Another month, another restaurant. The dining scene in the UAE, especially in Dubai, is dominated by interesting launches.
Some of these are outposts from famed international brands — think Joe & the Juice — while others are first-time or home-grown concepts that specialise in a particular cuisine, such as burger bistro Eleven Green.
Here's a list of the restaurants that are, or will, open in the Emirates this month.
Joe & the Juice
Cuisine: Sandwiches, healthy snacks and drinks
Following from its Dubai debut last September, Copenhagen healthy food brand Joe & the Juice is coming to Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi, in April.
The menu features more than a dozen juices, including Joe's two most popular options — the Green Mile, with broccoli, spinach, avocado, lemon and apple; and Go Away Doc, with carrot, ginger and apple.
The brand is also famed for its protein-infused power shakes, and offers four vegan options. The Insta-hit Blue Magic is made from blue spirulina, avocado, dates, lemon and oat-coconut, while Re-build 2.0 comes with raw cacao, banana, avocado dates and choco-almond. The team reveals its most popular drink with dairy consumers is the Power Shake, made with strawberry, banana and vanilla milk.
There are plenty of lattes, cortados and macchiatos for coffee connoisseurs as well, with blends and beans sourced from Uganda and Guatemala, while tea lovers can sip on vanilla-matcha or green mandarin among others.
The compact food menu comprises six types of sandwiches, plus a couple of salads and breakfast bowls. The spicy tuna mousse sandwich is something of a signature, while vegans can get one with avocado, mozzarella and vegan pesto.
Daily, 8am-11pm; Yas Mall, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
The Coterie
Cuisine: British
The venue in Dubai's The Ibn Battuta Mall is split between a sporty brasserie (Coterie Social) and an artisanal restaurant (Coterie Kitchen). The former will screen football, rugby, cricket horse-racing and Formula 1 from its 19 high-definition screens paired, we are told, "with delicious and nutritious" cuisine courtesy of the latter.
The menu offers classic fish and chips, stout pie, flatbreads and roasts, as well as acai bowls, avo on toast and eggs Benedict, plus two signature dishes: Coterie hot potato, and Ticklemore goat's cheese tart.
Daily, 8am-10pm (Coterie Kitchen), 3pm-2am, Monday to Thursday and noon-2am, Friday to Sunday (Coterie Social); Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai; 058 566 4240; reservations@coteriegroup.com
Eleven Green
Cuisine: Burgers
A home-grown burger bistro, Eleven Green, the brainchild of Tano's at 8 supper club chefs Sultan and Kinda Chatila, will be opening at Meyan Mall in Dubai.
The duo will serve handcrafted burgers with creative flavour profiles, including angry chicken burger (Hokkaido milk bun with hot honey, overnight brined fried chicken and Bull sauce); and bull burger (with Wagyu and Angus cuts), plus a selection of desserts and milkshakes.
Tuesday-Sunday, 12.30pm-4.30pm (closed Monday); Meyan Mall, Jumeirah, Dubai
The Strand
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Billing itself as a "craft kitchen with cocktails", The Strand will open on Dubai's Palm Jumeirah in April, offering all the popular Dubai tropes: breakfast, a Friday drunch, a Saturday brunch and a ladies' night.
On the menu are dishes such as shakshuka, eggs Benedict, French toast, beef tenderloin, salmon and meatloaf with Yorkshire pudding.
Sunday to Thursday, 8am-midnight; Friday and Saturday, 8am-midnight; closed Monday; Palm Views West, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai; 04 430 2221
La Sirene
Cuisine: Lebanese, Mediterranean
La Sirene is a casual venue in Avani Palm View Dubai Hotel & Suites and draws inspiration from Beirut’s contemporary cafe culture.
This translates to sharing-style dishes including sea bass sayadiyah, a fish and rice dish with roasted fish sauce, fried onions, pine nuts, and sayadiyah rice; tiger prawns and avocado salad; grilled octopus; and red snapper with potatoes ragout, artichokes, green olives, tomato and coriander mash, tahini and pine nuts sauce, and black lemon powder.
Also look out for the artworks by contemporary Lebanese painter Michel Rouhana, who has created seven pieces for the restaurant using his popular waves motif in keeping with the venue's name "sirene", which comes from the French word for "mermaid".
Daily; noon-3pm, 6pm-10pm; Al Sufouh 2, Dubai; 04 604 2220
