• Joining the wave of chocolate menus and dessert bars cropping up across the UAE is ChikaLicious Dessert Club, which just opened in Dubai's Village Mall in Jumeirah. Among the delights on offer (there are queues at the popular New York City location) are a dark chocolate brownie cookie with peanut butter chips and salted pretzels, black sesame cream brulee and vanilla mille crepe cake.
• Dubai finally has a place to relax. Previously a private-members' club, Suga, Conrad Dubai is now opening its ground floor doors and offering its creative concoctions to the general public. A menu need never be opened, with mixologists offering tailored beverages with rare elements including thyme syrup and fig jam. A variety of canapé-style foods are also on offer, ranging from wagyu beef sliders with crispy shallots and pickles, chicken lollipops with toasted sesame lime aioli, goat's cheese croquettes with tomato fondue, and truffled fat chips with parmesan emulsion to complement the beverage selection.
• Reform Social & Grill, The Lakes has launched its New Great British Brunch, which offers guests a Posh Ploughman's Larder and seasonal side dishes to share, with an a la carte offering classics such as fish & chips, braised beef cheeks with horseradish dumplings, steamed Shetland mussels or even a full English breakfast. For dessert, guests can have a traditional British sweet shop-inspired dessert stand delivered to their table, offering treats including butterscotch toffee pudding, rhubarb & custard crumble, chocolate crunchie bites or British artisanal cheeses. Brunch is offered from 12-4pm and is priced from Dh230-350.
• JLT's Náis Italian Kitchen has introduced a new menu for the season bursting with authentic favourites from the north-western Piedmont region – reflective of the owner's northern Italian roots. The head chef Stefano Bertero's tajarin handmade pasta uses arugula as the base for its pesto, while the caprese features oven-baked confit tomatoes with a citrus dressing. "We do things a little differently in our restaurant. We don't serve mainstream Italian food, but unique creations that diners have probably never experienced before," says Marianna Rescia, the owner. Náis Italian Kitchen is located in HDS Tower, Cluster F, JLT.
