London restaurant Mazi to open in Abu Dhabi in October and other foodie news

Plus, Typica Specialty Cafe opens in Dubai, Social House launches ramen menu and competition, and get into a boodle fight at Zabeel House Mini

Greek salad at Mazi

Spicy tiropita, broken filo pastry with leeks and chillies jar at Mazi

Courgette cakes at Mazi

Mazi jars

Shredded lamb shoulder stifado with miso aubergine at Mazi

Smoked prawns saganaki with ouzo and metz at Mazi

Grilled octopus at Mazi

Loukoumades at Mazi 

Chocolate eclair at Mazi 

Pistachio and mastiha parfait, with strawberry and melon coulis at Mazi

Dubai has been inundated with Greek restaurants – from Avli and Ammos to Gaia and Opa – and now Mazi from Notting Hill is set to open at the St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort in Abu Dhabi next month. Known for its modern Greek food, Mazi puts a culinary twist on classic recipes. Think feta served tempura-style with lemon marmalade and caper meringue; a spicy version of tiropita served as a broken filo pastry with leeks and chillies; and grilled aubergine drizzled with soy and thyme honey or served with lamb and miso (pictured). The Greek yoghurt dessert, too, comes with candied quince and cinnamon oat crunch. "The idea is to revive Greece's sharing culinary tradition in what we like to call a 'fine-casual' atmosphere. Our guests can expect to find a fun place to enjoy some great food combined with the intimate service of a fine-dining restaurant," says co-owner Christina Mouratoglou.

Typica Specialty Cafe opens in Dubai

Coffee connoisseurs, rejoice. A new cafe promising "high-quality brews crafted by master baristas" is open on Dubai's Jumeirah Beach Road from this month. Typica will source beans only from award-winning harvests in Mexico and South America, for instance from Janson Estate Geishas in Panama. The cafe also boasts the UAE's only state-of-the-art Aremde coffee machine. The speciality coffee house will be managed by the winner of 2018's Best Barista for Espresso – UAE National Barista Champion, Michaela Ruazol. She will also be the UAE representative at the world barista championship in Melbourne in 2020.

Social House launches Ramen menu and competition

A limited-edition ramen menu (pictured below) is available at Social House this month. A veritable foodie favourite, these soupy pulled noodles pack a variety of veggies, meat
and spices, and can be customised. Each comes with wheat noodles, flavoured miso, pok choy, bean sprouts and enoki. On the menu until September 30 are: spicy steak and spicy prawn ramen (Dh66 each) and chicken ramen (Dh55), all with a home-made chicken broth; and veggie ramen (Dh50) in a vegetable broth, flavoured with miso and served with zucchini, baby carrots and tofu. On September 19, Social House will host a ramen beatdown from 7pm to 8pm; whoever finishes their ramen first will win a Dh400 voucher for their next meal.

Indulge in a boodle fight at Zabeel House Mini

A boodle fight is a traditional military practice in the Philippines of soldiers eating together from a pile of food before it runs out – typically by hand and off the same platter. CU restaurant at Zabeel House Mini in Al Seef gives you a chance to experience the "fight" every evening from 6pm to 11pm, for Dh150 per person. The menu will predominantly serve seafood dishes with a range of sauces.