My first thought as we crossed the threshold into Jamie's Italian and were greeted by a wall of Jamie Oliver-inspired memorabilia (tea towels, mugs, books and T-shirts) was that here you're being sold not just the celebrity chef's food, but also his lifestyle. I can't be the only one to feel that this rather reinforces the fact that the restaurant is part of a franchise.
The restaurant occupies a large, open space and is rather attractive; the ceilings are high, there's plenty of exposed wood and the overall feel is rustic and relaxed. Our waitress clearly knew the menu inside out and all the staff who looked after us were attentive, but lacked professionalism. When they weren't serving customers, they gathered together in groups and spent their time whispering and giggling.
One thing that you certainly won't be short of here is choice: there are "nibbles", sharing planks and plates, various antipasti, main meals, side dishes and pasta courses. Scanning through the menu, I was surprised by the decision to charge for bread (Dh29). As far as I'm concerned, it could be the most delectable focaccia, sourdough or ciabatta the world has ever known, but not offering it to customers free of charge smacks of opportunism.
Quibbles aside, we began with bruschetta topped with pumpkin and a squid salad. Curly pieces of squid were sweet, slightly chewy and pearly white, bar a few criss-cross lines courtesy of the chargrill. They were served with a very good caponata salad - peppers, onions and slivers of garlic provided a riot of colours and were cooked through but still maintained their crunch; a vinegary dressing, meanwhile, provided plenty of sweet-and-sour flavour.
The bruschetta wasn't quite so well received. The toasted bread was nice and crisp and the pumpkin topping had a chunky texture and robust flavour, but it needed some oomph and vitality to make it really interesting.
My friend's main course of smoked trout tagliatelle was simple but lovely. The pasta was delicate, the mascarpone-based sauce mellowed the salty smoked fish, flecks of lemon zest provided zippy freshness and the capers cut through the oily trout, just as they were supposed to. I opted for lamb lollipops (chops) and these arrived on a board (they do like their wooden chopping boards at Jamie's Italian), with three little bowls containing fresh mint, chopped nuts and a mint sauce that lacked sufficient zing to stand up properly to the fattiness of the grilled meat. The chops were moist but they certainly weren't a revelation in terms of flavour.
A side order of "posh" chips, dressed with Parmesan cheese and truffle oil, was an utter disappointment - not least because the truffle oil was missing completely. And believe me, had even a drop adorned a single chip we would have noticed: few flavours are more pungent. The upper layer of chips was topped with a scant handful of grated Parmesan but after they had been devoured, all we were left with was undercooked, underseasoned, flaccid fries.
The vanilla cheesecake and hazelnut cake that we ordered for dessert arrived with alarming speed. Despite the layer of caramelised sugar running along the surface of the cheesecake (crème brûlée-style), the centre was fridge-cold, the texture powdery and the vanilla flavour synthetic. The hazelnut cake was dense and dry, yet also soggy at the same time, thanks to a fruit-flavoured sauce that had been drizzled over the plate.
As you may know from his various television shows, Oliver has a penchant for hyperbole ("pukka" this, "really amazing" that), yet I think even he would struggle to describe this restaurant in such terms. The food is, for the most part, fine, there's just nothing to get excited about.
A meal for two at Jamie's Italian, Festival Centre, Festival City, Dubai costs Dh436, not including service. For reservations call 04 232 9969. Reviewed meals are paid for by The National and reviews are conducted incognito.
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MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Marseille 0
Atletico Madrid 3
Greizmann (21', 49'), Gabi (89')
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Sean Kirrane (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Falaj Hazza – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Arim W’Rsan, Dane O’Neill, Jaci Wickham
6pm: Al Basrah – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Kalifano De Ghazal, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi
6.30pm: Oud Al Touba – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Pharitz Oubai, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Sieh bin Amaar – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Oxord, Richard Mullen, Abdalla Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: AF Ramz, Sean Kirrane, Khalifa Al Neyadi
8pm: Al Saad – Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Sea Skimmer, Gabriele Malune, Kareem Ramadan
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
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am
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