Who visits Turkey and doesn't bother to taste authentic Iskender kebab? Me. Back in 2007, I had compiled checklists of places serving lahmacuns, pide, içli köfte and baklava - but Iskender kebab was a dish yet unbeknown to me. Only after tasting this dish in Dubai last year did I realise the magnanimity of the gastro-crime I had committed.
Diving into a well-composed plate of Iskender kebab is no different than walking into a hotel room to find the perfect bed: a mattress lined with cushiony chunks of pide bread, a cuddly pillow of creamy yogurt tinged with garlic, juicy sheets of smoky lamb and a red velvety throw of tomato gravy. The final homely touch is a warm stream of butter draped across the dish like a silk runner, beckoning you to a dreamy world where lamb, bread, yogurt, gravy and butter live together in perfect harmony.
The name I have often seen associated with this culinary invention is Iskender Efendi, the man who defied centuries of horizontal roasting tradition and pioneered the vertical spit in the 1860s. His invention enabled a rotating pyramid of deboned lamb to be exposed evenly on all sides to the cooking flame, an ingenious technique that fathered the birth of the ubiquitous shawarma. Three generations later, Iskender's grandsons are still serving their trademarked Kebapçi Iskender legacy. Long strips of meat are shaved off of the vertical spit and piled over bread that willingly sponges up all the meaty, buttery juices trickling down to the bottom.
One of the best Iskenders in Dubai is at Istanbul Flower on Sheikh Zayed Road, with Harput in Barsha serving a beefy plate that comes a close second. Then there's Anatolia in Ibn Battuta Mall - worth the 45-minute drive from Abu Dhabi, guaranteed.
If Dubai's versions have even half the flavour of the original, I'd like nothing more than to fly back to Turkey and do it right this time.
Arva Ahmed blogs about hidden food gems in Old Dubai at www.iliveinafryingpan.com.
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
SPECS
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THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
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.
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
- Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona v Real Madrid, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
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