One of the naughtiest breakfasts I've had in Dubai is, hands down, kunafa in ka'ak.
It's Monday, 10.30am. I take a bite. A savoury sesame flavour starts oscillating across my tongue. I hear the semolina crackle, a faint warning of what is to follow. The next few seconds swoop in without giving me a chance to retreat, to run back to my granola and milk reality. A warm, outlandishly sweet sensation gushes all over me, numbing my mind with the heady scent of melted clarified butter, tugging me under a gooey blanket of syrup-soaked cheese that is so dense, so rich, so comforting, that I won't emerge from the sugary daze until a few brutal cups of coffee later.
Every morning, the neighbourhood old-timer Al Samadi Sweets in Deira hypnotises many a waking soul with kunafa in ka'ak. Kunafa is a sweet Arabic cheese pie typically served for dessert, though the Lebanese have cleverly repurposed it as a street-style breakfast. A petty Dh10 can buy you this off-menu item at Al Samadi: a bubbling hot slice of kunafa na'ama tucked into a charming, purse-shaped bread studded with sesame seeds. The version of kunafa used in this breakfast concoction has a molten base of akkaawi cheese and a crunchy crust of semolina kataifi noodles, finely ground and sprinkled on top. The whole pie seems delightfully sloshed with buckets of liquid sugar and butter, should anyone attempt to crawl out of the shop craving a second helping of dessert.
To console myself about my morning indulgence, I only had to look at the rapidly diminishing tray of kunafa at the shop. I wasn't the only sinner that day. One giant tray of freshly baked pie had already vanished with their early morning orders, this second one was nearly gone, and soon, Al Samadi would put out a third.
Al Samadi Sweets, Al Murraggabat Road, Deira, 04 269 7717.
Arva Ahmed blogs about hidden foodie gems in Old Dubai at www.iliveinafryingpan.com
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Rating: 2/5
Napoleon
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About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
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The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
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Two and a half stars
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Poacher
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
