local tastes while still innovating and elevating.”
Building the world’s highest restaurant was, unsurprisingly, complicated. “It was a logistical nightmare,” Adam admits. “We sit on top of a thousand-room hotel that was also fitting out at the same time. But the professionalism of the teams in Dubai was incredible. Everyone just collaborated and got it done.”
That mix of chaos and calm seems to define their working relationship. The brothers rarely overlap operationally – Adam drives brand vision and growth; Drew focuses on delivery and detail. Together they form a kind of creative dualism: one builds the world, the other makes it real.
As Permanently Unique Group turns ten, they’re already thinking a decade ahead. “The first ten years were about building the foundations,” Adam says. “Now it’s about global expansion. We want Tattu and Fenix to become household names – brands that stand alongside Nobu or Cipriani, delivering an incredible product consistently. That’s how you stand the test of time.”
It’s a measured kind of ambition, the opposite of reckless scale. Drew talks about service, quality, and value as the “three pillars” of longevity. “It’s a credible feat to excel in two,” he says. “Only a small few perform in all three. Those become institutions.”
And while social media has transformed the way restaurants are launched and lived in, the brothers keep their focus analog. “It’s the modern world,” Drew concedes. “We approach it with authenticity. We want to create venues that evoke emotion rather than a forced Instagram moment.”
At night, when the desert air cools and the city below flickers awake, Tattu Dubai feels almost weightless – equal parts theatre and engineering. Guests float between the restaurant, pool, and lounge; DJs glide from ambient to deep house; chopsticks glint under violet light. Somewhere above it all, the Jones brothers look out across the Marina, Manchester roots intact, ambition intact, too.
Tattu Dubai isn’t just a restaurant in the sky, it is reflecting the version of British hospitality that’s grown up, suited up, and decided to play on a global stage. As Drew puts it, “It’s a feast for all the senses. Switch off from the world outside and embrace it.”
