The decor at Osteria Funkcoolio lives up to the Italian-Japanese restaurant's unique name. Leslie Pableo for The National
The decor at Osteria Funkcoolio lives up to the Italian-Japanese restaurant's unique name. Leslie Pableo for The National
The decor at Osteria Funkcoolio lives up to the Italian-Japanese restaurant's unique name. Leslie Pableo for The National
The decor at Osteria Funkcoolio lives up to the Italian-Japanese restaurant's unique name. Leslie Pableo for The National

Osteria Funkcoolio leads new UAE restaurant openings in May


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While restaurants open en masse during the UAE's cooler months, there are still some operators who choose to launch their venues in the summer. Here are five to sample.

Akabeko, Dubai

Cuisine: Japanese

Akabeko highlights Japanese A5 Wagyu. Photo: Akabeko
Akabeko highlights Japanese A5 Wagyu. Photo: Akabeko

Dubai will never get tired of Japanese dining spots. This new one at West Beach, Palm Jumeirah focuses on grilling premium A5 Wagyu, serving different cuts of it fresh from a tabletop stove. This dining practice and cuisine is called yakiniku in Japanese.

Other than the premium beef, other dishes on the menu include supreme wag-yukke, a spicy tartar garnished with scallops, uni and ikura; Akabeko donburi with Wagyu steak, uni, caviar and truffle. Desserts include truffle ice cream.

Daily, noon-4pm and 6pm-11pm; Voco Dubai The Palm; akabeko.ae

Aretha, Dubai

Cuisine: French, international

Expect dinner with a side of live and lively music at Aretha by Rikas, the hospitality group behind Chez Wam, Lana Lusa, Mimi Kakushi and Xu. Located in the buzzing St Regis Gardens, The Palm, the restaurant offers retro-chic decor in keeping with its focus on music from the 1960s and 1970s.

Aretha is a dinner and live music venue. Photo: Rikas Hospitality Group
Aretha is a dinner and live music venue. Photo: Rikas Hospitality Group

On the menu are premium dishes such as foie gras terrine, black truffle pizzetta and poached egg caviar with crispy potato and Parmesan emulsion for appetisers; and Dover sole meuniere, Wagyu rossini, rock lobster and caramelised duck breast for mains. Desserts include fruit-infused cheesecake and pavlova, and even the tiramisu comes with strawberries.

Wednesday to Sunday, 7pm-3am; Palm Jumeirah; 04 880 5242

Berenjak, Sharjah

Cuisine: Persian

Koobideh kebab. Photo: Berenjak
Koobideh kebab. Photo: Berenjak

Merely months after the London-born restaurant came to Dubai, Berenjak has opened a second outpost in Sharjah.

Located in the Aljada community, the restaurant is inspired by Iranian townhouses, with their traditional Persian artworks, velvet curtains, high ceilings and vintage chandeliers.

On the menu are mezze such as black chickpea hummus and panir sabzi; kebabs such as minced koobideh lamb, marinated jujeh chicken and beef tikkeh masti with saffron water, chilli, yoghurt, onions and red pepper. The restaurant also serves traditional lamb stew that can be washed down with black lime sharbat.

Sunday to Thursday, noon-11.30am; Friday and Saturday, noon-12.30am; Al Jada; www.sevenrooms.com

Bkry, Dubai

Cuisine: Baked goods, all-day dining

Aside from baked goods, Bkry also serves lunch and breakfast. Photo: Bkry
Aside from baked goods, Bkry also serves lunch and breakfast. Photo: Bkry

Joining a host of dining spots at Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz is this artisan bakery founded by chef Kameel Rasyid. An extensive range of pastries and baked goods are on the menu, from sourdoughs and croissants loaf breads to sweet treats. Specialty coffee is also on the cards.

Although mainly a bakery, the dining spot also serves lunch and breakfast, with dishes including miso sunflower seed hummus, duck salad and lobster linguine.

Daily, 9am-10pm; Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz; 04 832 4672

Osteria Funkcoolio, Dubai

Cuisine: Itameshi

Duck-stuffed capeletti with dashi and mascarpone. Leslie Pableo for The National
Duck-stuffed capeletti with dashi and mascarpone. Leslie Pableo for The National

The brainchild of Michelin-lauded chef Akmal Anuar (of 11 Woodfire fame), the intriguingly named restaurant in Port De La Mer is designed like a vintage postcard – think a green ceiling, floral wallpaper, enormous chandeliers and booths with red leather seats. And it serves a blend of Japanese-Italian, or Itameshi cuisine.

This means pasta dishes with dashi or five spice; and risotto made from Koshihikari sushi rice. The sea bass comes with sudachi, a lime-like fruit from Shikoku Island, while the pizza has toppings of shrimp and aji amarillo.

Wednesday to Monday, 3pm-11pm; Jumeirah 1; 050 284 7173

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Results:

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8.50pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) | $250,000 (T) | 1,800m

Winner: Poetic Charm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (D) | 1,200m

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10pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,410m

Winner: Mountain Hunter, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor

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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 specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
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Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
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What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship

When: December 27-29, 2018

Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams

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Hometown: Birchgrove, Sydney Australia
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Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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
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  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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The specs

Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder

Power: 70bhp

Torque: 66Nm

Transmission: four-speed manual

Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000

On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

Ultra processed foods

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.

THE SPECS

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Power: 275hp at 6,600rpm

Torque: 353Nm from 1,450-4,700rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Top speed: 250kph

Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: Dh146,999

Jordan cabinet changes

In

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Out

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Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.

Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.

Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.

Australia tour of Pakistan

March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi

March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi

March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore

March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi

March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi

April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi

April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi

Persuasion
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Updated: May 31, 2024, 12:59 PM`