As part of a series of culinary guides to various areas of the UAE, The National explores Dubai's Bluewaters Island, to which visitors will flock over the coming months thanks to new attractions such as Ain Dubai and Madame Tussauds.
Here, you can expect upbeat and upmarket venues that offer fine dining experiences as well as a good and lively time.
Although this is not all the destination has to offer foodies, it's a selection of the best, newest and most popular.
London Project
This London-inspired spot, located directly at the foot of Ain Dubai, serves up some seriously cool vibes thanks to its Instagrammable interiors and creative menu. Split across two levels, the bar and lounge is filled with greenery, and its outdoor terraces boast impressive JBR views during the cooler months. On the menu, you’ll find everything from contemporary takes on British classics to gourmet dishes and extravagant desserts. With a weekly brunch and drinks deals, the spot remains buzzing all week.
Saturday to Wednesday, 12pm-midnight, Thursday and Friday, 12pm-1am; The London Project, Bluewaters Island; 054 306 1822, thelondonproject.com
Puerto 99
This lively spot, from the team behind Meshico, serves up Mexican seafood and steak, with a side of light-hearted entertainment. From street-food bites to freshly grilled seafood, chef Ivan Puc’s menu is fun and authentic. Puerto 99 hosts a series of weekly events, from Taco Tuesday to a popular Friday brunch, where the Mexican-themed entertainment guarantees a good time.
Daily, 1pm-2am; Puerto 99, Bluewaters Island; puerto99.ae
Alici
Alici, meaning ‘anchovies’ in Italian, is a Mediterranean restaurant inspired by southern Italy and the Amalfi Coast. This upmarket restaurant offers a fresh and changing seasonal menu that can be enjoyed with a side of sea views thanks to its position overlooking the Arabian Gulf. Its light and airy interiors paired with white-clothed tables are almost enough to leave you feeling like you have escaped to Italy for real.
Daily, 12.30pm-3pm, 7pm-midnight; Alici, Bluewaters Island; 04 275 2577; alici.com
Shi
A newcomer to Bluewaters Island is Shi, a swanky Chinese restaurant headed by chef Li Yuan Hui, who previously worked at Hakkasan Mumbai and Qatar. The split-level venue offers a high-end restaurant downstairs and a buzzy lounge upstairs where you’ll find live entertainment and an outdoor terrace offering prime views of Ain Dubai. On the menu, you’ll find dishes such as roasted duck with fresh black truffle and signature Peking duck with a side of caviar.
Tuesday to Sunday, 1pm-1am, Monday, 1pm-midnight; Shi, Bluewaters Island; 04 718 1189; @shi.dxb
Havana Social Club
Found at the luxury Caesar’s Palace Bluewaters Dubai, Havana Social Club and Lounge offers a cool and laid-back space that pays homage to 1920s Cuba. Enjoy a curated menu of authentic tapas and drinks while chilled Latin beats set the tone and the colourful interior leaves you feeling like you’ve stepped back in time.
Daily, 5pm-1am; Havana Social Club, Caesar’s Palace Bluewaters Dubai; 04 556 6466; caesars.com
Hell's Kitchen
For fans of Gordon Ramsay, Hell’s Kitchen will need no introduction. Inspired by the celebrity chef’s popular TV show of the same name, this theatrical restaurant serves up some of Ramsay’s classic signature dishes, with an experimental twist. Sample the beef Wellington, Eggs in Purgatory and the sticky toffee pudding, or stop by for Friday brunch in which the kitchen’s Red and Blue teams go head-to-head.
Daily, 7.30am-10.30am, 12.30pm-3.30pm, 6pm-midnight; Hell’s Kitchen Dubai, Caesar’s Palace Bluewaters Dubai; 04 556 6466; caesars.com
Basanti & Co
Enjoy a taste of India at Basanti & Co, a gourmet restaurant and lounge that aims to offer diners an experience across its extensive menu. With a terrace that looks out across to JBR, the menu features a mix of snacks, tandoori grills, dals and biryanis.
Daily, 12pm-midnight; Basanti & Co, Bluewaters Island; 04 557 6947; basantiandco.com
Brass Monkey
This mega entertainment venue is more than just a bowling alley and arcade games. Brass Monkey features a bar and restaurant, each serving up something different. Americana, located on the ground floor, is a casual joint that serves tacos, nachos, sliders and pizzas. Upstairs, you’ll find Japanese restaurant Bushido, with dishes such as sea bass, chicken ramen, charred miso salmon and spicy lamb noodles.
Sunday to Tuesday, 4pm-1am, Wednesday, 4pm-3am, Thursday to Saturday, 12pm-3am; Brass Monkey, Bluewaters Island; 04 582 7277; brassmonkeysocial.com
Ketch Up
If it’s a hearty burger you’re after, Ketch Up has got you covered. This American casual dining spot offers a creative menu that features some colourful (quite literally) twists on staple US fare. From giant steaks to indulgent desserts, Ketch Up is well-priced, offers plenty of variety and has some incredible views from its outdoor terrace.
Saturday to Wednesday, 12pm-midnight, Thursday and Friday, 12pm-1am; Ketch Up, Bluewaters Island, Dubai; 050 750 7424; ketchupdxb.com
Read more
9 restaurants to check out in Jumeirah Village Circle: from Socialicious to Sticky Rice
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Results
Female 49kg: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) bt Thamires Aquino (BRA); points 0-0 (advantage points points 1-0).
Female 55kg: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Amal Amjahid (BEL); points 4-2.
Female 62kg: Beatriz Mesquita (BRA) v Ffion Davies (GBR); 10-2.
Female 70kg: Thamara Silva (BRA) bt Alessandra Moss (AUS); submission.
Female 90kg: Gabreili Passanha (BRA) bt Claire-France Thevenon (FRA); submission.
Male 56kg: Hiago George (BRA) bt Carlos Alberto da Silva (BRA); 2-2 (2-0)
Male 62kg: Gabriel de Sousa (BRA) bt Joao Miyao (BRA); 2-2 (2-1)
Male 69kg: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Isaac Doederlein (USA); 2-2 (2-2) Ref decision.
Male 77kg: Tommy Langarkar (NOR) by Oliver Lovell (GBR); submission.
Male 85kg: Rudson Mateus Teles (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE); 2-2 (1-1) Ref decision.
Male 94kg: Kaynan Duarte (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL); submission.
Male 110kg: Joao Rocha (BRA) bt Yahia Mansoor Al Hammadi (UAE); submission.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
EU Russia
The EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
TEAMS
US Team
Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth
Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger
Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler
Kevin Kisner, Patrick Reed
Matt Kuchar, Kevin Chappell
Charley Hoffman*, Phil Mickelson*
International Team
Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day
Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen
Marc Leishman, Charl Schwartzel
Branden Grace, Si Woo Kim
Jhonattan Vegas, Adam Hadwin
Emiliano Grillo*, Anirban Lahiri*
* denotes captain's picks
