I settled down at the floor table of a Korean restaurant in Satwa, my spectacles screwed tightly to my face. I was about to scrutinise a menu teeming with Korean dishes, most of them so alien and exotic that the menu sniggered at my proud awareness of kimchi as though it were nothing more monumental than being knowledgeable about fries.
But there’s one Korean dish I order before I’ve even opened the menu. The dish is bulgogi, strips of marinated beef tenderloin or sirloin, often cooked over grid irons sunk into the centre of the dining table. The friend who introduced me to bulgogi had predicted that I’d leave the meal thinking of it for the rest of the day, not just because of its taste, but because my clothes would be perfumed with beefy smoke by the time we were finished cooking it.
Bulgogi beef is soaked in a marinade that reveals the salty, sweet and pungent undertones of sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, pepper and spring onions. The raw, marinated meat is then piled high on a plate, often alongside thick-cut raw onions, whole garlic cloves and plump mushrooms. From that point on, the grilling process is handed over to the diners. Bulgogi is an experience of communal cooking, of assigning the grill master of our group to watch the meat so that it doesn’t overcook while the rest of us are gossiping like desperate housewives, the soft sputtering of beef only audible when the conversation momentarily drops to make way for a hungry plea: “Is it done yet?”
Seconds after the meat is declared cooked, clucking chopsticks tweeze the mellow, tender beef off of the grill, cradle it into vibrant lettuce sleeves and dot it with ssamjang, the fermented bean and chilli paste whose irresistible yet evasive taste may be best pinned down as umami. If there is any vestige of conversation still trailing the table, the first bite of juice-dripping beef slivers tucked into crunchy lettuce wraps effectively wipes it out. It is usually at this moment of the meal that I silently repledge my allegiance to bulgogi.
• Dubai is bursting with Korean options, but a personal favourite is Shogun Restaurant, Al Ghurair,
04 228 5568
Arva Ahmed blogs about
hidden food gems in Old Dubai at www.ILiveinaFryingPan.com
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.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Scoreline
Germany 2
Werner 9', Sane 19'
Netherlands 2
Promes 85', Van Dijk 90'
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Mrs%20Chatterjee%20Vs%20Norway
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ashima%20Chibber%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rani%20Mukerji%2C%20Anirban%20Bhattacharya%20and%20Jim%20Sarbh%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
