Having a taste of home is a comfort most of us cherish and fondly remember. For many UAE residents, memories of home are intrinsically tied to local delicacies they might have taken for granted in their native countries – and street food plays a big part in these recollections. Soul Street at Five Jumeirah Village in Jumeirah Village Circle is an amalgamation of these memories rolled into a unique venue that offers patrons a destination away from the main buzz of Dubai’s inner city.
Usually, when one thinks of food venues, JVC doesn't naturally spring to mind, but that is changing as the city grows, with more neighbourhood eateries catering to localised residents who want a tranquil escape from driving across town. Soul Street has this in bounds.
What to expect and where to sit
The venue, situated on the fifth floor of the newly opened hotel in the centre of JVC, has a unique layout that hugs the circular architecture of the building. A round bar greets you at the entrance, where a dedicated mixologist whips up cocktails inspired by the different cuisines represented. Soul Street is essentially a sharing restaurant and serves reimagined dishes associated with street vendors from Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The restaurant decor, too, follows this journey with a layout that is broken into regional cues.
Behind the bar is the European section, followed by Latin America. Tucked away behind a majestically muralled pillar, one finds the Middle East section that segues into India and a richly decorated East Asian seating area, complete with shuttered street shops and a full cherry blossom tree with lanterns. This where we choose to set up base, although the swing set bench in Arabia and the rickshaw table in India are both excellent contenders.
Soul Street restaurant at Five Jumeirah Village in JVC. Antonie Robertson / The National
The menu
The selection of dishes is at first daunting, with the choices presented in a tabloid-sized menu that takes the format of a newspaper. Our knowledgeable and very keen server, Atul, takes us through the options, and here is where the concept of Soul Street starts to shine. The menu has three sections broken up into salads and cold bites, hot bites, and big bites. It’s a web of mouth-watering options that reminds one of weaving through a dense city to find that perfect street vendor you read about on TripAdvisor.
Tacos at Soul Street restaurant, Five Jumeirah Village, Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
The guacamole (Dh45) arrives at our table first. This one, though, has a hint of truffle that blends well with the soft avocado and salsa, and can be eaten scooped with tortilla chips made in-house. Next up is the tostones (Dh35), pan-fried plantain crackers topped with black bean sauce, pico de gallo, pickled cabbage, baladi cheese and chipotle aioli. This one comes with three on a plate, although most starters can be ordered with four diners in mind. Check with your waiter before ordering, though, to make sure everyone at the table gets a portion to try. Next up is an Indian classic, Mumbai pani puri (Dh40), served with masala, mint-flavoured water and tamarind chutney, flavours that burst in the mouth in an interesting fashion. We also try the flavourful raj kachori (Dh35); a staple of chaat shops in India, this semolina shell is packed with sweet yoghurt, pumpkin mash, and tamarind and mint chutneys. Dig into it as soon as it arrives, before the juices are all soaked into the shell, which makes it soggy.
For mains, we go with the lobster. Served in a paper tray in an authentic vendor method, the fresh 220-gram lobster tail is cooked, diced with coleslaw and stuffed into a bun until it's bursting. Prepare to get your fingers dirty if you want to enjoy every mouthful. The dish is served with homestyle-cut fries that make it filling and reminds me of diners along the North American coast
Kunafa cones at Soul Street restaurant, Five Jumeirah Village, Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
Dessert is worth saving some space for. We try the churros (Dh40), which come freshly made and piping hot, dipped in cinnamon sugar with a side of Nutella and raspberry coulis. The bestseller, however, is the kunafa cone (Dh40), a twist on the traditional Middle Eastern treat hailing from the alleyways and kanafeh stands of Nablus. This is jazzed up with pistachio, strawberry compote and sugar syrup.
Standout dish
Soul Street brings together different flavours, both traditional and innovative, from a range of regions. And it does this without being gimmicky in its approach.
The food is well prepared and blends with the atmosphere to create a relaxed dining experience best shared with friends over a beverage. The menu is engineered to be shared as one would in the street if you were exploring a destination with friends. It’s why the tacos el trio (Dh70) with its offering of beef, shrimp and chicken, packed into soft home-made tacos with tangy sauces and salsa to match, is a must-try. The Wagyu beef pho (Dh75), hailing from Vietnam with historical influences from China and Europe, is another hearty meal that will fill any belly happily, while the Philly cheesesteak (Dh75), served in a plump potato bun with abundant cheese and peppers, will be a firm favourite with sandwich-lovers.
A chat with the chef
Chef Jagjit Singh is a native of Delhi and has been in the UAE for the past four years. He draws heavily on inspiration from his team of chefs that span the breadth of his menu. “We have a chef from Mexico, we have people from Thailand, we have a guy from Nepal and, of course, from India. Since we have all come together and we have the food from our countries, we are trying to create a menu we can all enjoy together,” he says.
Chef Singh recommends the kathi roll made of omelette-coated roomali roti stuffed with chicken tikka, the fragrant tandoori lamb chops with mint sauce and, to round up the meal, the mango with sticky rice.
Price point and contact information
The big bites range from Dh45 to Dh115. Coupled with the starters, which are between Dh35 and Dh65, one can easily spend more than planned. This, though, is quickly taken care of at the table when the bill arrives. After all, this is a sharing concept. Soul Street is open from 5pm, and tables can be booked on 04 248 9989.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania. Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan. Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef. Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
'The Lost Daughter'
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson
Rating: 4/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The biog
Name: Maitha Qambar
Age: 24
Emirate: Abu Dhabi
Education: Master’s Degree
Favourite hobby: Reading
She says: “Everyone has a purpose in life and everyone learns from their experiences”
A – Dubai College, Deira International School, Al Ain Amblers, Warriors B – Dubai English Speaking College, Repton Royals, Jumeirah College, Gems World Academy C – British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Yasmina Academy D – Dubai Exiles, Jumeirah English Speaking School, English College, Bahrain Colts
Recent winners
2018 – Dubai College 2017 – British School Al Khubairat 2016 – Dubai English Speaking School 2015 – Al Ain Amblers 2014 – Dubai College
