There's something sinfully appealing about a shawarma, that most humble of sandwiches. All it needs is good-quality meat and marinade, well-infused spices and fillings, and fresh saj or pita.
It's little wonder that the shawarma regularly tops most ordered dish lists and is the Middle East's most tagged dish on social media. Most recently, residents from the Emirates selected shawarma as their grub of choice for a Time Out survey of the most beloved dishes around the globe, according to 38,000 locals.
Of the two main types, a chicken shawarma typically comes with pickled cucumber and turnips, garlic paste (toum) and potato fries, while the lamb and beef versions are paired with tahini (ground sesame) paste, onions and tomatoes.
Finding the "best" shawarma restaurants in any of the UAE's cities is a tall order, simply because there is no secret ingredient or special cooking technique involved here. Even so, here is a list of restaurants in Dubai (and here's one for Abu Dhabi) – from hole-in-the-wall joints to beloved franchises and food court favourites – that come highly recommended, juicy meat, fluffy bread and all.
Al Mallah
Price: from Dh9
It's the place "all the Dubai kids swear by", says The National's lifestyle writer Janice Rodrigues. And indeed, Al Mallah – which opened in 1979 and has three locations in Dubai, in Al Diyafah, Al Seef and Ibn Battuta – garners regular recommendations and rave reviews on most foodie groups. It offers pita, saj and Mexican options, as well as a chicken and meat combo shawarma (Dh18).
Zaroob
Price: from Dh13
Another Dubai staple, Zaroob also operates from multiple locations, including from within The Radisson Blu Residence in Dubai Marina, plus Trade Centre, Uptown Mirdif and Silicon Oasis. Although questions have been raised about its slow service, there’s no denying the freshness of its offerings.
Eat & Drink
Price: from Dh5.50
With more than a dozen outposts – from Meena Bazaar to Jumeirah – this cafeteria serves its Lebanese fare alongside Indian and Chinese food, with burgers thrown in for good measure. Its chicken and Mexican shawarmas are some of the cheapest you’ll find in the emirate, though, and tasty, too.
Sports Athletic
Price: from Dh6
Another cafeteria that does it all – from porattas to zinker sandwiches – is this Al Satwa hole-in-the-wall fast food joint. Visit when you’re super-hungry and you won’t be disappointed by the size of its special “Mexicy-Arabic” shawarma.
Picnic Home
Price: from Dh6
"This tiny Lebanese cafeteria, located just outside Al Fahidi metro station, serves one of the best shawarmas I've ever had in Dubai. They have a killer spicy version that's falls under the try-if-you-dare bracket," says The National's sub-editor Mary Paulose.
Kabab Erbil Iraqi
Price: from Dh20
With branches in Al Rigga, Al Muteena and Jumeirah 2, Kabab Erbil is better known for its kubba and tashreeb, but its Iraqi shawarma sandwich is a worthy contender. The restaurant also serves tashreeb shawarma, maglouba shawarma and shawarma with rice (Dh75 each). Samad Al Iraqi, with locations in Al Muraqqabat, and Jumeirah 2 and The Pointe, is another good option. Its shawarma sandwiches start from Dh16.
Saad Al Warani Cafeteria
Price: from Dh5.25
For those in the know, this tiny spot in Rashidiya is the birthplace of the Hassan mattar sandwich, a variation of the shawarma that is now a staple of roadside cafes across Dubai. A flat, open sandwich (rather than your typical rolled variety), the bread comes toasted, for added crispiness, and you can add chips and cheese, plus Saad Al Warani’s special spicy sauce.
Al Safadi
Price: from Dh12
It may have launched a two-level, fountain-facing outpost at Dubai’s hottest dining destination, The Pointe at Palm Jumeirah, but this casual dining Lebanese chain is known for its juicy meat, which tastes delicious in its simple chicken and meat shawarma options. As Dubai cookbook author Flavel Monteiro puts it: “Justice can only be done when you are there eating every bite of the shawarma in its original Al Rigga home.”
Filful
Price: from Dh14
This Beiruti street food concept started life in Boxpark, but it has since moved to Dubai Marina Mall. The restaurant’s name refers to its in-house chilli, described as “the strongman of delectable street food ... the one accompaniment that makes all the difference”. So if it’s a spicy shawarma you’re after, make this your go-to.
Barbar Beirut Restaurant
Price: from Dh6
With its bright orange facade, this tiny cafeteria is something of a local secret in Dubai’s Al Khabaisi district. Its pita and saj shawarmas are an example in tasty simplicity and worth the trek for everyone else.
Allo Beirut
Price: from Dh11
The Al Barsha and CityWalk restaurant is a favourite with Foodiva founder Samantha Woods, who says she loves “the large portion of its beef shawarma with tomato, pickles and tahini wrapped in toasted Arabic or saj bread”. The street food outlet also does its supersized chicken and beef shawarmas in Arabic bread (from Dh35).
Zaatar W Zeit
Price: from Dh32
Wood also says she appreciates that this chain serves its “shredded beef shawarma with tomato, parsley and tahini in an oat flatbread, because it feels healthy. I also love that it’s literally opposite my house” – which is no surprise, really, given Zaatar W Zeit’s 14 branches.
Shawarma Houzz
Price: from Dh10
Don’t get confused by its playful misspelt name, this tiny cafeteria in Al Barsha takes its shawarmas very seriously and is known to give full value for money. Lebanese and Mexican styles aside, it has an Italian version served in saj, pita or Arabic bread. Tahini and toum aside, it also serves peri-peri mayo and a creamy tomato-mushroom mayo sauce.
Qaalat Al Balbak
Price: from Dh8.50
Another Al Barsha gem, Qaalat is nestled close to the Saudi German Hospital, and is the go-to for those craving lamb (rather than beef) shawarmas.
Al Reef Bakery
Price: from Dh7.35
For 24/7 shawarma options, look no further than this 35-year-old Lebanese bakery and visit its Al Karama branch for an authentic experience of Old Dubai (a second outpost is in Jumeirah 3). Regular pita shawarmas aside, it has Arabic and Mexican iterations.
Sandwich Club
Price: from Dh5.50
In the depths of Deira, this is a fabulous 3am option, serving everything from club sandwiches and biryani to a simple yet tasty shawarma stuffed to the brim with fresh fillings.
Belad Al Sham
Price: from Dh6.50
Generous is the term most associated with this Qusais cafe’s chicken, meat and Mexican shawarmas. This one is strictly for fans of garlic.
Hatam Al Tai
Price: from Dh7
An expansive neon-lit cafe in the Binyas area, close to the metro, Hatam allows you to dictate the quantity of its many fillings, or you could just get them as a side salad for an extra Dh3 to go with your tightly wrapped shawarma sandwich.
Al Hallab
Price: Dh58
Sure, it’s pricey for the simple sandwich, but this here is a rare spot serving seafood shawarma, complete with sauteed king fish, tahini and lemon dressing. Don’t confuse this Bab El Bahar restaurant in Downtown Dubai with the branches of Al Hallab found in Mall of the Emirates, The Dubai Mall and Al Garhoud, which also serves tasty albeit regular chicken and meat shawarmas, from Dh11.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
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.”
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
From exhibitions to the battlefield
In 2016, the Shaded Dome was awarded with the 'De Vernufteling' people's choice award, an annual prize by the Dutch Association of Consulting Engineers and the Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers for the most innovative project by a Dutch engineering firm.
It was assigned by the Dutch Ministry of Defence to modify the Shaded Dome to make it suitable for ballistic protection. Royal HaskoningDHV, one of the companies which designed the dome, is an independent international engineering and project management consultancy, leading the way in sustainable development and innovation.
It is driving positive change through innovation and technology, helping use resources more efficiently.
It aims to minimise the impact on the environment by leading by example in its projects in sustainable development and innovation, to become part of the solution to a more sustainable society now and into the future.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
The specs
Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Power: 160hp
Torque: 385Nm
Price: Dh116,900
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
WHY%20AAYAN%20IS%20'PERFECT%20EXAMPLE'
%3Cp%3EDavid%20White%20might%20be%20new%20to%20the%20country%2C%20but%20he%20has%20clearly%20already%20built%20up%20an%20affinity%20with%20the%20place.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20the%20UAE%20shocked%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20semi-final%20of%20the%20Under%2019%20Asia%20Cup%20last%20month%2C%20White%20was%20hugged%20on%20the%20field%20by%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20captain.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EWhite%20suggests%20that%20was%20more%20a%20sign%20of%20Aayan%E2%80%99s%20amiability%20than%20anything%20else.%20But%20he%20believes%20the%20young%20all-rounder%2C%20who%20was%20part%20of%20the%20winning%20Gulf%20Giants%20team%20last%20year%2C%20is%20just%20the%20sort%20of%20player%20the%20country%20should%20be%20seeking%20to%20produce%20via%20the%20ILT20.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20delightful%20young%20man%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20said.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20played%20in%20the%20competition%20last%20year%20at%2017%2C%20and%20look%20at%20his%20development%20from%20there%20till%20now%2C%20and%20where%20he%20is%20representing%20the%20UAE.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20was%20influential%20in%20the%20U19%20team%20which%20beat%20Pakistan.%20He%20is%20the%20perfect%20example%20of%20what%20we%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20achieve%20here.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20about%20the%20development%20of%20players%20who%20are%20going%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE%20and%20go%20on%20to%20help%20make%20UAE%20a%20force%20in%20world%20cricket.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
