Prawn menus love an adjective. Queen, king, tiger, jumbo, with no guide to what any of them mean. Here is the short version. Tiger prawns are a kind of prawn, and the other three words describe size. Once that clicks, ordering gets easier. This guide covers how the four sizes compare, how many you need per person, and which size fits which kind of meal.
What Tiger Prawns Are, and How They Differ From King and Jumbo Prawns
A tiger prawn is a type of prawn, not a size. The name comes from the dark bands across its shell, which fade toward orange once the prawn meets heat. The meat is firm and keeps its shape on a grill, so it holds up better than softer kinds.
Queen, king, and jumbo work differently. They are size grades. They tell you how big the prawn is and nothing else. No fixed global standard sits behind those words either, so king prawns in one kitchen can be smaller than queen prawns in another.
Scale is one reason the tiger name carries weight. Adults of the giant tiger prawn can reach 33 cm in length. That figure is worth knowing as a diner, because it explains why the tiger grade sits near the top of most menus instead of the bottom.
So read the two kinds of words in order. The type tells you the character of the meat, and the grade tells you the scale of the plate.
The Four Prawn Sizes on Our Menu
Our prawn section runs in four steps, each one bigger than the last. All four arrive marinated and grilled the same way, so the thing you are choosing is scale.
- Queen: the starting size, and the easiest to eat. Good when prawns are one part of a bigger order.
- King Giants: a clear step up, and the middle of the ladder for most tables.
- Tiger Giants: large, with the firm bite the type is known for.
- Jumbo Giants: the top of the range, and the ones people photograph.
Prawn sizes climb steadily here rather than jumping at one point. Pick the step that matches how hungry the table is.
How We Cook Them
The prawns are marinated first, then finished with our signature Pigalle basting and grilled over open flame. They stay in the shell while they cook.
That last part does more than it sounds. The shell traps moisture while the outside chars, which is the gap between a juicy prawn and a dry one. Prawn meat turns from clear to white quickly, and past that point it tightens, so timing counts.
Prawns are no side note in South African cooking. The coastline running up toward Mozambique shapes a lot of that food, which is where our Mozambican prawn curry and the peri peri side of the menu come from. Fire and basting sit at the heart of it, and the same thinking carries across everything we grill as a South African restaurant in Dubai.
Bigger grades are a little kinder to cook. They hold heat longer, which gives the kitchen more room to get them right.
How Many Prawns Per Person
Portion counts sit on the menu for the two smaller grades. A Queen portion is six prawns, and a King Giants portion is six as well, both served with rice and fries.
The two largest grades come in smaller numbers, because each prawn does more of the work on the plate. Ask your server for the current count when you order, since it is the quickest way to work out how much food is actually arriving.
A rough rule helps. When prawns are the whole meal, plan on one portion each. When you have ordered starters or something from the grill, one portion between two people usually lands right.
Prawns in the Sharing Platters
Prawns turn up across our sharing plates too, which suits a table that cannot agree on one thing. The Villamoura Platter pairs queen prawns with langoustines, a clawless relative of the lobster with sweeter, finer meat. The Shellfish Platter builds on that with baby lobster, and the Seafood Platter for 2 widens it further with mussels, grilled calamari and line fish.
Family platters follow the same logic for a bigger group. One plate covers several appetites at once, so nobody has to commit to a single grade, and the table gets to compare sizes side by side. Platters take the size decision out of your hands. You can see the wider range on our page for the best seafood restaurant in Dubai.
Choosing a Prawn Size by the Occasion
Most guides rank prawn sizes as if bigger simply wins. Occasion is the better guide, because the right size depends on what the meal is for.
- A relaxed weeknight, or a first try: Queen or King Giants. Six prawns fill a plate without ceremony.
- A birthday, or a table you want to impress: Jumbo Giants. A few very large prawns landing at once reads as an event in a way a dozen small ones never will.
- You came for the flavor, not the theatre: King Giants. The best balance of scale and count.
- A group with mixed appetites: a platter, so nobody has to agree.
Occasion settles this faster than a menu ever does. Work out what the night is for, then pick the step that matches.
Who This Suits, and When to Skip the Big Grades
Large prawns work best when people want to slow down and use their hands. Shell on prawns take effort, and for most guests that effort is part of the pleasure.
They suit you less on a short lunch break, at a table with small children, or when you are dressed for somewhere you need to be afterwards. Peeled dishes, or the prawn curry, make more sense then. Nobody wins a prize for ordering the biggest thing on the page.
Order by the Meal, Not by the Name
Names on a prawn menu describe two different things at the same time, which is why they trip people up. The type tells you what the prawn is. The grade tells you how much prawn is coming, and that is the part worth deciding before you open the menu.
Book a table when you want to try them yourself. Our team can walk you through the grades and portion counts once you are seated. You are welcome to arrive with a plan or work it out when you get there.
FAQs
Are prawns and shrimp the same thing?
In everyday use, yes. Prawn is the common word across the UK, Australia, South Africa and much of the Gulf, while shrimp is standard in the US. Biologists do separate them, though on a menu the two words point at the same plate.
Do you serve prawns shell on or peeled?
Our grilled prawns come shell on, which is what keeps them moist over open flame. Peeled options sit elsewhere on the menu, such as the prawn curry. Tell your server if you would rather not work with your hands.
Where can I eat tiger prawns in Dubai?
We grill four prawn grades to order at Villamoura, on Sheikh Zayed Road in Downtown Dubai. The kitchen also serves guests coming across from Business Bay and DIFC.
Can you cater for a shellfish allergy at the table?
Let the team know when you book and again when you order. There are grill, meat and vegetarian options that keep clear of shellfish. Kitchens handle shellfish in shared spaces, so tell staff how serious the allergy is.
What works well alongside grilled prawns?
Rice and fries come with the prawn plates already. Lighter sides such as the stir-fried vegetables or a simple salad balance the basting well. Our mocktail list is built to sit alongside seafood rather than compete with it.
