Sanderson's is a venture by the Serg half of Tom and Serg, the chefs who brought us a number of popular eateries, including Common Grounds, The Sum of Us and their eponymous Dubai cafe. Going it alone, Spanish entrepreneur Sergio Lopez opened this project last September on The Walk at Al Seef Resort & Spa by Andalus.
The Abu Dhabi restaurant has launched a fresh new menu focused on healthy "mood food", which head chef Troy Payne says is all about "eating with intention". The list is like a game of two halves; it incorporates nutrient-dense dishes on one side, and on the other, "comfort-style food for the days when you need a bit of a hug", adds Payne.
What to expect and where to sit
The cafe is spacious, inviting and comfortable, its neutral decor interspersed with pops of colour, such as an aquamarine couch set against a grey wall, and lush green foliage against crisp white tones. The wicker chairs and lamp shades add a fun, cool touch.
On clement days, the terrace is a no-brainer. But the airy inside is equally inviting with its warm, rustic feel. Staff are friendly, happy and eager to please; you could easily while away a good few hours here without feeling like you’ve outstayed your welcome.
The menu
Payne consulted a nutritionist to find out how certain ingredients affect a person's mood and then worked them into interesting creations. For our lazy weekend lunch, we got the salmon poke bowl packed with chunks of the juicy, ice-cold, raw Atlantic fish, with a flavour and freshness as deep as the ocean it came from. It's layered with quinoa, courgettes, avocado, red onion, edamame and seaweed, all drizzled with a zesty ponzu and sesame dressing. It's a light opener to the heartier helpings of green shakshouka pide and prawn nachos that follow.
The pide comes with spiced spinach, chickpeas and tomato, topped with a baked-but-still-runny egg, all on freshly baked bread. It's warming, comforting and indulgent, and yet still manages to feel guilt-free. The prawn nachos (which couldn't feel less like nachos, being triangles of seeded, gluten-free toast, and cheeseless) are a delicious, health-conscious reworking of the comfort-food classic. The medley of flavours from the Mexican-style beans, smashed avocado and tangy Turkish salad, combined with plump, smoky-sweet, stone-roasted prawns, skilfully make up for the lack of tortilla chip crunch and gooey, melted cheese.
For dessert, our waitress recommends the matcha yoghurt skillet cake with banana ice cream and miso caramel – it's her favourite and we see why. The warm green-tea-flavoured cake combines beautifully with the sweet banana ice cream, and the sticky miso-caramel sauce is a delight when combined with the dense cake. How healthy the mood-elevating ingredients are in this one is debatable, but every spoonful transports us to cloud nine.
Signature dish
The standout of our order is the irresistible mix of flavours in the shakshouka pide. But the restaurant's signature dishes, Payne says, are the shredded sea bass with celeriac and apple slaw wrapped in beetroot pistachio and sesame "leather", and the smoothie bowls.
"These dishes were developed at Serg's house on an afternoon of experimenting, good company and having a great time, when he was training for a triathlon, and we were trying to come up with delicious but healthy dishes," Payne explains. "The acai and tropical smoothie bowls have lots of banana and nuts in them, which all have properties such as selenium, potassium and phosphorous, for a mood-boosting lift."
Who’s eating there
The cafe has an area selling jewellery and trinkets, which will appeal to artsy types. The space is large enough to be family-friendly, too, and the playground nearby will certainly be a draw for families with young children. On our visit, groups of friends and couples were enjoying the health-conscious dishes and superfood juices.
A chat with the chef
Payne has worked as head chef alongside celebrity chef Greg Malouf in Melbourne. Payne helped Malouf open Cle in Dubai and also worked at the chef's Zahira, as well as at The Sum of Us.
As head chef at Sanderson's, Payne is the creative mind behind the mood food. "We simply wanted to create a menu that would have the ability to lift people's spirits," he says.
Aside from the selection we sampled, the list caters to plenty of diets. "For vegetarians and vegans, I'd recommend the rice-paper veggie wrap filled with crunchy vegetables, and wild and brown rice," Payne says. "The tamarind sauce gives it a nice spicy zing." For seafood and meat-lovers, Payne suggests the aforementioned sea bass wrap because it's "adventurous and surprisingly filling, not to mention gluten-free".
And his favourite dish? “I love the stone-roasted prawn nachos,” he reveals. “We bake this amazing seed mix for the ‘nachos’, which is full of good oils and a range of awesome minerals, and then the beans, the prawns and avocado are delicious accompaniments.”
Price points and contact information
Plates range from Dh49 to Dh69 for mains, and desserts are from Dh25 to Dh49, which we thought was reasonable considering the quality of ingredients and consideration that goes into each dish.
Sanderson's is open daily from 8am to 10pm at the Al Seef Compound, next to Al Seef Village Mall, Abu Dhabi. Call 02 222 1142 for more information or to make a reservation.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant
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
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
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.”
Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%203%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Einer%20Rubio%20(COL)%20Movistar%20Team%20-%204h51%E2%80%9924%E2%80%9D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%20-%2014%22%3Cbr%3E3.%20Adam%20Yates%20(GBR)%20UAE%20Team%20Emirates%20-%2015%22%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EGeneral%20classifications%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lucas%20Plapp%20(AUS)%20Ineos%20Grenaders)%20-%207%22%3Cbr%3E3.%20Pello%20Bilbao%20(ESP)%20Bahrain%20Victorious%20-%2011%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
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.
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
