The dining scene in the UAE, especially in Dubai, is dominated by interesting launches. A number of restaurants will open over the summer – despite temperatures and travel plans – potentially to smooth out any wrinkles before residents and tourists return in full force.
If you're in town over the summer break, here’s a list of the latest restaurants to sample this month.
Somewhere, Abu Dhabi
Cuisine: Arabic-Mediterranean
The popular Dubai Mall resto-cafe opened its first branch in the UAE capital this month. Each branch of Somewhere is inspired by a different city, and the Marina Mall outpost pays homage to Abu Dhabi with its camel motif, and sand dune and gold leaf-inspired decor.
The Arabic fusion menu offers up creative dishes such as truffle and cheese batata harra fries; shawarma bao buns; shrimp kunafa; and French coffee baklava.
Open noon-10pm from Sunday to Thursday; and noon-midnight on Friday and Saturday; Marina Mall; 056 141 5517
Les Dangereux, Abu Dhabi
Cuisine: New Arabian
The restaurant says its New Arabian flavour is in line with New American or New Nordic cuisines, so fine-dining fare inspired by Arabian tradition.
“Dangereux is our flagship project,” chef Soo Yong “James” Kim told The National in February. “It's that one where we're not really scared to be extremely experimental. We want to pull away the different layers of fine dining and get rid of all the things that we feel like we don't need in 2023.”
Accordingly, the fine-dining, farm-to-table venue – complete with a floor-to-ceiling LCD column – will serve produce harvested from its own 113,000-square-metre farm on Yas Island.
The tasting menus includes dishes such as: king crab with morelle, chanterelle and ocean foam; MB9 Wagyu with bone marrow tempura; onsen egg with potato foam and poulet jus; and Japanese yellowtail with miso dashi and American mustard.
The restaurant's Feast menu, meanwhile, explores the versatility of French Poulet Rouge chicken by presenting it in various ways: as a dry-aged whole leg, a sous vide roulade of breasts, a foie-infused liver mousse and wood fire-grilled gizzards.
Open Tuesday-Sunday; 6pm-midnight; Mamsha Al Saadiyat; 050 977 2774
Okku, Dubai
Cuisine: Japanese
Five years after it shuttered its doors, Okku reopened this month, at the Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah. The home-grown Japanese restaurant, which operated from The H Dubai hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road until 2018, was something of a must-visit for Dubai residents and visitors.
About 90 per cent of Okku's original “O-style” menu has been retained, with favourites such as hushihu salad (mixed leaves with crispy duck and hoisin-amazu dressing); ginger salmon sashimi; and dynamite kani (two whole baked king crab legs with a spicy mayonnaise dressing).
The venue is dominated by eight 3D-printed Samurai soldiers and an LED aquarium with photorealistic recreations of jellyfish, and also has a central bar, 20-metre-long sushi bar and robata grill area, as well as a private dining room.
Open 6pm-2am from Monday to Thursday, and 6pm-3am on Friday and Saturday; West Palm Beach, Palm Jumeirah; 04 666 1566
Kai Enzo, Dubai
Cuisine: Japanese, Mediterranean
Chef Izu Ani – of Gaia, Alaya, Fika, Eunoia by Carine and La Maison Ani fame – combines far-Eastern flavours with western influences in his latest rooftop restaurant in Hyatt Centric Jumeirah.
Kai Enzo, named after chef Ani's son, melds langoustines with a Japanese curry dip, and serves Hokkaido scallops dressed in a green apple ponzu with salsa verde. A classic green bean salad is served with black sesame paste and wasabi peas, while the Hokkaido cheese ice cream is topped with hazelnut crumble and roasted strawberry jam.
Open 5pm to 1am from Monday to Thursday; and 5pm-2am from Friday to Sunday; La Mer North; 04 302 1275; www.kaienzo.com
La Petite Ani, Dubai
Cuisine: French, with British and African touches
The prolific chef Izu Ani is also behind La Petite Ani, a Parisienne-style boulangerie in the Dubai International Financial Centre.
Serving salads, sandwiches and sweet and savoury pastries, the restaurant also offers protein shakes, post-workout smoothies, vegan energy balls, plus speciality coffee and camomile-pineapple iced tea.
On the main menu are dishes such as salmon and eggs Benedict; granola with yoghurt; lentil salad; blueberry and feta salad; pastrami sandwich; bresaola and burrata sandwich; and steak frites; plus mille-feuille and pistachio brioche for dessert.
Open 8am-9pm on weekdays; and 10am-7pm on weekends; Gate Avenue, DIFC; 052 176 7013; www.lapetiteanibychefizu.com
The Black Sheep, Dubai
Cuisine: British
Chesterfield sofas, Sunday roast and sport screenings are all on the menu at this British gastropub – launched by the creators of Souk Madinat's Mezzanine Bar & Kitchen – at Pullman Hotel, JLT.
On the menu are appetisers such as Scotch eggs, sausage rolls with brown sauce, chicken liver pate and crayfish and shrimp salad; mains such as haddock with chips, chicken schnitzel with mustard mash and a pie of the day; and desserts such as Bramley apple crumble and Eton mess.
A dedicated children's menu includes fish & chips and mini chicken sausages with mash.
Opens June 20; noon-2am; 058 599 5664; Cluster T, JLT www.theblacksheepdubai.com
Big Chill, Dubai
Cuisine: American and Italian
New Delhi's famed cafe is now open in Dubai Hills Mall. While the fast-food-style menu is dominated by American and Italian staples, the brand's speciality is its desserts and ice creams.
On the menu are signatures such as cheesy pizza rolls, baked pasta, cheese and mushroom-stuffed potato, chermoula fish, Parmesan chicken and crepes in porcini mushroom sauce.
Must-try desserts include blueberry cheesecake, banoffee pie, Mississippi mud pie and a classic tiramisu that comes highly recommended by in-the-know diners.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
West Indies v India - Third ODI
India 251-4 (50 overs)
Dhoni (78*), Rahane (72), Jadhav (40)
Cummins (2-56), Bishoo (1-38)
West Indies 158 (38.1 overs)
Mohammed (40), Powell (30), Hope (24)
Ashwin (3-28), Yadav (3-41), Pandya (2-32)
India won by 93 runs
Company profile
Name: The Concept
Founders: Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh and Muhammad Rijal
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 7
Sector: Aviation and space industry
Funding: $250,000
Future plans: Looking to raise $1 million investment to boost expansion and develop new products
SPECS
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QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1 minute, 35.246 seconds.
2. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 1:35.271.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:35.332.
4. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.497.
5. Alexander Albon, Thailand, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:35.571.
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.815.
7. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:35.963.
8. Lance Stroll, Canada, Racing Point BWT Mercedes, 1:36.046.
9. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1:36.065.
10. Pierre Gasly, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:36.242.
Eliminated after second session
11. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault, 1:36.359.
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault, 1:36.406.
13. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:36.631.
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:38.248.
Eliminated after first session
15. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.075.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.555.
17. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas Ferrari, 1:37.863.
18. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.045.
19. Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazil, Haas Ferrari, 1:38.173.
20. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.443.
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.
NEW%20UTILITY%20POLICY%3A%20WHAT%20DOES%20IT%20REGULATE%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Agreements%20on%20energy%20and%20water%20supply%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Applied%20service%20fees%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customer%20data%20and%20information%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Prohibition%20of%20service%20disconnections%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customer%20complaint%20process%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Management%20of%20debts%20and%20customers%20in%20default%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Services%20provided%20to%20people%20of%20determination%20and%20home%20care%20customers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Fight card
1. Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) v Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)
2. Featherweight: Hussein Salim (IRQ) v Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)
3. Catchweight 80kg: Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Khamza Yamadaev (RUS)
4. Lightweight: Ho Taek-oh (KOR) v Ronald Girones (CUB)
5. Lightweight: Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) v Damien Lapilus (FRA)
6. Bantamweight: Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) v Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)
7. Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)
8. Flyweight: Shannon Ross (TUR) v Donovon Freelow (USA)
9. Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Dan Collins (GBR)
10. Catchweight 73kg: Islam Mamedov (RUS) v Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM)
11. Bantamweight World title: Jaures Dea (CAM) v Xavier Alaoui (MAR)
12. Flyweight World title: Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)
The years Ramadan fell in May
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
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