Christmas 2021: the best brunches and dinners in Abu Dhabi

'Tis the season to be jolly. And the fact that Christmas falls over the weekend this year is another reason to celebrate.

If you’re thinking of going all out with a festive brunch or dinner, here’s a look at some of the best places to enjoy a meal in the capital.

49er's Steakhouse & Club

Festive menu

Keep it sweet and simple with a festive feast at the steakhouse. The venue will be serving up a traditional turkey main course with all the trimmings and Christmas pudding over the holiday weekend. Two main courses start from Dh99 and an a la carte menu is also available.

December 24 and 25; all day, but meal must be booked in advance; Dh99 for two courses; Le Meridien, Al Zahiyah, 02 645 8000; 49ers.ae

Catch at St Regis

Christmas Day brunch

The perfect place for seafood lovers, the restaurant will be ringing in Christmas with a special themed menu. Expect delicacies such as salmon wellington, grilled prawns and sushi alongside Christmas staples such as a whole turkey. There will also be live entertainment.

December 25; 1pm-4pm; Dh450; The St Regis Abu Dhabi; restaurants.abudhabi@stregis.com.

Coya Abu Dhabi

Festive dishes, Christmas Eve brunch and Christmas Day dinner

The Latin-American favourite is decking its halls in gold with a "Dreaming of a gold Christmas" theme. In the lead-up to the big day (from December 12 to 24), there will be two limited-time dishes available – roast chicken (Dh248) and slow-cooked beef ribs (Dh348) with all the sides.

There will also be a brunch on Christmas Eve, with a range of tasty appetisers (think ceviches, maki rolls and Chilean sea bass croquettes), and a choice of main courses and themed desserts, such as the orange and lime churros with milk chocolate and dulce de leche sauce.

Finally, on Christmas Day, guests can expect a four-course meal with a choice of starters, such as salmon tacos, mixed seafood ceviche, wild mushroom ceviche or Wagyu beef baos.

Christmas Eve brunch: 12.30-4pm; Dh199; Christmas Day brunch: 12.30-3.30pm; Dh278; The Galleria Al Maryah Island; 02 306 7000

Glo

Festive brunches and dinners

Glo is an open-air venue at Rosewood Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Rosewood Abu Dhabi

Eat, drink and be merry at this rooftop venue, which is hosting Christmas Eve and Christmas Day brunches and dinners.

The festive brunches will take place from noon to 3pm, and will include everything from a roast turkey station with all the trimmings to Christmas dessert specials. Meanwhile, a saxophonist will play for 45 minutes, and youngsters can look forward to a children's corner, complete with a doughnut stand, Christmas goodies and a visit from Santa.

In the evenings, there will be a Wood and Fire dinner experience, with a festive twist. The set menu will include mains such as roast turkey with all the trimmings, red snapper, a seafood chowder and Christmas yule log.

December 24 and 25; noon-3pm for the brunches, from 6pm for the dinners; from Dh395 for the brunches; from Dh295 for the dinners; Rosewood Abu Dhabi, Al Maryah Island; rosewoodhotels.com

Graphos Social Kitchen

Christmas Eve Dinner and Christmas Day brunch

The restaurant will serve holiday favourites across its 16 interactive stations the night before Christmas. Meanwhile, there will be a musician serenading diners with classic songs.

Christmas Day brunchwill be packed with activities for children and adults. Guests can dress as their favourite Christmas character and participate in the "Best Dressed" competition, with the "Best Dressed Family" winning a voucher of Dh1,000.

While grown-ups unwind with live entertainment and festive tunes, children will be kept busy in the activity zone with festive cookie decorations, making punch and building a pancake tower, assisted by none other than Santa’s helper, Elf.

December 24 and 25; 6.30pm-11pm on Christmas Eve and 1.30pm-4pm on Christmas Day; packages from Dh190 for dinner and Dh429 for lunch; Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island; 02 208 6900; dineatgraphos@hilton.com

Nahaam and Sole restaurants

Christmas Day brunch

For the big day, the poolside Nahaam at Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers has teamed up with chic Italian restaurant Sole to launch one big festive brunch. Expect classic Christmas dishes mingling with traditional Italian delicacies. Meanwhile, there will be a live band, DJ, and a visit from the man in red.

December 25; 12.30pm-4pm; packages from Dh525 per person, Dh200 for children 6-12, free for those under 6; Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers; hilton.com

PJ O’Reilly’s

Themed brunches

The fun Irish hangout has back-to-back brunches across the Christmas weekend. There will be three festive meals taking place, with loads of staple Christmas treats, singalongs, live entertainment and themed drinks.

December 23 and 24, 7pm-10pm; Saturday, December 25, 1pm-4pm; from Dh149; Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi; 02 695 0515

Punjab Grill

Three-course Christmas meal

For an Indian twist to a traditional Christmas meal, head over to the fine-dining restaurant, which has crafted a special three-course menu, available from Thursday December 16 to Saturday, December 25. On the menu are honey-spiced chicken wings, salmon and shrimp balchao and East Indian duck moilee, while vegetarians can enjoy dishes such as the cumin and baby potato roast. Wrap up the meal with desserts including Christmas pudding and a decadent chocolate cake.

December 16-25; Dh350; Venetian Village, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal; 050 668 3054

Remal Hotel

Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day brunch

Those heading to the hotel in Al Ruwais will be able to find a festive spread on Christmas Eve, complete with the chef’s signature roasted turkey with cranberry sauce, roasted chestnuts and a vast array of sides.

Meanwhile, on December 25, Al Falaj will host a Christmas Day brunch brimming with seasonal specialties, festive music and decor.

December 24 and 25; 7pm-10.30pm for the dinner and 12.30pm to 4pm for the brunch; packages start from Dh115; 02 809 2222; remalhotel.ae

Sidekicks

Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day brunch

If you want to have a festive time at the world's first Warner Bros Hotel, the WB Abu Dhabi has you covered. On Christmas Eve, there will be a lavish buffet with all the favourites: think slow-roasted turkey; mashed potatoes; gravy; cranberry sauce and winter vegetables. The menu will also include starters, mains and indulgent desserts for both adults and children.

Meanwhile, get your Christmas Day started with a grand brunch. Relish holiday favourites such as turkey with all the trimmings, beef wellington, festive entrees and traditional desserts such as Christmas pudding, mince pies and yule logs. The hotel’s resident Warner Bros characters will pop by to delight children and spread some Christmas joy.

December 24 and 25; 7pm to 10:30pm for the dinner, 1pm to 4pm for brunch; packages from Dh300 for dinner, Dh295 onwards for brunch; Yas Island; 02 815 0000; dine.thewbabudhabi@hilton.com

Villa Toscana

Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day lunch

The Italian restaurant will have a decadent four-course Christmas Eve menu with traditional dishes given a festive spin. On offer will be starters such as the lobster tail served on pumpkin cream, mains such as the veal tenderloin au gratin with herbs and wild mushroom sauce; and an apple pie served with wild berry ice cream to end the evening on a sweet note. An a la carte menu will also be available.

On Christmas Day, there will be a lunch with Italian dishes ideal for sharing – think pan-seared foie gras and scallops – followed by a choice of main courses. For pudding, take a walk to the “dessert room”.

December 24 and 25; 7pm to 11pm and 1pm to 4pm respectively; from Dh450 for the dinner and Dh350 for the lunch; The St Regis Abu Dhabi; 02 694 4553; restaurants.abudhabi@stregis.com.

This list is being updated until the big day

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make

When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.

“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.

This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).

Age	$250 a month	$500 a month	$1,000 a month
25	$640,829	$1,281,657	$2,563,315
35	$303,219	$606,439	$1,212,877
45	$131,596	$263,191	$526,382
55	$44,351	$88,702	$177,403

RESULT

Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)

Kolkata win by 25 runs

Next match

Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Friday, 5.30pm

The five stages of early child’s play

From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:

1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.

2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.

3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.

4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.

5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience

by David Gilmour

Allen Lane

Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:

Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16

Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto

Power: 1,600hp

Torque: 1,600Nm

0-100kph in 2.4seconds

0-200kph in 5.8 seconds

0-300kph in 12.1 seconds

Top speed: 440kph

Price: Dh13,200,000

Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:

Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16

Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto

Power: 1,500hp

Torque: 1,600Nm

0-100kph in 2.3 seconds

0-200kph in 5.5 seconds

0-300kph in 11.8 seconds

Top speed: 350kph

Price: Dh13,600,000

FIGHT CARD

From 5.30pm in the following order:

Featherweight

Marcelo Pontes (BRA) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)

Catchweight 90kg

Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) v Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)

Welterweight

Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR) v Gimbat Ismailov (RUS)

Flyweight (women)

Lucie Bertaud (FRA) v Kelig Pinson (BEL)

Lightweight

Alexandru Chitoran (BEL) v Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)

Catchweight 100kg

Mohamed Ali (EGY) v Marc Vleiger (NED)

Featherweight

James Bishop (AUS) v Mark Valerio (PHI)

Welterweight

Gerson Carvalho (BRA) v Abdelghani Saber (EGY)

Middleweight

Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) v Igor Litoshik (BLR)

Bantamweight:

Fabio Mello (BRA) v Mark Alcoba (PHI)

Welterweight

Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magemedsultanov (RUS)

Bantamweight

Trent Girdham (AUS) v Jayson Margallo (PHI)

Lightweight

Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Roman Golovinov (UKR)

Middleweight

Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Steve Kennedy (AUS)

Lightweight

Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)

While you're here

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Marathon results

Men:

1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13

2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50

3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25

4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46

5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48

Women:

1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30

2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01

3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30

4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43

5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01

Cultural fiesta

What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.