Restaurants opening in Dubai in February, at The Link and The Lana


Panna Munyal
  • English
  • Arabic

There are 10 new restaurants to sample between One&Only One Za'abeel and The Lana Dorchester Collection, Dubai’s two most recent hotels alone – plus chef Izu Ani's latest culinary venture, Maison de la Plage.

Restaurants at The Lana – Dorchester Collection

High Society

Cuisine: Mediterranean, International

Seabass carpaccio at High Society. Photo: The Lana - Dorchester Collection
Seabass carpaccio at High Society. Photo: The Lana - Dorchester Collection

One of two restaurants at the hotel run by celebrity chef Jean Imbert (who’s cooked for the likes of Rihanna and French president Emmanuel Macron), High Society is The Lana’s rooftop, poolside lounge.

On Imbert’s menu are sharing-style dishes including croque truffle, sea bass carpaccio, tarama and buckwheat wafer, crab brioche with avocado, veal vitello and eggplant miso.

Open Sunday to Wednesday, 5pm-11.30pm; Thursday to Saturday, 5pm-12.30am

Riviera by Jean Imbert

Cuisine: French, International

Confit capsicum with garlic at Riviera. Photo: The Lana - Dorchester Collection
Confit capsicum with garlic at Riviera. Photo: The Lana - Dorchester Collection

French chef Imbert’s main restaurant at the Dubai property is inspired by the vibe of the South of France, with botanical interiors, floor-to-ceiling windows and a terrace stretching along Dubai Creek.

The chef’s culinary prowess shines through in the menu, with options such as marinated cucumbers with cream and herbs; confit capsicums with garlic; toasted focaccia with green beans; burrata with pistachio; Jacky’s gazpacho with mozzarella di bufala; and tuna tartare made tableside.

Open daily, 7am-10.30am, noon-3.30pm, 6.30pm-10.30pm

The Gallery

Cuisine: International, afternoon tea

Afternoon tea at The Gallery. Photo: The Lana - Dorchester Collection
Afternoon tea at The Gallery. Photo: The Lana - Dorchester Collection

The lobby lounge serves an a la carte menu and fanciful afternoon tea (on bespoke chinaware) with pastries by chef Angelo Musa.

The latter also offers scones with Devon clotted cream and chef Musa’s speciality jam; plus finger sandwiches, with flavour combinations ranging from smoked salmon with asparagus, honey, lemon cream cheese and caviar; Alaskan king crab with tarragon; Wagyu beef with caramelised shallot, foie gras and mustard; and Coronation chicken with yoghurt, vadouvan curry and chutney.

On the a la carte menu are dishes such as roasted mushroom and thyme soup with Roquefort croutons; burratina with marinated salmon, passion fruit, olive, dwarf peach, truffle and grisinni; and crystal bread with sobrasada, fried jammy egg, pickled shallots, capers and miso hollandaise.

Daily, 7am-midnight (1pm-6pm for afternoon tea)

Jara by Martin Berasategui

Cuisine: Basque

The chef with the most Michelin stars in all of Spain, Berasategui, pays tribute to the Basque Country community through his food.

His first Middle Eastern outpost is named after his granddaughter. While the menu for Jara has not yet been revealed, some of the chef's signature dishes include millefeuille with eel, foie gras and green apple; oysters with cucumber, sour fruit, kefir and coconut; black garlic and turnip ceviche; and mullet with edible fish scales, soya sprouts, semolina and squid.

Opens February 20

Veranda

Cuisine: Levantine, International

Located in a secret garden-style set-up, Veranda offers mixologist-curated beverages and light bites.

While the exact menu has not yet been revealed, chef Oliver Jackson will offer sharing-style tapas plus international dishes, all with a Levantine influence.

Opens February 26

Not all the restaurants at The Lana are open yet, but reservations can be made for the ones that are by contacting 04 541 7755 or restaurants.LAN@dorechestercollection.com

Restaurants at One&Only One Za'abeel

Andaliman

Cuisine: Indonesian

Named after an indigenous pepper found in Sumatra, Andaliman is helmed by Indonesian chef Ismawan Dzabir, and comes complete with sambal trolleys parked tableside, and “ambassadors” of the spice who prepare the chilli paste based on desired heat levels.

On the main menu are dishes such as Indonesian empanada with a chicken, glass noodle, ear mushroom and vegetable filling; potato cake with tuna tartare, crab salad and pickled pineapple; BBQ coconut prawns and honey-calamansi-chilli sauce and colo-colo; and coconut-infused yellow rice stuffed with beef rendang, wrapped in charcoal-grilled banana leaves.

Daily, noon-4pm, 6pm-11pm

DuangDy

Cuisine: Thai

DuangDy chefs Bo Songvisava, right, and Dylan Jones. Photo: One&Only One Za'abeel
DuangDy chefs Bo Songvisava, right, and Dylan Jones. Photo: One&Only One Za'abeel

Offering sustainably sourced Thai cuisine, DuangDy prides itself on its organic produce, commitment to eco-gastronomy and “uncompromising Thai flavours” made by hand from start to finish.

It is the brainchild of Thai chef Bo Songvisava and her Australian husband Dylan Jones, known for their Michelin-starred restaurant Bo.lan in Bangkok.

On the menu are delicacies such as organic duck salad with biodiverse sprouts and spicy soy dressing; spiced caramel-crusted venison with green mango and chilli dressing; red curry with organic chicken and green banana.

Daily, noon-3pm, 6pm-midnight

StreetXO

Cuisine: Avant-garde

Chef Dabiz Munoz. Photo: One&Only One Za'abeel
Chef Dabiz Munoz. Photo: One&Only One Za'abeel

Chef Dabiz Munoz is famed for at least two things – one, his dishes are likened to “madness on a canvas”. And two, he’s taken top honours at the Best Chefs Awards ceremony three years in a row.

Dishes he’s created in the past include sheep yoghurt with wild strawberries and coffee; cold poached chion chopped stick with roasted caviar, marine plankton and chicken yolk; and iced pizza margherita, made from Spanish goat mozzarella, Thai basil, spicy tomato consomme, matured vinegar and charcoal-roasted dough with shiso lime pesto.

At StreetXO, the UAE version of his famed Spanish restaurant DiverXO, Munoz will bring crowd favourites from Madrid, such as Pekinese dumplings, nigiri croquettes, sandwich club, RamenXO and Vietnam nem.

The venue deserves its own shout-out, replete as it is with whimsical decor such as a tunnel in lieu of an entrance, a bar covered in lava lamps and labyrinthine metal pipes holding glasses and bottles, a fabric wall with an onyx frame, LED mirror screens with optical illusions, and the sculptures of a “top hat man” who disappears into a water body at regular intervals.

Daily, 6pm-midnight

Tapasake

Cuisine: Nikkei

A restaurant and pool club concept, Tapasake offers diners a chance to splash about in the 120-metre-long suspended infinity pool atop The Link. The pool is reserved for those 21 years and above, while children can have lunch and dinner in the indoor family seating area until 8.30pm, after which this is an adults-only venue.

The menu, meanwhile, offers a fusion of Japanese and South American fare, with dishes including mushroom wanton with anticuchera sauce and shiitake chimichurri; charcoal-smoked lobster and heart of palm salad; chicken canchita; and Peruvian curry with udon noodles.

Daily, noon-4pm, 6pm-11pm

Qabu by Paco Morales

Cuisine: Spanish

Morales’s Dubai venue borrows many elements from Noor, the Spanish chef’s three Michelin-starred restaurant from the southern Spanish region of Andalusia.

Noor serves a cuisine packed with history, referencing the eighth to the 15th century, when the area was part of Muslim-ruled Al-Andalus. Qabu will also reflect historical periods in its menu, mainly from the 10th to the 18th centuries, and Morales tells The National it will consist of “Occidental cuisine with Andalusian touches”.

On the menu this translates to dishes such as eggplant beignet with date honey; red prawn infused in apple vinegar, blue fish sauce, turnip and caviar; and stewed vegetables with kazbra emulsion; and beef loin with black recado with chocolate and chicken liver pate.

Daily, 6pm-midnight

While the majority of these venues are located at The Link, the world's longest cantilever located between dual skyscrapers 100 metres above street level, StreetXO and Andaliman are part of the main hotel. More information and reservation details for all can be found at oneandonlyresorts.com

Maison de la Plage

Cuisine: French-Mediterranean

The restaurant allows diners to choose their own veg, fish and meat. Photo: Maison de la Plage
The restaurant allows diners to choose their own veg, fish and meat. Photo: Maison de la Plage

Coming from chef Izu Ani and restaurateur Evgeny Kuzin – the creative forces behind Gaia, Shanghai Me, Piatti and Scalini – the latest beach club on West Palm has both a party and family-friendly vibe.

Diners can choose from a market-style set-up, with a display of the catch of the day at La Poissonnerie, meat cuts at La Rotisserie and seasonal veggies at Le Primeur. Also expect chef Ani signatures including lobster linguine, buttered snails and grilled and lamb cutlets.

Daily, 10am-2am; West Palm Beach, Palm Jumeirah; reservations@maisondelaplage.com

'O'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zeina%20Hashem%20Beck%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20112%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Penguin%20Books%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The candidates

Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive

Ali Azeem, business leader

Tony Booth, professor of education

Lord Browne, former BP chief executive

Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist

Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist

Dr Mark Mann, scientist

Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner

Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister

Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster

 

BIRD%20BOX%20BARCELONA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20and%20Alex%20Pastor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGeorgina%20Campbell%2C%20Mario%20Casas%2C%20Diego%20Calva%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6.5-litre%20V12%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E725hp%20at%207%2C750rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E716Nm%20at%206%2C250rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQ4%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C650%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is Reform?

Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.

It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.

Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.

After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.

Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.

The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Country-size land deals

US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:

Louisiana Purchase

If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.

Florida Purchase Treaty

The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty. 

Alaska purchase

America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of  Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".

The Philippines

At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million. 

US Virgin Islands

It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.

Gwadar

The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees. 

While you're here
Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Updated: February 15, 2024, 2:05 PM`