After the back-to-back closures of Sean Connolly's eponymous restaurant and The Loft at Opera over the past few years, Dubai Opera is set to welcome visitors to its latest culinary venture early next year.
Belcanto, which translates as “beautiful song”, will serve classic yet modern Italian cuisine.
The restaurant is being brought to the UAE by Restart 354, a regional outpost by the Vasilchuk Brothers, who oversee restaurant groups in Russia and Europe.
The menu
While not much is known about the exact menu that will be on offer, Tuscany-born brand chef Giacomo Lombardi has revealed a few dishes on his social media channels.
Diners can expect beef tartare, tagliata beef with seasonal mushrooms (pictured above) and burrata Belcanto, which is paired with a croissant and tomato jam (pictured below), among other innovative flavour combinations.
Desserts come courtesy of pastry chef Anthony Falcone, who has worked at a number of Michelin-starred restaurants, and that includes a mango-vanilla concoction and bite-sized petit fours.
Also part of the team are chef Vincenzo Palermo from Puglia in south Italy, who is an expert in making authentic Neapolitan pizzas, and award-winning mixologist Mikhail Melnik.
The interior
In keeping with its operatic environs, Belcanto is going for a sophisticated and elegant vibe, with an initial rendering revealing a space decked out with a plush red carpet, a life-size Cupid sculpture and an elevated area at the front of the room complete with a pianoforte.
Curated by Paul Bishop, founder of the award-winning interior firm Bishop Design, the decor seeks to bring “European flair with contemporary details to Dubai”, according to the restaurant team.
Andrey Fomin, partner and art director of Belcanto, says: “We wanted to create not just a fashionable but timeless experience. Belcanto is a place where European classics meet modernity.”
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
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Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
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1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
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4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
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10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
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14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
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Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
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