Mountain tea adobo, aubergine brulee and kalamae candy. This November, foodies in Abu Dhabi can sample exotic, award-winning dishes as the Michelin Guide Food Festival returns.
The event will run from November 22 to 24 at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental with tickets going on sale on Thursday starting at Dh85. On the menu is a medley of cooking demonstrations, masterclasses and a line-up of international and local chefs who will serve their famed dishes for a fraction of their usual Michelin-starred price.
Here are the international restaurants – from Japan, Brazil, Thailand, Argentina, South Korea, Mexico and Turkey – bringing their signature cuisines to the capital.
Crony, Tokyo
Status: Two Michelin stars
Fun fact, the restaurant’s name refers to “friends who will drink tea together always”. Also a winner of the Michelin Green Star, the restaurant is big on sustainability. To that end, chef Michihiro Haruta told Michelin he does not use juvenile fish or endangered marine species but does source imperfect vegetables and uses solar salt and honey.
Dishes include abalone with summer truffles; cherry salmon with new onion; sourdough bread with butter made from leftover sake-lees; and guinea fowl with spring vegetables.
Evvai, Sao Paulo
Status: Two Michelin stars
Chef Luiz Filipe Souza fuses Brazilian and Italian cuisines on his tasting menu called Oriundi (the interchange of cultures). This features dishes made from seasonal ingredients, ranging from the chocolatey cupuacu fruit and fermented wild cassava to palm hearts and pumpkin leaves.
A year-round signature on the Evvai menu, since it opened, are scallops sauteed in duck fat.
Restaurant Allen, Seoul
Status: Two Michelin stars
Chef Allen Suh has made a name for himself for serving dishes that are true to seasonal ingredients, notes the Michelin website. This translates to a menu that changes every three months and incorporates ingredients from summer greens to winter radish and everything in between. Dishes served in the past include soy sauce-marinated butterfish; jeju tilefish with turnip; foie gras with peach and brioche; and duck with apricot and green beans.
Casa Vigil, Mendoza
Status: One Michelin star
Chef and sommelier Alejandro Vigil’s restaurant is inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy in its set-up, with rustic rooms, stark vineyards and bountiful gardens, where his mum Maria Sance grows 50 varieties of tomatoes.
These are used in ways both simple and complex on the menu. Think tomatoes with celery and burrata; as well as a dough made from dehydrated tomato skins, topped with cured pejerrey fish, onion, coriander and a tomato veil, and served with green olive caviar and an emulsion of wasabi and bisque.
Esquina Comun, Mexico City
Status: One Michelin star
The only way to snag a limited spot in chef Ana Dolores Gonzalez’s rooftop restaurant is via direct messaging on Instagram. The Michelin Guide lauds the restaurant’s “strong techniques and good ingredients”, which shine through in dishes such as salmon in mountain tea adobo; camote gnocchi with rice, bread, ricotta and kumquat; cod green mole with crushed plantain, fava beans and pumpkin seeds; and masa and plantain tamal with red-tinted fish and salsa macha.
Samrub Samrub Thai, Bangkok
Status: One Michelin star
Chef Prin Polsuk draws his inspiration from rare cookbooks and age-old Thai recipes for his restaurant, which only accepts (or doesn’t) reservations via social media. Accordingly, shrimps from the Tapi river will be served with garuda claw leaf crackers; oysters with mini sour mango and krill; and salted king mackerel with turmeric. Even dessert takes the form of ice cream made from traditional kalamae candy and a doughnut with the flavour of Thai coconut.
Vino Locale, Izmir
Status: One Michelin star
Co-founders and couple Ozan and Seray Kumbasar change their set menu every six weeks depending on seasonal produce and creative inspiration. The former includes a butter from the town of Ikizdere where the cows are only fed spring flowers. The latter is evident in every course, including a salad of crunchy asparagus, pea cream, goat's cheese, crispy fried artichokes, herb oil and radish vinaigrette.
Other dishes of note include octopus and spicy tom yum; aubergine brulee; and lamb with salty yoghurt and apple.
UAE restaurants on the bill
International chefs aside, the food festival will also include Michelin-lauded dishes spanning from haute Japanese to modern Emirati cuisine whipped up by Abu Dhabi’s own award-winning restaurants. These include: 99 Sushi, Erth, Hakkasan, Talea by Antonio Guida, Tean and Otoro.
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if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
Three stars
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
The Dark Blue Winter Overcoat & Other Stories From the North
Edited and Introduced by Sjón and Ted Hodgkinson
Pushkin Press
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
FIXTURES
All games 6pm UAE on Sunday:
Arsenal v Watford
Burnley v Brighton
Chelsea v Wolves
Crystal Palace v Tottenham
Everton v Bournemouth
Leicester v Man United
Man City v Norwich
Newcastle v Liverpool
Southampton v Sheffield United
West Ham v Aston Villa
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Brief scores:
Toss: India, opted to field
Australia 158-4 (17 ov)
Maxwell 46, Lynn 37; Kuldeep 2-24
India 169-7 (17 ov)
Dhawan 76, Karthik 30; Zampa 2-22
Result: Australia won by 4 runs by D/L method
