Lost and late for our reservation, my wife and I are wandering the streets of central Abu Dhabi when my phone rings. As I answer, I notice a man dressed in a pink shirt and taqiyah. Phone to his ear in one hand, he is waving us over with the other. This is no run-of-the-mill dinner reservation. The proprietor himself has come to find and escort us.
Fortunately, Ammar Pardawala knows where he is going. He began his own journey waiting tables in his home city of Mumbai for $12 a month. Twenty years on, he is cooking up a storm at his own place and racking up five-star reviews on online delivery service apps.
Owner and head chef rolled into one, Pardawala, along with his wife, invested his life savings to turn this dream into reality. His venture started in March as a delivery-only service and by summer he had opened a sit-in dining area.
Located between the Russian Embassy and Mosque Masjid on Yihalah Street, AP Kitchen Delights is surrounded by other small businesses. Standing out in this bustling part of the city is not easy. Here's what does stand out when we (eventually) arrive to sample what’s on offer.
Where to sit and what to expect
We are warmly greeted by Pardawala's wife and have our pick of 16 available seats in what feels like the family home. There is nothing pretentious about the intimate space. Fine food and superb service are the priorities here.
White tables and grey-brown chairs are surrounded by freshly painted white walls. One of them has the words “your culinary trendsetter” embossed in gold lettering and opposite it is a serving hatch behind which kitchen staff are hard at work.
The menu
The bumper menu, all 21 pages of it, is rich in diversity. A mash-up of styles and flavours from across Asia and beyond, the breakfast, lunch, main dish and light bite options are extensive and varied. It even includes a favourite dish from the family kitchen chosen by the owner's son. Creativity has no bounds here.
Eggs Benedict spinach (Dh32) and roasted bell pepper shorba soup (Dh20) are a delicious introduction as our journey begins through each section of the menu.
A colourful date and pomegranate salad (Dh25), bursting with flavour and texture, is followed by chilli cheese paratha (Dh25). The classic Indian flatbread is a thrill for the taste buds. Chicken cheese samosas (Dh25) come next and deliver more lip-smacking gratification.
And so it goes on. A smorgasbord of flavours from around the world arrive two at a time. Arab, Indian, English, Thai, Nepali and other dishes, each served with a twist.
There are the dishes Pardawala once served as a waiter, dishes he has adapted from other chefs in other kitchens, and dishes he has created himself at home.
We try chicken stroganoff (Dh35), made without traditional Worcestershire sauce; Schezwan broccoli noodles (Dh22), made using wheat semolina rather than pasta noodles; Nepali chicken momo dumplings (Dh17), served with dragon sauce; chicken red Thai curry (Dh30) with garlic rice; and roasted thyme zaatar chicken (Dh30).
What comes through in each delicious dish is the quality and the quirkiness. Some of it is unconventional but the approach is refreshing.
A chat with the chef
“We are a modest, cosy establishment, still carving out our place in the culinary scene,” Pardawala explains.
Modest but meticulous, he regularly has each dish on the menu sent by motorbike to his home to test it for taste, temperature and quality as if he were a customer.
Sit-in dining is the next step in a journey he has already mapped out for his business. He is aiming to open branches in Al Nahyan and Khalifa City so that delivery partners can cover the entire city. And after that? “Dubai, perhaps,” he says.
But for now, the “focus is on the passion and care we put into every dish”, he adds.
That passion and focus is not lost on us. Indeed, it’s exactly what makes AP Kitchen Delights live up to its name. We’ll find our way back here again soon.
Price point and information
Breakfast dishes range from Dh17 to Dh32; soups and salads from Dh10 to Dh32; parathas from Dh15 to Dh25; and mains from Dh17 to Dh41.
AP Kitchen Delights is open from 7am to midnight. It's primarily a delivery-first restaurant, but reservations can be made by calling 050 806 8522.
The review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant.
On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE
Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
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
