The word in culinary circles in Dubai is that it can take months to get a table at progressive modern Indian restaurant Farzi Café. A call confirms that while this might be a slight exaggeration, it will be at least a week before a reservation is available for a weekend sitting.
Such is the popularity of the year-old City Walk establishment – the brainchild of Indian restaurateur and MasterChef India's newest judge, Zorawar Kalra – that any negative comment or review unleashes a backlash on social media.
The 39-year-old managing director and founder of the Massive Restaurants group has harboured an ambition since his teenage years to reimagine traditional desi chicken tikka masala and dal by fusing it with elements of molecular gastronomy. It seems that this is paying off.
Though a few Indian dining spots in Dubai have experimented with the cooking form, which uses science to change the taste and texture of food, Farzi has made an undeniable mark.
“I am on this crusade to make Indian food the dominant cuisine in the world,” says Kalra who visited Dubai recently to launch the cafe’s breakfast menu. “I want it to be occupying the front of the mind space whenever you go out for a meal anywhere in the world, just like the status Japanese or Chinese or Italian restaurants enjoy.”
Farzi is the hip younger brother to fine-dining restaurant Masala Library, which was launched by Zorawar’s father, Jiggs Kalra, two years ago in Mumbai. Farzi Café followed as a more affordable haunt for a more youthful crowd, but with the same playful approach to Indian food. There are plans for more in the UAE.
“I want to be remembered as the one to make Indian food global,” says Kalra. “And this can only happen if we open restaurants like Farzi, where all the core elements of flavours, depth and sophistication of Indian food are there, but are being introduced with a lot of flair, panache, style and cutting-edge techniques.”
Each serving at Farzi plays out a little like a Bollywood film, with the star ingredient of a dish presented with charming props in vibrant colours and wrapped in liquid nitrogen smoke.
Breakfast is a focus. “I always have loved breakfast,” says Kalra. “There is a huge breakfast scene here, so I thought it was a creative outlet to play with traditional breakfast food, at the cafe. We’ve got a mix of Indian and continental, with eggs Benedict, parathas and an Indian spin on French toast.”
Kalra honed his knowledge of world cuisine by accompanying his famous father – known as the “Czar of Indian Cuisine” – on his travels since the age of 10. Jiggs Kalra began his career as a food consultant for international hotels before becoming a food columnist and author, and is now a household name through his television appearances.
His son, meanwhile, brings a no-nonsense attitude to the table for season five of MasterChef India. He replaced Indian celebrity chef and former judge Sanjeev Kapoor, whose restaurants can be found in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, on the show, and will appear alongside Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna and celebrity chef Kunal Kapur.
“When they got me on board, I shared the idea of ‘glocal’ to take the show forward,” he says. “Just like what my restaurants are doing: global food with a local twist or local food with a global twist.”
Kalra doesn’t feel disadvantaged in any way by not having any formal culinary training.
“I’ve been exposed to food since an early age and I know what works,” he says. “I’m like the conductor of an orchestra who knows everything about all the other instruments and how they work together.”
Farzi Café is at City Walk Dubai Phase 2. For reservations, call 04 394 2556. For more details follow @farzicafedubai on Instagram
aahmed@thenational.ae
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
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More on Quran memorisation:
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
Price: Dh179,999-plus
On sale: now
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier
Results
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs
Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets
Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets
Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets
Semi-finals
UAE v Qatar
Bahrain v Kuwait
More from Neighbourhood Watch
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
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
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m. Winner: Rio Angie, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Trenchard, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Mulfit, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m. Winner: Waady, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m. Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m. Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
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UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
Squads
Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.
India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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