The table is being set for an almighty feast as the first-ever Dubai Restaurant Week reveals the bespoke menus to be offered from many of the emirate’s leading eateries.
Bookings are now officially open at 30 top restaurants participating in the inaugural event, which takes place for ten days from February 25 to March 5.
Among the celebrity chefs serving up special, limited-run three-course menus, priced at a set Dh189, are Gordon Ramsay (Bread Street Kitchen), Atul Kochhar (Rang Mahal), Heinz Beck (Social), Vineet Bhatia (Ashiana) and Alfredo Russo (Vivaldi).
The initiative is part of the upcoming Dubai Food Festival (February 25-March 12), which celebrates the city’s thriving culinary scene. Organisers expect venues to be fully booked during the promotional period.
“Restaurants participating in Dubai Restaurant Week are among the best in the city and we can’t wait for guests to try the delectable menus they have curated specially for Dubai Food Festival,” said Laila Suhail, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) that organises the event.
Participating restaurants are: The Ivy, Thiptara, Rivington Grill, Social By Heinz Beck, The Croft, Alta Badia, Ashiana by Vineet, Atelier M, Boca, Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay, Café Belge, Fogueira, Fume, Garden, Hoi An, Junoon, JW’s Steakhouse, Kiku, Mint Leaf of London, Okku, Pai Thai, Positano, Qbara, Rang Mahal by Atul Kochhar, Sea Fu, Seven Sands, The Hide, Vivaldi by Alfredo Russo, Yuan and Zheng He’s.
For further information see www.dubaifoodfestival.com. Bookings are now open at www.roundmenu.com/drw.
The Freedom Artist
By Ben Okri (Head of Zeus)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
Sweet Tooth
Creator: Jim Mickle
Starring: Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar, Stefania LaVie Owen
Rating: 2.5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 4-cylinder 2.5-litre / 2-litre turbo
Power: 188hp / 248hp
Torque: 244Nm / 370Nm
Transmission: 7-speed auto
On sale: now
Price: From Dh110,000
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
EA Sports FC 24
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, PC and Xbox One
Rating: 3.5/5
FROM THE ASHES
Director: Khalid Fahad
Starring: Shaima Al Tayeb, Wafa Muhamad, Hamss Bandar
Rating: 3/5
Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
Stoke City v Tottenham
Brentford v Newcastle United
Arsenal v Manchester City
Everton v Manchester United
All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.
CONCRETE COWBOY
Directed by: Ricky Staub
Starring: Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome
3.5/5 stars
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
