“Nothing short of remarkable.” That’s how chef Andrew Lee describes Abu Dhabi’s dining scene in 2024.
He should know. Lee has been helming Hakkasan in Emirates Palace since the Cantonese restaurant's inception in the UAE capital. In the 14 years since he took up the reins of what is, arguably, one of the city's most popular restaurants, Hakkasan Abu Dhabi has won and retained a prestigious Michelin star; created a dish that was served at Hakkasan outposts all over the world for Chinese New Year; and – in something of a culinary coup – flown down Tala Bashmi, the region’s most successful female chef.
The collaboration with Bashmi was but one of the many multi-chef or so-called “four-hands meals” increasingly available to foodies living in and visiting Abu Dhabi.
In April, chef Kelvin Cheung of Jun’s fame collaborated with Dai Pai Dong’s chef Dong at Rosewood Abu Dhabi. In September, French chef Nicolas Isnard will serve a limited-time meal alongside chef Ludovic Turac at his first restaurant in the UAE, Bord Eau at Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri.
High-profile chefs aside, at least three of Dubai’s most popular restaurants are set to open their doors to Abu Dhabi diners in the coming weeks and months. These include: 3 Fils, Mena’s Best Restaurant of 2022, at The Abu Dhabi Edition in Al Bateen; New York import SushiSamba at Etihad Towers, both of which are slated for Q4; and Pincode by celebrity Indian chef Kunal Kapur, which will open at The Galleria Al Maryah Island in September.
As Kapur notes: “I’m amazed by how Abu Dhabi mixes old traditions with modern life, and now it’s getting interested in different styles of cooking, including new ways of making traditional dishes.”
Hanar, by the Kurdish brothers behind ramen restaurant Daikan, meanwhile, is already in its soft-launch phase at Yas Bay and offers traditional dishes of Mesopotamia.
“The past few years have seen a stream of world-class sporting, musical and artistic events come to Abu Dhabi. The city is booming with tourists, residents, visitors and new businesses and – from our point of view – there has never been a better time to invest and open a venue here,” say Hanar co-founders Bilal and Salih Elmascan.
New restaurants aside, the Cultural Foundation in the capital has already welcomed a culinary school by the world’s most celebrated French chef Alain Ducasse, and will also have an outpost of Le Cordon Bleu at The Grove on Saadiyat Island by early next year.
These are but a handful of many examples showing how Abu Dhabi has, finally, come into its own when catering to local and international foodies.
What’s in it for the diner?
As more chefs and restaurants seek to make a name for themselves on the capital’s culinary circuit, the one demographic that stands to benefit the most is the diner.
When Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Talea by Antonio Guida at Emirates Palace invited chef Daniele Cason from Tokyo’s Pizza Bar on 38th for a four-hands meal, for example, the menu was replete with dishes a diner would not otherwise have an opportunity to sample. Bashmi’s collaboration with Hakkasan at the same hotel, meanwhile, offered diners a blend of Chinese and Middle Eastern flavour profiles.
Michael Koth, general manager of Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, says: “Abu Dhabi is creating a thriving and diverse culinary scene, from using locally sourced ingredients in new restaurants to offering small but sophisticated haute cuisine. Furthermore, we are witnessing new recipes that blend various cultures in a single dish, leaving many people spellbound.”
Indeed, as The National’s reviews of Nuri and Toto noted, the former’s flair for Korean barbecue and the latter’s retro-style fine-dining Italian dishes were nothing short of culinary magic.
Fans of Mediterranean fare can sample treats such as fried feta filo and wild bass carpaccio at Mika in Yas Marina; and seafood bouillabaisse at Flamingo Room, helmed by Dubai-based South African restaurateur Natasha Sideris.
Indigenous flavours, too, are coming into their own. MouzMari is an Argentinian steakhouse with an Emirati twist, which translates to dishes such as ceviche using Abu Dhabi’s renowned muhammar fish and Wagyu tenderloin complemented by an innovative side of steamed corn swimming in a cheese sauce.
And when Erth won its Michelin star, the Emirati-inspired restaurant curated a new menu, comprising such locally inspired delicacies as beetroot salad with Emirati chami cheese and braised lamb machboos with fragrant spiced rice.
Another knock-on effect of Abu Dhabi’s bid to raise the food stakes is the formation of culinary communities around the capital. From Yas Bay and Yas Marina, to Mamsha Al Saadiyat and Al Qana, several areas are now veritable food hubs.
Older restaurants reinvigorated
The push to up the capital’s food game also benefits restaurants that have been around for a long time.
The Michelin Guide Abu Dhabi might have only four starred restaurants on its list, but it also shone a spotlight on more than 40 others via its Bib Gourmand and Michelin-select categories, from budget Malaysian venue Kopitiam by Chandy’s, to Lebanese-Armenian restaurant Almayass, which first opened in Beirut in 1996.
As a result, some eateries that have been around for years now are back on the discerning diner’s radar, from Fishmarket at InterContinental Abu Dhabi and Finz at Beach Rotana to Meylasin Al Muneera and Hoi An at the Shangri-La.
Being Michelin-selected not only helps to spark a renewed interest among residents, but also attracts gastro-tourists.
Elsewhere, hidden gems are being unearthed by initiatives such as Urban Treasures by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. This year's list included venues that are decades old, such as Alfarah Restaurant that was established in 1998, and Alareesh Restaurant that was founded in 1990.
As Abu Dhabi resident and self-proclaimed foodie Hani Masri notes: “I am more attuned to foodie news coming out of the capital now than I ever was before. Earlier, special occasions meant making a trip to the latest or hottest restaurant in Dubai, but now we have the menus of the world on our own doorstep.”
Perhaps chef Bashmi is on to something when she says: “While Dubai held the culinary crown for a while, Abu Dhabi is on its way to catching up.”
UAE%20athletes%20heading%20to%20Paris%202024
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
SWEET%20TOOTH
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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.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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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
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Arsenal's pre-season fixtures
Thursday Beat Sydney 2-0 in Sydney
Saturday v Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney
Wednesday v Bayern Munich in Shanghai
July 22 v Chelsea in Beijing
July 29 v Benfica in London
July 30 v Sevilla in London
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
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If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
THREE
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