A Dubai restaurant has introduced a high-protein, smaller-portion menu designed specifically for people using weight-loss injections.
Mediterranean restaurant The Banc says the Mini Bancer menu comprises its most popular dishes and drinks, but reimagined as lighter and “more intentional” portions.
Highlights include a half-sized grilled sea bream and barbecue melt chicken, alongside scaled-down starters, such as lamb kebab, tiger prawns and Wagyu beef tartare. Dessert classics are also available in petite portions, ranging from baklava bites to half-sized apple pies.
GLP-1 drugs, marketed under brand names such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy, work by slowing digestion and signalling the brain to promote a feeling of fullness, which can lead to reduced appetite and weight loss.
The Banc Dubai says its menu was first trialled at the London location before being introduced in the UAE.
“People are still dining out – they’re just arriving less hungry,” says Mazlum Topcu, co-founder of The Banc. “What this new guest really wants is the chance to eat less without drawing attention to it in front of the whole restaurant.
“Some diners don’t want to admit they’re on the jab. They’ll order a big spread, push food around their plate and hope someone else does the heavy lifting. The funny thing is that half the table is probably doing the same thing – so you end up with too much food and unnecessary waste. Our approach makes it easier for everyone to eat the way they want, without the fuss.”
While it might be new to the UAE, The Banc Dubai is not the first to introduce a so-called “Ozempic menu” as an increasing number of GLP-1 users say they are dining out less.
Earlier this year, a survey of 1,000 GLP-1 users in the US by Bloomberg Intelligence found 54 per cent of respondents said they dined out significantly less or less frequently since starting the medication. About the same percentage reported ordering less takeout.
In a Morgan Stanley survey in April last year, about two-thirds of GLP-1 users said they spent less money at restaurants, while 31 per cent said they cut back on groceries.
Clinton Hall, a group of burger and beer restaurants in New York City known for large portions, recently introduced a Teeny Weeny Mini Meal that includes a petite hamburger, a few fries and a small beer.
“It 100 per cent is targeting the growing number of GLP-1 users,” Greg Mecane, the group's marketing director, told Today.com.
While not specifically targeted at GLP-1 users, international chain Cheesecake Factory also has a SkinnyLicious menu, including at its UAE branches, which features smaller sizes and lower calorie dishes.
At Town restaurant in London, which opened in May, diners can order half-portions of selected main menu items, as well as desserts.
“We absolutely design dishes specifically for the Mounjaro generation,” owner Jonathan Downey told The Times. “We thought we were just giving people more options, but it turns out to be part of the zeitgeist.”
And the popularity of these drugs is only set to grow, with Morgan Stanley analysts estimating the market for GLP-1s to be worth $105 billion by 2030. They also estimate that 31.5 million people will take GLP-1s by 2035.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Spec%20sheet
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if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The Dark Blue Winter Overcoat & Other Stories From the North
Edited and Introduced by Sjón and Ted Hodgkinson
Pushkin Press
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
Quick%20facts
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The%20specs
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Company%20profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
