Saturday brunch at Caramel in The Collection, St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, is an extremely low-key affair in plush surroundings - there’s no sign of hungry diners clanking plates around food stations or children stampeding towards chocolate fountains.
Instead, after you’ve had a look at the menu and indicated your choices, the various courses are brought to your table while you sit back and enjoy your drink - and your afternoon - in peace.
Among the cold appetisers, the standouts are the tuna carpaccio, deliciously enhanced with a dash of truffle essence, and creamy crab tacos, a surprisingly light version of what otherwise is a filling snack.
There are hot appetisers, too - wagyu beef kebabs, mushroom and spinach arancini balls (decadent, deep-fried risotto balls), and succulent chicken wings drenched in a mysterious ‘spicy sauce’ (which tastes a lot like tandoori masala).
The main courses, when they arrive, are small portions of yogurt-marinated oven-roasted baby chicken (tender and cooked just right) and Scottish salmon fingers (ever-so-slightly dry), and they are served with interesting sides: mac and cheese popcorn - large, crispy, oozing roundels that are as rich as the risotto balls but twice as addictive; and a slightly cloying spinach yogurt. (For a heavier, coma-inducing lunch, opt for the wagyu beef strips or the penne pasta instead.)
Remember to leave room for the desserts: choose from raspberry cheesecake, mango sorbet and vanilla ice cream, coffee brûlée or cappuccino ice cream. The servings might be tiny but they are not to be missed, especially the creme brûlée with banana and caramel topping, which is best paired with an espresso: the perfect end to a glorious afternoon.
• Saturday brunch at Caramel costs from Dh149 per person, including soft drinks. From 12pm-3pm. Call 02 678 3344
ciyer@thenational.ae
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
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Guide to intelligent investing
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Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
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SHAITTAN
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Queen
Nicki Minaj
(Young Money/Cash Money)
Isle of Dogs
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Ed Norton, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson
Three stars
MADAME%20WEB
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
RESULTS
6.30pm: Longines Conquest Classic Dh150,000 Maiden 1,200m.
Winner: Halima Hatun, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer).
7.05pm: Longines Gents La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,200m.
Winner: Moosir, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Longines Equestrian Collection Dh150,000 Maiden 1,600m.
Winner: Mazeed, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm: Longines Gents Master Collection Dh175,000 Handicap.
Winner: Thegreatcollection, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Longines Ladies Master Collection Dh225,000 Conditions 1,600m.
Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Longines Ladies La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,600m.
Winner: Secret Trade, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
10pm: Longines Moon Phase Master Collection Dh170,000 Handicap 2,000m.
Winner:
Brief scoreline:
Toss: South Africa, elected to bowl first
England (311-8): Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51; Ngidi 3-66
South Africa (207): De Kock 68, Van der Dussen 50; Archer 3-27, Stokes 2-12
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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