Following a successful run at Expo 2020 Dubai, London bakery Bread Ahead has now opened a permanent spot in the city.
A new dine-in space, which can seat up to 45 people, opened its doors at Mall of the Emirates on Wednesday.
Bread Ahead is famed for its filled doughnuts, pastries and sourdough pizzas — served whole or by the slice. It also offers a range of sandwiches such as salmon bridge rolls, chicken Caesar brioche rolls and egg mayo, as well as cinnamon buns, banana cake and croissants.
“We’re thrilled to have opened up our first permanent bakery in Dubai following the extraordinary success of our pop-up at Expo 2020,” Bread Ahead's master baker Matthew Jones told The National.
“I’ve always wanted to open in Dubai. I love this city. It's been a dream for a long time, so we took the opportunity and here we go.”
Some menu items, including the zaatar croissant, spicy chicken pizza and pistachio doughnut, are exclusive to the region. Bread Ahead has also brought its Expo 2020 Dubai bestseller — the blackcurrant cheesecake doughnut — back to the city.
Jones said he hopes the Mall of the Emirates bakery will be only the start of Bread Ahead's journey in the UAE, with potential for an Abu Dhabi shop next.
“We found at Expo we had a large Emirati audience and that brought a smile to my face. We love working with the local clientele, and there are definitely more opportunities to explore here."
The Dubai outpost is not Bread Ahead's first Middle East venture. In June, it opened a bakery and school in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The brand opened its first London bakery at Borough Market in 2013, and has since expanded to six shops across the UK capital, as well as three baking schools, where fans can learn how to make their favourite Bread Ahead treats at home. Jones said a Dubai baking school will be coming soon.
“From the start I wanted Bread Ahead to be a multipurpose site that alongside the bakery provided an educational platform,” he said.
“It’s an immersive experience where we teach people to bake, aiming to improve their skills as home bakers.”
Bread Ahead is located on the first floor of Mall of the Emirates and is open daily from 10am to midnight
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Azizbek Satibaldiev (KYG). Round 1 KO
Featherweight: Izzeddin Farhan (JOR) beat Ozodbek Azimov (UZB). Round 1 rear naked choke
Middleweight: Zaakir Badat (RSA) beat Ercin Sirin (TUR). Round 1 triangle choke
Featherweight: Ali Alqaisi (JOR) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (UZB). Round 1 TKO
Featherweight: Abu Muslim Alikhanov (RUS) beat Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG). Unanimous decision
Catchweight 74kg: Mirafzal Akhtamov (UZB) beat Marcos Costa (BRA). Split decision
Welterweight: Andre Fialho (POR) beat Sang Hoon-yu (KOR). Round 1 TKO
Lightweight: John Mitchell (IRE) beat Arbi Emiev (RUS). Round 2 RSC (deep cuts)
Middleweight: Gianni Melillo (ITA) beat Mohammed Karaki (LEB)
Welterweight: Handesson Ferreira (BRA) beat Amiran Gogoladze (GEO). Unanimous decision
Flyweight (Female): Carolina Jimenez (VEN) beat Lucrezia Ria (ITA), Round 1 rear naked choke
Welterweight: Daniel Skibinski (POL) beat Acoidan Duque (ESP). Round 3 TKO
Lightweight: Martun Mezhlumyan (ARM) beat Attila Korkmaz (TUR). Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ray Borg (USA) beat Jesse Arnett (CAN). Unanimous decision
