With so many tempting restaurants and cafes in the UAE, starting a healthy eating plan for the new year can be tough. Thankfully, some canny eateries have noted that we still want to be social in January but need healthy food options. We've picked some of our favourites, so all you have to do is pick the healthy option - and try to resist the chocolate cake.
Sophie's From the founders of the luxury Japanese brand Okku comes a new eatery on the block, Sophie's. Located on the shoreline of the Palm Jumeirah, this new gastro-cafe has a menu boasting more than 120 dishes, promising an array of healthy meals, salads, home-made cakes and pastries all sourced from local produce. Delicious comfort food full of goodness and flavour looms.
Sophie's, RIVA Complex, Building 8 of The Shoreline Palm Jumeirah, 04 451 5982
Nolu's This delightful cafe has become a favourite at M magazine. We love their healthy menu that combines Californian and Afghan specialities. When it comes to lunch, we often can't decide between their gourmet signature sandwiches or build-your-own salads that are made to order. With health and well-being as their focus, we know that our waistlines can cope with both.
Nolu's Cafe, Al Bandar, Al Raha Beach beside Spinneys supermarket, 02 557 9500, www.noluscafe.com
Camacho This newly opened restaurant offers a menu that mixes the best of East meets West with its Japanese and Italian fare. Their sushi masters have created many guilt-free options such as steamed edamame, sashimi salads, tuna sashimi and beef teppanyaki.
Camacho, behind Corniche Towers hotel apartments, Khalidiya, 02 650 5600, www.camachorestaurant.com
Solis Now you can dine like a Hollywood celeb as the chefs at Solis have created a menu based on popular diets. Options include Oregano Chicken Avocado for those following the Zone Diet; Steamed Asparagus Salad for the macrobiotics; and Shrimp and Palmito Salad, at a saintly five Weight Watchers points.
Solis, Tiara Residence, Palm Jumeirah, 04 432 9848, www.tiararesidences.com
Birds of a feather
This time of year is great in the UAE: the weather, the events and the holidays all make for a lot of time lounging in our backyards and on our balconies. If you want to bring the forest to your garden and enjoy the chirping of birds, look no further than this sleek Eva Solo bird feeder. The simple glass shape won't look too bulky in the garden, and it's easy to hang from a tree or a bush.
Approximately Dh230, check www.dotmaison.com for availability
Neat bindings
Louis Vuitton's classic Damier is revamped this season with hand-painted illustrations inspired by their advertising campaigns from the 1910s and 1920s. This diary comes with two sheets of stickers, a cardboard suitcase bookmark and slots for your cards and papers. You can keep it for as long as you want since refills are available to swap out every year.
Dh1,380, Louis Vuitton, Marina Mall, 02 681 2166; Dubai Mall, 04 330 8060; and elsewhere
Teeter in Tod's
Comfy footwear doesn't have to mean frumpy. These Tod's Ago sandals have a solid rubber sole, so you can strut into the new year in style. Based on a design pioneered by Tod's in 2001, this new S/S 2012 shoe has been re-worked by the designer Derek Lam. We love the soft leather in pastel hues on these sandals, which are super sexy on the foot and elongate the leg, too.
Tod's Ago sandals, Dh2,190, available from Tod's Marina Mall, 02 681 6562; Mall of Emirates 04 341 3033; BurJuman Center, 04 355 4417; and elsewhere
Paper clutch
This stylish newspaper clutch bag by the designer Zoe Halfon was inspired by a vintage Italian clutch Halfon's mother gave her. Italian legend has it that newspaper-styled clutches were fantastic decoys against pickpockets because thieves would never guess that your valuables were wrapped up in what looks like the morning paper. With various funky designs as part of the collection, including comic books and magazines, many Papa Razzi clutches can be seen under the arm of Hollywood's glitterazzi.
Papa Razzi Nadine Newspaper Clutch, Dh260, available online from www.stylechapel.com
Hear me roar
We're used to spotting Shourouk accessories wherever we go, so when we saw this tiger necklace we were surprised to see that it was from the French brand. They stuck to our favoured structured crystals, but instead of the usual studs and flowers we get a bold animal worthy of a strong fashion statement. Pair with a jewel-tone dress for tonight's party, and be sure to wear your hair up to showcase this piece.
Dh3,195, S*uce, Marina Mall, 02 681 8650; Village Mall, 04 344 7270; Dubai Mall, 04 339 9696
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.”
Pots for the Asian Qualifiers
Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka
The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
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Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Schedule for show courts
Centre Court - from 4pm UAE time
Johanna Konta (6) v Donna Vekic
Andy Murray (1) v Dustin Brown
Rafael Nadal (4) v Donald Young
Court 1 - from 4pm UAE time
Kei Nishikori (9) v Sergiy Stakhovsky
Qiang Wang v Venus Williams (10)
Beatriz Haddad Maia v Simona Halep (2)
Court 2 - from 2.30pm
Heather Watson v Anastasija Sevastova (18)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12) v Simone Bolelli
Florian Mayer v Marin Cilic (7)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
Women%E2%80%99s%20Asia%20Cup
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
