Best bites at the Dubai Food Festival’s Beach Canteen - in pictures



The Dubai Food Festival had a strong start, attracting more than 19,000 visitors in its first weekend. The Beach Canteen, the festival’s central hub, provides plenty for visitors to do, with kids’ activities, live entertainment and cookery demonstrations. But all we really want to do is eat – and there are plenty of bites on hand to satiate even the pickiest of appetites. Stacie Overton-Johnson samples some of the best eats on offer.

Pinza

If you don’t eat anything else at this year’s festival, try one of Pinza’s signature pizzas. Trust me when I say this is the best pizza you’ll find in Dubai. Pinza opened in Business Bay about three months ago with nearly 20 different varieties of pizzas on the menu. The secret to this masterful pizza lies in Pinza’s thin, super-crispy crust. It’s made with 80 per cent water and 20 per cent flour and baked in an ultra hot oven for just one minute. We chose the Pinzafied Margherita pizza topped with soft, creamy mounds of burrata cheese, a handful of sliced cherry tomatoes, fragrant basil leaves and a layer of tomato sauce that will make your mouth water. Dh40. Worth every dirham.

Ting Irie

Ting Irie is the brainchild of Craig Wong, a Toronto-based Jamaican-Chinese chef with extensive experience in French fine-dining cuisine. He has taken inspiration from his cultural background and his French training to come up with the creative modern-Jamaican concept that is Ting Irie. We ordered a quarter rotisserie roast chicken, which is tastiest when eaten with the creamy coleslaw (made with coconut milk) it’s served with. It also comes with a manageably spicy pineapple salsa made with Scotch bonnet chilli peppers. Ting Irie will open its first permanent location on the Boulevard, across from The Dubai Mall, in April. Dh40.

Mantoushe

This health-conscious Lebanese eatery has a location in JLT and another one opening in Dubai Media City by the end of the summer. The bread is baked fresh on site and all ingredients are chopped, grilled and cooked to order (they even serve organic coffee and tea). We chose a steak rosto wrap with lettuce, tomato, roasted garlic and a creamy moreish sauce. It’s surprisingly light, with the simple flavours punctuated by all that roasted garlicky goodness. Dh25

Khameer & Dough Emirati Bakeshop

This Emirati bakeshop has built a business around the khameer – a staple Emirati snack. Khameer bread can be eaten simply with honey or cheese, but it can also be stuffed with just about any ingredient you want – and that’s exactly what this shop has done. You can get sweet fillings such as Nutella, lotus, rose, apple pie and peanut butter and jelly, or savoury khameer stuffed with potato, zaatar, four cheeses and even chips Oman. Naturally, we chose the chips Oman khameer – and it didn’t disappoint. The dough tastes as fresh as it looks when it’s baked in front of you – and the classic flavours of Chips Oman in this khameer were spot on. Dh8 each, Dh40 for six.

SugarMoo

When you finally give up counting carbs and calories, make your way to SugarMoo. This home-grown speciality dessert shop is delivery-only, so its stall at the festival is a good chance to check out everything it has to offer. You’ll find Nutella brownies, chocolate melts, choco-loco cake and, a fan favourite, the red velvet Oreo cake crunch. It comes with a cream cheese and Oreo centre, covered in chocolate-­fudge cream-cheese icing and Oreo cookie crumbles. Dh25 per slice.

• The Beach Canteen at Kite Beach, Jumeirah, is open daily from 10am to 10pm until March 12. For more information, visit dubaifoodfestival.com

sjohnson@thenational.ae

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Surianah's top five jazz artists

Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.  

Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.

Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.

Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.

Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.

The Penguin

Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz

Creator: Lauren LeFranc

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 390bhp

Torque: 400Nm

Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579

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DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 171 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP) 151
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP) 136
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing) 107
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 83
6. Sergio Perez (Force India) 50
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 45
8. Esteban Ocon (Force India) 39
9. Carlos Sainz (Torro Rosso) 29
10. Felipe Massa (Williams) 22

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Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community

• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style

“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.

Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term. 

From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”

• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International

"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed.  Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."

• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org

"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."

• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com

"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.

His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.

Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."

• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher

"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen.  He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”

• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org

"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."

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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega

Director: Tim Burton

Rating: 3/5

Monday's results
  • UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
  • Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
  • Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
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Results

1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000

2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000

3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000

The specs

  Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

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The Buckingham Murders

Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu

Director: Hansal Mehta

Rating: 4 / 5

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While you're here
Brief scores:

Toss: Nepal, chose to field

UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23

Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17

Result: UAE won by 21 runs

Series: UAE lead 1-0

Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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