• Stratos new lounge restaurant opened at the top of the Le Royal Meridien hotel in Abu Dhabi. Ravindranath K / The National
    Stratos new lounge restaurant opened at the top of the Le Royal Meridien hotel in Abu Dhabi. Ravindranath K / The National
  • A handout rendering of Marina Social restaurant that will open at InterContinental Dubai Marina (Courtesy: InterContinental Hotels)
    A handout rendering of Marina Social restaurant that will open at InterContinental Dubai Marina (Courtesy: InterContinental Hotels)
  • Dum Nariyali Prawns at Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor. Kapoor has described the Indian cuisine served at his Signature restaurants as “art on a plate”. He is is scheduled to open one at the Nation Galleria mall in mid-September. Courtesy Signature
    Dum Nariyali Prawns at Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor. Kapoor has described the Indian cuisine served at his Signature restaurants as “art on a plate”. He is is scheduled to open one at the Nation Galleria mall in mid-September. Courtesy Signature
  • Circo from the Maccioni family who run Le Cirque, one of New York City’s landmark restaurants will open at the InterContinental, Abu Dhabi in November. Courtesy Circo Intercontinental
    Circo from the Maccioni family who run Le Cirque, one of New York City’s landmark restaurants will open at the InterContinental, Abu Dhabi in November. Courtesy Circo Intercontinental
  • The chef Brian Hughson will head Frioul Bistro de Luxe in Madinat Jumeirah. it is set to open in mid-September. Courtesy Frioul Bistro de Luxe
    The chef Brian Hughson will head Frioul Bistro de Luxe in Madinat Jumeirah. it is set to open in mid-September. Courtesy Frioul Bistro de Luxe
  • Paradise Social Club: This chic space on Yas Island will be a members-only club but anyone can eat in its restaurants (with a reservation). MAI Restaurant and Lounge, located just steps from the water, will feature oysters, seafood platters, sushi and caviar. The club is due to open on December 2. Courtesy Paradise Social Club
    Paradise Social Club: This chic space on Yas Island will be a members-only club but anyone can eat in its restaurants (with a reservation). MAI Restaurant and Lounge, located just steps from the water, will feature oysters, seafood platters, sushi and caviar. The club is due to open on December 2. Courtesy Paradise Social Club
  • This Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in New York City is opening its second location at the Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai. Junoon is a collaboration between the restaurateur Rajesh Bhardwaj and the executive chef Vikas Khanna (Khanna also hosts MasterChef India). Junoon – which means passion – is scheduled to open in mid-October. Courtesy Junoon NYC
    This Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in New York City is opening its second location at the Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai. Junoon is a collaboration between the restaurateur Rajesh Bhardwaj and the executive chef Vikas Khanna (Khanna also hosts MasterChef India). Junoon – which means passion – is scheduled to open in mid-October. Courtesy Junoon NYC
  • This French-inspired steakhouse is scheduled to open in the Sofitel Downtown Dubai. The hotel, which opened in May, is across from the Burj Khalifa. At the same time, the hotel will unveil another restaurant focused on Thai cuisine, called The Green Spices. Set to open in early September.Courtesy: Sofitel)
    This French-inspired steakhouse is scheduled to open in the Sofitel Downtown Dubai. The hotel, which opened in May, is across from the Burj Khalifa. At the same time, the hotel will unveil another restaurant focused on Thai cuisine, called The Green Spices. Set to open in early September.Courtesy: Sofitel)
  • This Japanese restaurant will be located in the Marriott Hotel Al Jaddaf in Dubai. The owners behind Benshi are the ones behind the trendy Buddha Bar in the Grosvenor House Dubai. It’s scheduled to open in December. Courtesy Marriott
    This Japanese restaurant will be located in the Marriott Hotel Al Jaddaf in Dubai. The owners behind Benshi are the ones behind the trendy Buddha Bar in the Grosvenor House Dubai. It’s scheduled to open in December. Courtesy Marriott

Food

10 new UAE restaurants still set to open in 2014

Stacie Overton Johnson

August 18, 2014

  • English
  • Arabic

RW1

The British celebrity chef Gary Rhodes is opening yet another outlet in Dubai. RW1 is a casual yet sophisticated restaurant that will focus on British classics. RWI will replace Rhodes Mezzanine at the Grosvenor House Dubai. Rhodes Mezzanine was closed last year and has since undergone renovations to transform the space into RW1, which is scheduled to open in September. www.grosvenorhouse-dubai.com

Stratos

Remember Al Fanar – that dated, drab rotating restaurant at the top of the iconic Le Royal Méridien in Abu Dhabi? It's been completely revamped into an ultra-cool space that will feature an open kitchen. This one might become your new favourite spot for stunning views over the capital. Scheduled to open in early September. www.leroyalmeridienabudhabi.com

Marina Social

The British chef Jason Atherton and his team promise to bring a deformalised fine-dining experience to Dubai’s cosmopolitan marina area located in the InterContinental Dubai Marina hotel.

Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor

It's been nearly a year since India's favourite celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor announced he'll bring his fine-dining restaurant Signature to Abu Dhabi. Kapoor has described the Indian cuisine served at his Signature restaurants as "art on a plate". This will be Kapoor's second Signature restaurant in the UAE. His first is located in Meliá Dubai. Although it is scheduled to open at the Nation Galleria mall in mid-September, a peek inside recently revealed not much is happening. www.sanjeevkapoor.com

Circo

Boccaccio, the Italian restaurant at the InterContinental, Abu Dhabi, has closed its doors. Opening in its place is Circo from the Maccioni family who run Le Cirque, one of New York City's landmark restaurants. Le Cirque's sister restaurant Circo is an upscale Italian eatery with an atmosphere reminiscent of old-style European circus tents. It's set to open in November. www.dining-intercontinental-ad.ae

Frioul Bistro de Luxe

This new home-grown concept is coming to Souk Madinat Jumeirah. Offering French cuisine, the bistro will be led by the chef Brian Hughson. Previously, Hughson was the head chef at Gary Rhodes’ Michelin-starred restaurant W1 in London. Set to open in mid-September. Find them on Facebook at Frioul Dubai.

Paradise Social Club

Although this chic space on Yas Island will be a members-only club, anyone can eat in its restaurants (with a reservation). MAI Restaurant and Lounge, located just steps from the water, will feature oysters, seafood platters, sushi and caviar. The other restaurant, Bayyt, will focus on seasonal, locally grown food. It's described as a farm-to-table bistro. The club launches on December 2. www.paradisesocialclub.com

Benshi

This Japanese restaurant will be located in the Marriott Hotel Al Jaddaf in Dubai. The owners behind Benshi are the ones behind the trendy Buddha Bar in the Grosvenor House Dubai. It's scheduled to open in December. www.marriott.com

Junoon

This Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in New York City is opening its second location at the Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai. Junoon is a collaboration between the restaurateur Rajesh Bhardwaj and the executive chef Vikas Khanna (Khanna also hosts MasterChef India). Junoon – which means passion – is scheduled to open in mid-October. www.junoonnyc.com

The Red Grill

This French-inspired steakhouse is scheduled to open in the Sofitel Downtown Dubai. The hotel, which opened in May, is across from the Burj Khalifa. At the same time, the hotel will unveil another restaurant focused on Thai cuisine, called The Green Spices. Set to open in early September. www.sofitel.com

sjohnson@thenational.ae

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