A new restaurant has quietly opened its doors in Abu Dhabi at the Royal Rose hotel. Barocco, led my French chef Thierry Gallas, is a Mediterranean restaurant with signature dishes from Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal and France. The Baroque-style interior of the restaurant offers a sophisticated, elegant setting to go with the inspired menu. Notable dishes include the Cretan risotto, Barocco crab cake, lobster spaghetti and a classic sole meunière. The Royal Rose Hotel is located in Al Markaziyah on Sheikh Zayed the First Street. Barocco is open daily for lunch from 12:30pm — 3:30pm and for dinner from 6:30pm — 11:30pm. For reservations, call 02 672 4000.
Villa Toscana has launched an espresso lunch for those wanting a fast (but tasty) midday break. The lunch, just Dh75, begins with tasting starters of pane carasau (thin, crispy Sardinian flatbread) drizzled in olive oil and served with dips made from pumpkin, mushrooms, beetroot and other Tuscan flavours. Among the mains on offer are homemade pasta, Diavola-style chicken rolls and vegetarian, lamb or seafood pizzas. To round out this indulgent lunch, guests can choose the gelato affogato or the tiramisu, complete with a cup of espresso. Villa Toscana is on the first floor of the St. Regis Abu Dhabi on the Corniche. The espresso lunch is available Sunday through Thursday from 12pm to 3pm for Dh75. 02 694 4553
Hit up the new Wok & Roll promotion at Pachaylen inside the Anantara Eastern Mangroves hotel. The restaurant has launched a sharing dinner menu that features Thai flavours, rolled and from the wok. Foodies will find tasty options from crispy prawn rolls to Pachaylen’s signature miang kham on the menu. Dessert options include a banana spring roll or sticky rice with Thai mango. From Saturdays to Tuesdays from 7pm to 11pm. Dh160+ per person. For reservations, call 02 656 1000.
Abu Dhabi has yet another new brunch. Caramel has just launched a new Saturday brunch from noon to 4pm where guests order off the menu rather than belly up to a buffet. Menu options include delights such as the crab tacos, beef rib eye, roasted baby chicken and mac and cheese popcorn. The restaurant is located at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort. Dh149+, 02 678 3344
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
INFO
Everton 0
Arsenal 0
Man of the Match: Djibril Sidibe (Everton)
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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.
The five pillars of Islam
more from Janine di Giovanni
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
Facebook | Our website | Instagram
