Qasr Al Sultan, the new heritage and lifestyle destination developed by Meraas company Dubai Gourmet. Courtesy Edelman DABO
Qasr Al Sultan, the new heritage and lifestyle destination developed by Meraas company Dubai Gourmet. Courtesy Edelman DABO

Qasr Al Sultan desert destination opens with a bang, and some great food



A visit to the new Qasr Al Sultan, a home-grown, Arab-themed restaurant-and-a-show for tourists and UAE residents in the desert just past Dubai Parks and Resorts, will reward you with some truly delicious things to eat.

A variety of live cooking stations use more than 500 ingredients: there are local and international cheeses, out-of-this world sausages and saj, shawarma and a steady stream of fresh-from-the-oven fluffy Arabic bread. The stations surround a spectacular rectangular grill, which serves up an assortment of meat including chicken, kofta, lamb shoulders and fish.

For dessert, there is fresh-made legemat and kunafeh to die for.

Guests can also watch as chefs check on the ouzi, raising the goat cooked in an underground oven for 8 to 10 hours via a very noisy winch.

However Dubai Gourmet, the Meraas new food and beverage unit, is clearly aiming for this to be an all-evening experience and not just a meal. Some 40 people will perform daily, with the show including Dabka and belly dance, the traditional Emirati dance Youla, oud recitals and other traditional instruments.

During the grand opening Monday, guests were treated to a steady stream of performers, including the popular Palestinian-Lebanese duo of Farid and Rami Chehade, known professionally as the Chehade Brothers, as well as a striking fireworks show.

See more: Inside the newly opened restaurant Qasr Al Sultan in the Dubai desert - in pictures

Dukan Zaman charts the evolution of a fishing village into a modern metropolis while the on-site library features books on Arab history, culture and geography, as well as children’s literature and classics from around the world.

Located in the Dubai desert by The Outlet Village, Qasr Al Sultan also features a souk offering shops, sand art and henna.

Qasr Al Sultan is open for dinner from 7pm until midnight. Prices start from Dh435 for adults and Dh250 for children, which includes the buffet, soft drinks, coffee, tea, municipality fees, service charge and tax, camel rides, horse and pony rides. Special rates apply for groups of 15 and above. For more information and to book from February 6, call 800 SULTAN (785826) or email reservations@qasralsultan.ae

amcqueen@thenational.ae

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding

The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

Martin Sabbagh profile

Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East

In the role: Since January 2015

Lives: In the UAE

Background: M&A, investment banking

Studied: Corporate finance

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

Closing the loophole on sugary drinks

As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.

The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.

Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.

Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
 

Not taxed:

Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.

WHAT IS GRAPHENE?

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. 

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
German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution