Food

Food Bites: fine Japanese dining now at Etihad Towers

Plus a Vietnamese Day menu in Cho Gao, new dishes on offer at The Meat Co, Christmas food festival in Dubai, and Jamie Oliver to design kitchen appliances in Middle East in this week's food news.

Emily Shardlow

September 06, 2012

Japanese food at Etihad Towers

We really like the sound of Tori No Su, the Japanese restaurant that recently opened at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi, described as “a sleek destination offering contemporary creations based on classic elements”, helmed by a kaiseki-trained chef from Japan. Tori No Su has a teppanyaki and robatayaki grill and a separate sushi bar. Call 02 811 5666.

Vietnamese menu in Cho Gao

September 2 was Vietnam National Day and to celebrate, Cho Gao at the Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi is offering a special Visit Vietnam menu for the entire month, offering dishes such as rice paper rolls, Vietnamese beef hot pot, Hanoi chicken soup and shrimp mousse on sugarcane. Call 02 616 6149.

New dishes on offer at The Meat Co

The Meat Co has added a new seafood dish to its menu: the skewered peri peri-marinated Gulf prawns and red pepper (pictured) cost Dh185 and are served with a choice of starch. Meat lovers, meanwhile, might like to try the recently added prime fillet steak, served flame-grilled, with a choice of sauces (Dh195). Call 04 368 6040.

Christmas food festival in Dubai

We've just heard news that the team behind the always popular Taste of Dubai food festival is holding a three-day Christmas festival from December 6 to 8 at the amphitheatre in Media City. It promises festive food and drink, live entertainment, plenty of opportunity for a spot of seasonal shopping – and Santa! Visit www.dubaichristmasfestival.com for more details.

Oliver to design kitchen appliances in Middle East

Jamie Oliver has teamed up with the electronics company Philips to design a range of kitchen appliances to help save time in the kitchen, while still encouraging people to cook meals from scratch. The first of the products is scheduled to launch in the Middle East in the middle of next year.

The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

More from Neighbourhood Watch:
MORE ON THE US DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo

Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic

Power: 242bhp

Torque: 370Nm

Price: Dh136,814

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House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
  2. Westminster, London 
  3. Camden, London 
  4. Glasgow, Scotland 
  5. Islington, London 
  6. Kensington and Chelsea, London 
  7. Highlands, Scotland 
  8. Argyll and Bute, Scotland 
  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

UK's plans to cut net migration

Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.

Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.

But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.

Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.

Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.

The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”