Dubai has another new dining venue, and you certainly won't go hungry at Grand Beirut, which recently opened in Silicon Oasis. Because, as guests are waiting for their meal to arrive, they can check out its olive oil and vinegar tasting display.
Touted as a first of its kind in the country, an entire tasting wall stocks a range of unique oil and vinegar flavours, from avocado to lemon and basil-infused creations to more niche varieties such as white truffle and raspberry. The virgin olive oil has been brought in from the fields of El Koura in northern Lebanon.
Eighty per cent of the infusions are done in-house, says Danny Kattar, general manager at MBT Restaurant Management, the group behind the enterprise.
“The olive oils are heated to a specific temperature, the flavours are added in and they are kept at said temperature for about 45 minutes,” he explains.
“We then keep it in room temperature for about a day to let the flavours sink in properly. Guests can have a taste with our speciality bread or add a little to a salad.”
Olive oil wall aside, there’s plenty more to this restaurant, from the colourful wall murals to the greenery and the hand-painted musical instruments that hang from the ceiling. Even the chairs feature an avant-garde mishmash of colours.
Niveen Ibrahim, the parent company's chief operating officer, says no expenses have been spared when designing the interiors for the home-grown brand. “We went with the trend of something that is out of the ordinary, Instagrammable,” she says.
“But also, it pays tribute to the art, culture, music and greenery of Lebanon.”
The menu also pays homage to the Levantine country. As Kattar puts it: “We are not trying to reinvent the wheel. This is not a fusion restaurant. But what we will be doing is looking at traditional Lebanese dishes and finding ways to enhance the flavour.”
Take for example the mkhattara, a dish of poached eggs on spiced hash brown halloumi, or the shanklish fondue, with oven-melted cheese and roasted tomatoes.
Dessert is another indulgent affair. The Grand Beirut mille feuille offers a blend of melting muhalabiyeh over crispy kunafa layers, while halawet el jibin comes topped with Lebanese ashta ice cream.
Meanwhile, purists will be able to find all the classics, such as hummus, moutabel, hot and cold mezze favourites, salads and mains. Kattar says the idea is to have something for everyone, including traditionalists.
Grand Beirut is still in its soft opening phase, but there are big plans ahead for the brand.
Ibrahim confirms there will be three more openings this year. The next branch is scheduled to open in The Galleria, Abu Dhabi in August, while another outlet is planned to launch in time for Expo 2020 Dubai, and a fourth branch will open in the capital's Al Qana in December.
Each outlet will offer a unique feature; the olive oil and vinegar wall is exclusive to Dubai Silicon Oasis, but customers can expect something new in the other branches. While there will be subtle changes to the interiors as well, “the DNA of the brand will remain the same”, says Ibrahim.
It’s all in line with their lofty goal: to franchise Grand Beirut and open branches across the world.
“We are big believers of homegrown brands in the UAE," says Ibrahim. "We want to introduce this concept to other markets in the future."
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry
4/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Army of the Dead
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera
Three stars
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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