Italian restaurant Signor Sassi opens soon at St Regis Gardens on The Palm. Photo: Signor Sassi
Italian restaurant Signor Sassi opens soon at St Regis Gardens on The Palm. Photo: Signor Sassi
Italian restaurant Signor Sassi opens soon at St Regis Gardens on The Palm. Photo: Signor Sassi
Italian restaurant Signor Sassi opens soon at St Regis Gardens on The Palm. Photo: Signor Sassi

New Dubai restaurants opening in September, from Signor Sassi to Eugene Eugene


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School's officially back in session, with families returning to the UAE, new residents moving in and no slowdown in tourist footfall.

As a result, it is little surprise that plenty of restaurants – from home-grown brands to internationally renowned names – are launching in Dubai in September.

Here are seven to sample.

Gimi, Dubai

Cuisine: Korean and South-east Asian

Korean, Indonesian and Chinese dishes are on the menu. Photo: Gimi
Korean, Indonesian and Chinese dishes are on the menu. Photo: Gimi

Gimi, which is the Korean word for spice, pays homage to South-east Asia's bustling street food and hawker culture, as well as K-pop.

The food is inspired by culinary traditions in South Korea, with bibimbap, tteokbokki and pancakes on the menu. There is also randang from Indonesia and khan namul, which has Korean and Chinese influences.

Open Tuesday to Friday, 6pm-midnight; Saturday to Sunday, noon-midnight; Wasl Vita Mall, Jumeirah; reservations@gimi.ae

Signor Sassi, Dubai

Cuisine: Italian

Lobster a la Catalana at Signor Sassi in Dubai. Photo: Signor Sassi
Lobster a la Catalana at Signor Sassi in Dubai. Photo: Signor Sassi

The long-awaited London restaurant – famed for having played host to British royal family celebrations – will open its first UAE outpost this month.

Located at St Regis Gardens on the Palm Jumeirah, Signor Sassi serves a range of Italian dishes, such as lobster a la Catalana with tomatoes and onions; avocado bernardo salad with prawns, lobster and cocktail sauce; veal Milanese with potato sticks; tagliolini with caviar and lemon sauce; as well as a selection of artisanal pizzas.

The decor is inspired by luxurious villas on the shores of Lake Como, featuring coloured marbles and polished timbers.

Opens September 25; St Regis Gardens, The Palm; 04 278 4848

Eugene Eugene, Dubai

Cuisine: French, European

Located at the Kempinski Mall of the Emirates, this brasserie-style venue offers lunch and dinner, plus coffee, afternoon tea and drinks.

Chef Yanis Sgard, who previously worked at La Cantine Du Faubourg and Tagomago, has curated a modern European menu. Dishes include truffle and artichoke spinach, vanilla tomato tartare, osso bucco saffron risotto, sea bream a la plancha and foie gras duck salad.

Open daily, noon-midnight; Kempinski Mall of the Emirates; instagram.com/eugeneeugenedubai

Row on 45, Dubai

Cuisine: Modern European

Row on 45 serves a 17-course tasting menu. Photo: Row on 45
Row on 45 serves a 17-course tasting menu. Photo: Row on 45

British celebrity chef Jason Atherton opens his third venture at Grosvenor House in Dubai this month.

The 26-seater fine-dining restaurant promises a theatrical experience, with 17 courses served in three acts. The dishes are inspired by Atherton's culinary journey and his travels around the world. Luxurious ingredients such as oysters, Norwegian king crab and A5 Japanese Wagyu feature on the tasting menu, which is priced at Dh1,145 per person.

Opens September 21; Dubai Marina; rowon45dubai.com

Soul Kitchen, Dubai

Cuisine: Levantine-Latin American fusion

Soul Kitchen offers fusion dishes such as chicken shawarma empanadas. Photo: Soul Kitchen
Soul Kitchen offers fusion dishes such as chicken shawarma empanadas. Photo: Soul Kitchen

The Beiruti restaurant pays homage to the Arab diaspora across Latin America, and the niche popularity of Levantine cuisine in areas such as Buenos Aires and Mexico City. Now it's in Dubai.

Its UAE outpost is located in Business Bay in Dubai, a chic-looking venue that serves dishes such as sheri fish crudo infused with tabbouleh water and jicama crudite; grilled calamari with achiote spice; tamarind-glazed lamb chops; and chicken shawarma empanadas that drive home the fusion point.

There are vegan options as well, such as lychee ceviche and mushroom kebab; as well as a range of beverages inspired by flavours from the two regions.

Open Sunday to Thursday, 5pm-1am; Friday to Saturday, 5pm-2am; Radisson Blu hotel, Dubai Waterfront; soulkitchendxb.com

The Rockpool and The Salon, Dubai

Cuisine: Wood-fired cooking and seafood

The Rockpool specialises in fresh seafood. Photo: The Guild
The Rockpool specialises in fresh seafood. Photo: The Guild

Both restaurants are part of The Guild, a multi-restaurant venue inside ICD Brookfield Place, the $1 billion office tower in the Dubai International Financial Centre.

The Rockpool specialises in seafood, including king crabs, Western Australian crayfish and an oyster shucking station. At the centre of the venue is a rock pool that houses lobsters and crabs. Dishes include Australian octopus carpaccio with caper berry and cured citrus zest; grilled Hokkaido scallops served in the shell with seaweed butter; and king crab cakes with remoulade sauce.

Meanwhile, The Salon is meant to evoke images of grand dining halls in Europe. All the food is cooked over an open fire and charcoal, and instead of a stage for performers, the area features open kitchen islands where chefs can be seen in action.

On the menu are Japanese Wagyu, USDA Prime and Australian Wagyu, roasted French chicken, black truffle risotto as well as roasted bone marrow and garlic snails.

Open daily, 8am-10.30pm; IDC Brookfield Place, the DIFC; theguilddubai.com

Joe & the Juice

Cuisine: Healthy

Spicy tuna sandwich. Photo: Joe & the Juice
Spicy tuna sandwich. Photo: Joe & the Juice

The Danish brand has opened its ninth outpost in the UAE at Gate Village in the Dubai International Financial Centre.

Known for its healthy food offerings, the restaurant serves a variety of sandwiches, such as Joe’s Club (chicken, avocado and vegan pesto), and spicy tuna (tuna mousse, jalapenos, tomato and vegan pesto), as well as a selection of juices and shakes.

Some of its popular drinks include Green Mile, with broccoli, spinach, avocado, lemon and apple; and Go Away Doc, with carrot, ginger and apple.

The menu also has plenty of coffee options, from lattes to macchiatos, as well as salads and breakfast bowls.

Open Sunday to Thursday, 8am-11pm; Friday to Saturday, 8am-midnight; DIFC

A version of this story first appeared on September 9

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Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

While you're here
It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.  

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”

French business

France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.

Where to submit a sample

Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain

Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

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Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

Polarised public

31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all

Source: YouGov

Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.

A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.

Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.

A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.

On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.

The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.

Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.

The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later. 

Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

How to help

Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:

2289 - Dh10

2252 - Dh50

6025 - Dh20

6027 - Dh100

6026 - Dh200

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

Teams

India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami

South Africa (squad): Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rudi Second

Business Insights
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Three tips from La Perle's performers

1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.

2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.

3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Director: Scott Cooper

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 4/5

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Specs

Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km

The biog

Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito

Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa

Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".

Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".

Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach

Updated: September 20, 2023, 10:31 AM