Following the numerous restaurants that launched in 2023, notably those serving Japanese, Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine, the new year has also begun with a bang.
Dubai, especially, has launched more than a restaurant a week, as residents and visitors alike get out and about to enjoy the cooler weather. Here are eight of the latest to sample.
Alova
Cuisine: South American
The fine-dining restaurant, now open in Damac Paramount Tower B, brings Latin – most notably Peruvian – dishes to Business Bay. The interior is replete with potted plants, and there's even a whimsical sculpture of a llama, the oldest domesticated animal in Peru.
On the menu are a range of ceviche and anticuchos, plus bay scallop conchitas with Parmesan cheese, fish nuggets and the crunchy-creamy puka tika.
Daily, 6.30pm-11.30pm; Business Bay; 04 331 1054
BCH: CLB
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Unlike its peers, the latest beach club to open in Dubai is not on Palm Jumeirah’s West beach, but rather in the area’s W hotel. An outside-to-inside layout comes complete with an expansive deck with daybed loungers (from Dh300), double beds and poolside cabanas, plus all-white seating wrapped around jewel-toned tables.
While music is the main event at BCH: CLB, it also serves a variety of cold and hot dishes.
These include tuna pop tarts, sea bass ceviche, burrata pizza, watermelon-feta salad and the delectable-looking mountain toast, which comes with Wagyu, caviar and truffle on buttery brioche.
Open Sunday to Wednesday, 11am-7pm, and Thursday to Saturday, 11am-midnight; W Dubai – The Palm, West Crescent; 058 575 0805
Cala Vista
Cuisine: Italian
Open for long, lazy lunches and late-night feasts, Cala Vista is at Jumeirah Mina a’Salam, with views of Burj Al Arab interspersed between its olive trees.
Helming the kitchen is chef Luca Crostelli, son of the award-winning chef behind Pierchic, Beatrice Segoni. From Crostelli’s menu, diners can sample beef carpaccio, sea bream crudo and fritto misto to start; wood-fired pizzas with gluten-free dough available; home-made pasta including ricotta spinach gnudi, eggplant tortelloni, and lobster spaghetti; plus mains such as grilled fish, Italian meatballs and veal cutlets.
Classic tiramisu aside, dessert includes Amalfi lemon sorbet with lemon cream, crumble and basil jelly.
Daily, 12.30pm-midnight; Umm Suqeim 3; 800 323 232
Celeste
Cuisine: French
Red velvet drapes, checkerboard floors, leather sofas, wooden elements and gold accents, this lounge at SO/Uptown Dubai Hotel is inspired by Paris’s Montmartre neighbourhood to one of Dubai’s newest hotels, SO/Uptown in JLT.
Live music acts will channel eclectic Parisian-Pigalle, while the menu includes delicacies such as oysters, Sturia caviar and truffle mille feuille.
Opens January 22; 6pm-2am; Jumeirah Lakes Towers; 04 820 8888
Ilios
Cuisine: Greek-Mediterranean
The rooftop restaurant in Radisson Beach Resort Palm Jumeirah channels the Grecian capital Athens and the island of Mykonos by way of its vibrant food and plate smashing tradition. A coming Saturday brunch, meanwhile, will draw its inspiration from romantic Santorini.
On the a la carte menu are appetisers such as tiger prawn saganaki; feta cheese pie; and octopus carpaccio in Romesco sauce with pumpkin seeds, diced, crispy potato and kumquat. Mains include yiouvetsi short ribs orzo in tomato sauce; melitzanosalata, smoked eggplant in roasted red bell pepper chutney; and lobster fettuccine. Loukoumades and a Greek orange pie make up dessert.
Opens January 27; 1pm-2am Tuesday to Sunday (closed Monday); West Beach, Palm Jumeirah; 058 559 4222
Salvaje
Cuisine: Japanese
Following outposts in Panama City, Miami, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris and Saudi Arabia, Salvaje opened with a bang on the last day of last year, and began welcoming a la carte diners this month.
At The Address Opera Residences in Downtown Dubai, the two-level resto-lounge is designed by award-winning Spanish interior designer Lazaro Rosa-Violan (also the man behind the coming SushiSamba in Abu Dhabi) and is replete with tropical colours and patterns, and luxe materials.
Chef Fermin Azkue’s menu showcases the “wild side of Japanese gastronomy”. The signature SLVJ roll, for instance, comes with snow crab, chives, hamachi sashimi, guacamole, toro tartar truffled egg sauce and porcini. Prime steak aside, other dishes include Japanese tacos, angry chicken, short-rib yakisoba noodles, duck fried rice and red prawns with yuzu hollandaise.
Daily, noon-4pm and 7pm-1am; Downtown Dubai; 04 570 3653
Smoki Moto
Cuisine: Korean steakhouse
Korean food is having a moment, and the latest addition to the scene is a licensed spot beachside at Marriott Resort, Palm Jumeirah.
Split into a butcher shop, lounge, Korean pancake station and the main grill area, Smoki Moto offers dishes that are authentic and premium.
On the menu are such delicacies as foie gras bibimbap, truffle potato jeon, 48-hour galbi-marinated chicken, Wagyu brisket in soybean stew and chilled noodles. Desserts include mango and passion fruit bingsu and red bean creme brulee.
Open Monday to Thursday, 5pm-1am, and 5pm-2am, Friday to Sunday; Palm Jumeirah; 04 666 1111
Tamada
Cuisine: International
On the 74th floor of SLS Dubai Hotel & Residences, the fine-dining venue promises to cater for Dubai's diverse palate and cultural vibrancy, and the name is inspired by the Georgian word meaning “toastmaster of the feast”.
The focus is on premium ingredients, notably caviar. Dishes include roast baked potato with caviar, 12-hour braised beef cheek, Russian smoked salmon, Wagyu beef Tomahawk steak, bluefin tuna, and star anise with raspberry and lemon confit.
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 8pm-3am; Marasi Drive; 04 607 0737
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m, Winner: ES Rubban, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Al Mobher, Sczcepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: Jabalini, Tadhg O’Shea, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: AF Abahe, Tadgh O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Makerah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Law Of Peace, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
FA CUP FINAL
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Related
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Honeymoonish
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Profile Box
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
BIOSAFETY LABS SECURITY LEVELS
Biosafety Level 1
The lowest safety level. These labs work with viruses that are minimal risk to humans.
Hand washing is required on entry and exit and potentially infectious material decontaminated with bleach before thrown away.
Must have a lock. Access limited. Lab does not need to be isolated from other buildings.
Used as teaching spaces.
Study microorganisms such as Staphylococcus which causes food poisoning.
Biosafety Level 2
These labs deal with pathogens that can be harmful to people and the environment such as Hepatitis, HIV and salmonella.
Working in Level 2 requires special training in handling pathogenic agents.
Extra safety and security precautions are taken in addition to those at Level 1
Biosafety Level 3
These labs contain material that can be lethal if inhaled. This includes SARS coronavirus, MERS, and yellow fever.
Significant extra precautions are taken with staff given specific immunisations when dealing with certain diseases.
Infectious material is examined in a biological safety cabinet.
Personnel must wear protective gowns that must be discarded or decontaminated after use.
Strict safety and handling procedures are in place. There must be double entrances to the building and they must contain self-closing doors to reduce risk of pathogen aerosols escaping.
Windows must be sealed. Air from must be filtered before it can be recirculated.
Biosafety Level 4
The highest level for biosafety precautions. Scientist work with highly dangerous diseases that have no vaccine or cure.
All material must be decontaminated.
Personnel must wear a positive pressure suit for protection. On leaving the lab this must pass through decontamination shower before they have a personal shower.
Entry is severely restricted to trained and authorised personnel. All entries are recorded.
Entrance must be via airlocks.
MADAME%20WEB
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MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5