Mena's 50 Best Restaurants 2023 list will be announced at Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers on January 30.
However, there's plenty to look forward to before and after the ceremony in terms of special menus (aka 50 Best Signature Sessions) put together by some of the most famous chefs in the world in an array of the capital's finest restaurants.
Here's a selection of dinners (and one afternoon tea) to choose from for a special occasion or simply to partake in a limited-time menu from a celebrity chef.
Hiroyasu Kawate x 99 Sushi
Available for one night only, this omakase experience will leave diners in the expert hands of Hiroyasu Kawate. The Japanese chef leads the award-winning restaurant Florilege in Tokyo, and will serve alongside the team of 99 Sushi, one of three Michelin-starred restaurants in Abu Dhabi.
January 27; Dh990; The Galleria Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi; 02 672 3333
Darren Teoh x Otoro
Another limited-time meal comes courtesy of Darren Teoh, chef-founder of Dewakan. The Kuala Lumpur restaurant was voted the Best Restaurant in Malaysia by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022. Teoh will present a six-course menu at two different sittings. He'll be supported by the team at Otoro, the first Abu Dhabi restaurant from chef Akmal Anuar, of 11 Woodfire fame.
January 27; Dh625; Al Maqta; reservations@otoroabudhabi.com
Flavours of 50 Best
Paying an ode to the UAE's love of brunches, this evening brunch marks a first for the 50 Best team. The four-hour meal, which starts at 6.30pm at Graphos Social Kitchen, will be put together by four award-winning chefs: Mexican chef Santiago Lastra of Kol, London; the aforementioned Japanese maestro Kawate; Mauro Colagreco, chef-owner of Mirazur, France; and pastry chef Maira Yeo of Cloudstreet, Singapore.
January 28; Dh495; Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island; www.sevenrooms.com
Karim Bourgi x Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers
A mainstay on the UAE dining scene, pastry chef Karim Bourgi (of La Maison du Chocolat Paris and Hermes Paris Cafe fame) will whip up a decadent afternoon tea. Famous for French-style patisserie, Bourgi will partner with Sumeda Palihakkara, executive pastry chef at Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers, the host hotel of the 50 Best ceremony.
January 28 and 31; from Dh230; Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers; 02 811 5666
Tala Bashmi x Oak Room
Bahraini chef Tala Bashmi is known for her fusion and experimental cuisine, best experienced at her Manama restaurant Fusions by Tala. In Abu Dhabi, Mena's Best Female Chef 2022 will take over the kitchen at the Oak Room for one unforgettable night of culinary delights.
January 28; from Dh500; Abu Dhabi Edition; 02 208 0000
Vicky Cheng x Dai Pai Dong
Celebrate Chinese New Year with an authentic Cantonese menu at Dai Pai Dong. As part of the 50 Best Signature Sessions, the menu has been curated by Vicky Cheng, the Hong Kong chef behind French-Chinese restaurant Vea, in collaboration with Dai Pai Dong’s chef Nie Dong.
January 28; from Dh888; Rosewood Abu Dhabi; 02 813 5588
Massimiliano Alajmo x Talea by Antonio Guida
Fans of authentic Italian cuisine need look no further than a meal put together by Massimiliano Alajmo, the youngest chef to gain three Michelin stars, which he earned at Le Calandre; and award-winning chef Luigi Stinga of Michelin-starred restaurant Talea by Antonio Guida.
January 29; Dh700; Emirates Palace; 02 690 7999
Jessica Rosval x Cafe Milano
Another award-winning female chef part of the 50 Best Signature Sessions roster, Jessica Rosval is Canadian, lives in Italy and runs Casa Maria Luigia. This luxury boutique guesthouse-restaurant, in turn, comes from the team behind the three Michelin-starred restaurant Osteria Francescana. At Cafe Milano, Rosval will serve a multi-course Italian dinner.
January 31; Dh870; Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi; cafemilano.abudhabi@fourseasons.com
Lennox Hastie x BBQ Al Qasr
The grillmaster behind Firedoor, a famed barbecue-style restaurant in Sydney, Lennox Hastie will serve a seven-course meal at BBQ Al Qasr. The smoke and fire-cooked menu will include dishes such as 200-day dry-aged beef rib, paperbark grilled fish and smoky crab with corn.
January 31; Dh700; Emirates Palace; www.mandarinoriental.com
Athanasios Kargatzidis x Almayass
A Lebanese feast awaits at Almayass, a restaurant that was recently honoured by the Michelin Guide in its Bib Gourmand category. Behind the counter is Athanasios “Chef Tommy” Kargatzidis, whose restaurant Baron was named the Best Restaurant in Lebanon at Mena's 50 Best Restaurants 2022.
February 1; from Dh600; The Galleria, Al Maryah Island; email reservation.ad@almayass.com
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Henderson, Pickford, Pope.
Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Coady, Dier, Gomez, Keane, Maguire, Maitland-Niles, Mings, Saka, Trippier, Walker.
Midfielders Henderson, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse, Winks.
Forwards Abraham, Barnes, Calvert-Lewin, Grealish, Ings, Kane, Rashford, Sancho, Sterling.
Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
THE%20SPECS
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: N2 Technology
Founded: 2018
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Startups
Size: 14
Funding: $1.7m from HNIs
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Company profile
Name: Oulo.com
Founder: Kamal Nazha
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2020
Number of employees: 5
Sector: Technology
Funding: $450,000
Race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
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
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
The biog
Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology
Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993
Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Leganes v Getafe (12am)
Levante v Alaves (4pm)
Real Madrid v Sevilla (7pm)
Osasuna v Valladolid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Eibar v Atletico Madrid (12am)
Mallorca v Valencia (3pm)
Real Betis v Real Sociedad (5pm)
Villarreal v Espanyol (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Barcelona v Granada (12am)
Manchester United's summer dealings
In
Victor Lindelof (Benfica) £30.7 million
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) £75 million
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) £40 million
Out
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Released
Wayne Rooney (Everton) Free transfer
Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad) £9.8 million
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')
Valladolid 1 (Kiko 15')
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
