Do you ask a chef or server for their recommendations when dining out at a new restaurant? In the current foodscape of set and omakase menus – whereby what is put on your plate is left to the chef’s discretion – it is also common practice among discerning diners to ask for suggestions from in-the-know staff when faced with the a la carte menu of an unfamiliar eatery.
To that end, The National is launching its Taste Test series, in which we take you inside the latest restaurants just before they open their doors, and ask chefs what dishes they would recommend and what makes them special, for you to then order (or, indeed, avoid).
This guide should also serve well those foodies who want to tick or cross off the latest restaurants from their culinary bucket list, which can be a Herculean task in the UAE where no fewer than a dozen restaurants are unveiled month on month.
Bon appetite.
Inside Signor Sassi, Dubai
Italian restaurant Signor Sassi opens on Monday at the St Regis Gardens on Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.
A franchise of the original Signor Sassi in Knightsbridge, London (once famously visited by Rihanna), the UAE outpost comes courtesy of the Sunset Hospitality Group, which also oversees SushiSamba.
Signor Sassi Dubai is replete with ornate chandeliers, mirror-work, enormous vases and lashings of green, inspired as it is by the opulent gardens and villas found along Lake Como.
While chef Luca Rossi was not on hand on the afternoon we visited, general manager Damiano Ruggiero talked us through five of Signor Sassi’s most recommended dishes, each of which embodies the restaurant’s proudly "Made in Italy" motto.
Sea bass carpaccio
“Go to Sicily and nearly everything will come served with onions, including the carpaccio,” says Ruggiero. “For this dish, we’ve upheld this Sicilian tradition, but with a little twist – by caramelising the onion that serves as a garnish alongside avocado and almonds on top of the Mediterranean sea bass.”
Taste test: Rather than being cloying, the caramelised onions infuse the dish with just a hint of sweetness and give it a pleasing crunchy texture. The onions also balance the sourness from the lime, which is the base of most carpaccio dishes. More crunch comes by way of the silvered almonds, but the achingly fresh fish remains the star of this must-have appetiser.
Artichoke and Parmesan salad
“Vegetarians would do well to travel with us to Campania, which is where we source our artichokes from,” says Ruggiero. “The lemons used in the citronette dressing, meanwhile, come from Amalfi and are as big as melons!”
Taste test: Artichokes are chock-full of nutrients, and this generous salad is veritably packed with artichokes, more so than in any dish I’ve eaten in the Emirates. The salad perfectly illustrates the Italian culinary mantra of using the best-quality ingredients and putting them together using simple cooking techniques. The dressing, for example, is a simple mix of olive oil and lemons, but these are cherry-picked from Abruzzo and Amalfi respectively. The Parmesan gives the salad its saltiness and the rocket rounds off the flavour.
The famous spaghettini with lobster
Even if you're not familiar with Signor Sassi, one look at the name of this dish on the menu and you will know this is the brand’s signature dish. Ruggiero reveals the Knightsbridge outpost goes through 1,000 lobsters a week. “This is also the only dish where the main ingredient, the lobster, comes not from Italy, but from Canada,” he says.
“But everything else – from the San Marzano and Datterini tomatoes used to the home-made pasta – is made in Italy. The olive oil used in this dish, too, comes from Abruzzo rather than the standard Tuscan variety.”
Taste test: This dish is, in a word, buttery. And yet, I am assured there is no butter to be found here. Instead, the tomato paste is slow-cooked for 12 hours alongside a lobster bisque prepared fresh in-house. The spaghettini (a slimmer, more sophisticated version of its namesake pasta) goes down a dream, well coated as it is with a simple combination of salt, pepper and good-quality olive oil.
Mezze maniche carbonara and seasonal truffle
This dish is a classic from Ruggiero's home city of Rome and one he’s seemingly most passionate about. While it follows the same good ingredients-meet-simple cooking strategy of most Signor Sassi dishes, Ruggiero points out that pasta itself is becoming ever more divisive. “Most Italians will only have theirs al dente, but I admit it is not to everyone’s taste,” he says, with something of a sigh. “While we can accommodate people’s preferences, I would suggest never to overcook pasta. Instead, ask the chef to make it just a bit more than al dente.”
Taste test: The crunchy, slightly undercooked texture of the al dente pasta is elevated when slathered in the smooth and creamy sauce, a delectable mix of egg yolk and Pecorino cheese. The saltiness from the cooking water, crunchiness of the veal bacon bits and earthiness of the fresh truffle shavings make this a tasty and hearty main.
Pistachio gelato
“If the lobster is a signature main, this is Signor Sassi’s signature dessert,” says Ruggiero. “Italy is known, above all, for its ice cream. We serve it here with home-made brioche, because Italians are known, above all, for their love of bread,” he adds with a laugh.
“The gelato is churned in-house from a machine specifically brought in from Italy. We put in actual pistachios to make a paste, then take the pasteurised ice cream, add milk and double cream, then put it through the circulation and refrigeration,” he explains.
Taste test: Signor Sassi serves its dessert only following rottolino, an Italian tradition from the 1920s, whereby a fresh tablecloth is laid over the table in order to cover any stains on the one before and – I would like to think – as a show of just how seriously Italians take their dolci.
As for the gelato-brioche combination itself, I love bread and I love ice cream, and could eat them both all day. However, I did find the creamy yet not overly sweet ice cream got a bit lost sandwiched between the thick, buttery bread. It’s best eaten as a half-sandwich or as separate components.
Pro tip: if you’re having the brioche – ice-cream-laden base only or the whole sweet sandwich – it’s best enjoyed with the hands.
Signor Sassi is open daily from 6pm-2am. For reservations, contact 04 278 4848
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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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
FORSPOKEN
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Starfield
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Fight card
1. Featherweight 66kg: Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)
2. Lightweight 70kg: Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)
3. Welterweight 77kg:Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)
4. Lightweight 70kg: Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)
5. Featherweight 66kg: Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)
6. Catchweight 85kg: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)
7. Featherweight 66kg: Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)
8. Catchweight 73kg: Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Ahmed Abdelraouf of Egypt (EGY)
9. Featherweight 66kg: Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)
10. Catchweight 90kg: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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