What a year it’s been for restaurant launches in Dubai, with dozens of venues – international and home-grown – opening their doors to discerning diners.
This month is no different. Here are 11 of the latest restaurants to sample.
Bordo Mavi
Cuisine: International seafood
Joining award-winning sister brands 3Fils, Brix Desserts, Kanji and SLRP Ramen, Bordo Mavi offers sustainably sourced seafood by Turkish fishmonger Ersan Yılmaz.
Inspired by 200-year-old recipes, the menu includes dishes such as clam casserole in chilli garlic butter; tender grilled octopus with crushed hazelnut, baby potatoes and salsa verde; black sea bass pomodoro; and kingfish in buttery lemon and chilli sauce.
Fish lovers can also keep things simple by choosing the catch of the day to be grilled or pan-seared. Options from local fish markets include sea bass, sea bream, turbot, Dover sole, pomfret, scorpion fish, lobster, flying fish, eel, salmon, tiger prawns and carabineros.
Daily; noon-11.30pm; Jumeirah Fishing Harbour; 04 341 3844
Smoked Room
Cuisine: Japanese omakase
Acclaimed Andalusian chef Dani Garcia is bringing his three-Michelin-starred restaurant to Dubai this month. As with its Madrid counterpart, the 14-seater omakase restaurant at St Regis Gardens is dedicated to embers and smoke, in both its sultry decor and cooking techniques.
The National got a first taste of a selection of dishes ahead of launch day, and we highly recommend the following: Smoked eel nitro tomato with roasted red pepper caramel and ajoblanco; grilled hokkigai with tosazu beurre blanc and wasabi paste; corn chawanmushi with grilled leek, king crab and sea urchin; and amaebi from Hokkaido with brown butter and yuzu kosho. Perfection on small plates.
The Smoked Room omakase bar is located within Lena by Dani Garcia, also opening this month and serving wood-fired steak, charcoal-grilled seafood and more.
Opens on December 18; Palm Jumeirah
Chaihona No 1 by Vasilchuki
Cuisine: Eastern European
The first foray into the Middle East by the Russian Vasilchuki group, Chaihona No 1 is a dine-and-shop concept that offers a fusion menu of Eastern European, Asian and Middle Eastern flavours.
This translates to dishes such as Olivier crab salad, black pelmeni (black salmon dumpling with red caviar), cold matsoni okroshka soup with sliced cucumber, radish, quail eggs, boiled cow tongue, potato cubes and fresh herbs; and marbled beef with cherry potatoes and biquino peppers.
Diners can also pick up art, vases, photo frames and other trinkets.
Opens at the end of December; Dubai Marina
Sushiyaki
Cuisine: Japanese
Promising exquisitely crafted sushi and yakitori, and an edgy interior, Sushiyaki will open its doors along the Souk Madinat Jumeirah waterfront this month.
The restaurant follows the Japanese concept of ikigai, which translates literally to “reason for smiling”, and figuratively as a casual venue that serves excellent food and, as such, aims to be a discerning diner's daily haunt.
Opens December; daily, noon-midnight; Al Sufouh 1; 04 451 9170
Riina
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Open in the Tilal Al Ghaf community, Riina is the brainchild of the founders of Cassette and Nette, alongside Real Housewives of Dubai star Nina Ali.
Promising “wholesome ingredients”, the menu includes smoked salmon flatbread with cream cheese and paprika almonds; sea bass in phyllo puff with herb salad, pomelo, feta and black lemon honey, lamb chops with bakers’ potatoes, chermoula and broken fennel yoghurt sauce; and a brioche burger with a blend of chuck and brisket, plus Moroccan spices, lemon aioli and caramelised onion.
Daily; 7am-11pm; Hessa Street; 04 449 0488
Zafran Indian Kitchen
Cuisine: Indian
The Landmark Group's home-grown Indian brand opened at Dubai Hills Mall this month, specialising in dishes from West and North India.
On the menu are Zafran signatures including raan, mahi Samarkand and butter chicken, plus new creations such as palak chaat, prawns lazeez, Rampuri royal lamb shanks and chicken tikka biryani.
Open weekdays, noon-11pm; weekends, noon-midnight; Dubai Hills Mall; 054 994 2435
Papas
Cuisine: Italian
Replacing Marina Social at InterContinental Dubai Marina, Papas is inspired by the classic Italian trattoria helmed by chef Robert Rathbone.
Offering both indoor and outdoor seating, the restaurant serves dishes such as panzanella, nduja and burrata pizza, veal ossobuco and Sicilian cannoli.
This month, diners can avail themselves of a pizza or pasta plus one drink for Dh100.
Open Sunday to Thursday, 6pm-midnight; Friday to Saturday, 6pm-1am; Dubai Marina; www.solutions-leisure.com
Tori
Cuisine: Japanese
Making good on dual-concept venues that are popping up around the world, Around the Block in Wasl 51 is an airy breakfast and light lunch cafe by day and, as of this month, a modern Japanese eatery by night.
Tori, which comes complete with a ramen bar, serves dishes such as salmon carpaccio with sesame ponzu sauce; crab salad with tortilla, avocado and sesame dressing; mushroom rice hot stone; and Wagyu burgers. From the ramen selection, in addition to the usual shoyu and goma, the chef recommends indomie, which comes with rock shrimp and chorizo.
Daily, 5pm-11.30pm; Wasl 51; 04 342 8000
Zerofat
Cuisine: Healthy
Meal-plan brand Zerofat has opened a cosy in-dining venue at The Residences at Marina Gate, offering nutritious favourites as well as new dishes.
Those looking for a healthy yet tasty meal have options such as Texas twist salad with baby spinach, corn fingers, avocado, feta cheese, pomegranate seeds, cherry tomatoes and black olives; and butter chicken without butter.
The menu also offers heartier – “cheat without cheating” options – such as lemon shrimp tacos with guacamole and mixed beans; and fajita sandwiches with chicken, avocado, sweetcorn and roasted veggies.
Daily; 8am-10pm; Dubai Marina; 04 263 4104
'Cheb%20Khaled'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKhaled%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBelieve%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
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.”
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Calls
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Karen Gillian, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
4/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The%20Boy%20and%20the%20Heron
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EHayao%20Miyazaki%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Soma%20Santoki%2C%20Masaki%20Suda%2C%20Ko%20Shibasaki%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EBattery%3A%2060kW%20lithium-ion%20phosphate%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20Up%20to%20201bhp%3Cbr%3E0%20to%20100kph%3A%207.3%20seconds%3Cbr%3ERange%3A%20418km%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh149%2C900%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
