Hakkasan, the upmarket Chinese restaurant brand owned by the Abu Dhabi company Tasameem, plans to open an outlet in Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai in November.
More Business news: Editor's pick of today's headlines
Last Updated: May 19, 2011
Dubai Holding unit battles to restore Tunisie Telecom IPO Emirates International Telecommunications is calling for an IPO of Tunisie Telecom to be put back on track, as it faces strike action and opposition from the government. Read article
Atic to raise Globalfoundries stake The Advanced Technology Investment Company plans to increase its stake in chip-maker Globalfoundries to above 90 per cent by the end of the year. Read article
Central Bank to curb property speculators New loan regulations will mean better deals for first-time buyers. Read article
600 pilots needed in budget carrier flydubai's expansion The budget carrier flydubai plans to hire 600 pilots over the next four years as it plans for an eventual fleet of 54 short-haul Boeing 737s. Read article
Mud-slinging over rare earth Industry Insights // China could soon face stiff competition in the lucrative rare earth metals market. Read article
More Business
It will join another popular London restaurant brand, The Ivy, which is opening a branch there over the summer.
It will be Hakkasan's second branch in the UAE, with the first opening in the Emirates Palace in the capital a year ago. Hakkasan's Michelin-starred flagship restaurant is in London's West End.
"I think we wanted to establish ourselves in Abu Dhabi first, partly because our owner is in Abu Dhabi," said Niall Howard, the chief executive of Hakkasan. "That was the priority, but we always had eyes on Dubai, and really it took us this time to find a suitable site."
Tasameem bought its shares in the Hakkasan Group in 2007 from Alan Yau, the Hong Kong restaurateur who also founded the Wagamama chain.
Its Dubai restaurant will be wholly owned by Hakkasan, involving an investment of "millions of dollars", Mr Howard said, declining to provide a specific figure.
The restaurant is taking on 150 staff. All of its chefs must be Chinese.
The company has further expansion plans in the region.
"We have taken offices in Dubai for our expansion plans and we have a managing director now based in Dubai," Mr Howard said.
"We may not open too many Hakkasans in the region because we don't want to dilute the brand," Mr Howard said.
"But having said that, we will end up with several, and we're looking at locations such as Bahrain, Doha and, slightly further afield, Beirut."
He said the company also planned to open a restaurant in Mumbai in the coming weeks.
The Hakkasan group also owns Yauatcha, a Michelin-starred London dim sum restaurant, which it wants to expand through the region.
"We're quite happy to roll out a number and we'll be starting that this year," Mr Howard said. "We're actively looking for a site in Dubai and we have a site in Abu Dhabi."
He said the Abu Dhabi Yauatcha was not likely to open before the end of this year.
Hakkasan also has a restaurant in the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami.
rbundhun@thenational.ae
Duminy's Test career in numbers
Tests 46; Runs 2,103; Best 166; Average 32.85; 100s 6; 50s 8; Wickets 42; Best 4-47
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The biog
Born: High Wycombe, England
Favourite vehicle: One with solid axels
Favourite camping spot: Anywhere I can get to.
Favourite road trip: My first trip to Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan. The desert they have over there is different and the language made it a bit more challenging.
Favourite spot in the UAE: Al Dhafra. It’s unique, natural, inaccessible, unspoilt.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
NBA FINALS SO FAR
(Toronto lead 3-2 in best-of-seven series)
Game 1 Raptors 118 Warriors 109
Game 2 Raptors 104 Warriors 109
Game 3 Warriors 109 Raptors 123
Game 4 Warriors 92 Raptors 105
Game 5 Raptors 105 Warriors 106
Game 6 Thursday, at Oakland
Game 7 Sunday, at Toronto (if needed)
Smart words at Make Smart Cool
Make Smart Cool is not your usual festival. Dubbed “edutainment” by organisers Najahi Events, Make Smart Cool aims to inspire its youthful target audience through a mix of interactive presentation by social media influencers and a concert finale featuring Example with DJ Wire. Here are some of the speakers sharing their inspiration and experiences on the night.
Prince Ea
With his social media videos accumulating more half a billion views, the American motivational speaker is hot on the college circuit in the US, with talks that focus on the many ways to generate passion and motivation when it comes to learning.
Khalid Al Ameri
The Emirati columnist and presenter is much loved by local youth, with writings and presentations about education, entrepreneurship and family balance. His lectures on career and personal development are sought after by the education and business sector.
Ben Ouattara
Born to an Ivorian father and German mother, the Dubai-based fitness instructor and motivational speaker is all about conquering fears and insecurities. His talk focuses on the need to gain emotional and physical fitness when facing life’s challenges. As well managing his film production company, Ouattara is one of the official ambassadors of Dubai Expo2020.
Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Rating: 1.5/5
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
HER%20FIRST%20PALESTINIAN
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Saeed%20Teebi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20256%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%C2%A0House%20of%20Anansi%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
