The "home" cookery school
For anyone who has ever wanted to take a cooking class, but has felt too intimidated to step into a professional kitchen to do so, Top Chef Cooking Studio in Dubai could be the solution you've been waiting for.
The founder and co-owner Nadira Benaissa explains that she set out with the intention of creating a cookery school that operated in a relaxed, homely environment, rather than a hotel kitchen. This chic converted villa - with its funky artwork, distressed wood and oversized vases brimming with fresh flowers - may be rather more stylish than the average abode, and it's certainly a welcoming space to spend a few hours.
"I thought it would be good to make the place like a home, but with professional teachers and semi-professional equipment - items that people can actually buy themselves. That way they know that they'll be able to recreate exactly what they learn to make when they're on their own," she says.
The result of her hard work is impressive: there's a dining-room area dominated by a large communal table, a "lab kitchen" decked out in gleaming stainless steel and a smaller "art kitchen".
The executive chef Hadrien Villedieu has spent time training in a three Michelin-starred restaurant as well as at an atelier in France operating along the same lines as Top Chef. He teaches a range of different classes designed to appeal to all abilities and ages: keen cooks have the chance to hone their skills further, parents and children can learn to make lunch together and budding pastry chefs can learn how to make macaroons or bake bread from scratch.
Top Chef Cooking Studio, Villa 196, Jumeirah Beach Road, Jumeirah 1, Dubai. For more information call 04 385 5781, email booking@topchefdubai.com or visit www.topchefdubai.com
The new hotel
Following in the footsteps of the Asiana hotel in Deira - which houses the excellent Korean restaurant Sonamu - and the Meliã Dubai, where the names of the celebrity chefs Marco Pierre White and Sanjeev Kapoor hang above restaurant doors, Jumeirah Creekside is the latest hotel to open in a part of town that is often referred to as "Old Dubai".
As you might expect from Jumeirah, Creekside is an impressive-looking, stylishly designed spot with high ceilings, exposed concrete walls and plenty of contemporary art.
Its signature grill Blue Flame serves a selection of steaks and various seafood with a modern twist and a small cookery school, or "pod", in the middle of the room allows guests to interact with the chef and learn more about what they're about to eat. Before you sit down to dinner, take a trip to Cu-ba, the rooftop bar, which boasts panoramic views of Dubai Creek.
Jumeirah Creekside, Deira, Dubai. For dining reservations call 04 230 8459 or email JCHrestaurants@jumeirah.com or visit www.jumeirah.com
Professional cookery school
Scafa stands for School of Culinary and Finishing Arts and is a Dubai-based initiative that offers long-term professional cooking courses for aspiring chefs or those interested in a career in food, as well as enthusiast programmes for the home cook.
The entrepreneur and founder Zaigham Haque explains that the idea for Scafa was born out of his recognition of the important role the hospitality sector plays in the local economy and the relative lack of vocational training options available to school leavers in the UAE.
"The professional courses are designed to take a novice student and train him or her to a level where they are employable at an entry level into any kitchen in world," he explains. "The curriculum is bespoke and is an amalgamation of the best practices prevalent in several leading culinary schools. It was designed for Scafa and is approved by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority."
The professional courses will commence in December and the interactive enthusiast lessons, which range from making jams and preserves to knife skills to learning how to prepare the perfect brunch, launch this week.
For a taste of what Scafa is doing, visit Scafé, a French-style bistro attached to the school which serves breakfast and lunch throughout the week (closed on Fridays). In the future, students involved in the professional training courses will assist with food preparation and front-of-house service at SCAFÉ.
Scafa, Unit 16, Promenade Level, Cluster 1, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai. Call 04 379 4044, email info@scafa.aewww.scafa.ae or visit www.scafa.ae.
Ripe moves house
When it starts up again on Saturday October 6, the Ripe food and craft market will do so in a new location at The Courtyard in Al Quoz. Despite the change, the family-friendly vibe remains the same and there will be plenty of Ripe's seasonal organic produce on sale, as well as goods from various other UAE-based exhibitors - think locally produced cheese, gluten- free baked goods, jams and chutneys.
The market will be held every Saturday from 9am-1pm. For more information visit www.ripeme.com
Site to shake up social life
Described by the UAE managing director Tariq Sanad as "an online lifestyle discovery engine", the Dubai strand of Lime & Tonic - which already operates successfully in London, Sydney, Prague and Rio de Janeiro - officially launched on September 15. Created with the intention of adding an extra dimension to leisure activities in the region, the company creates "experience packages" such as a multi-course lunches at well-known restaurants or bespoke spa days, which are all listed on its website. Members who sign up to the site can then purchase these deals online.
Sanad says that Lime & Tonic is the perfect solution for anyone who feels jaded by city living or who worries that they're in a socialising rut: "If you are a professional, you just don't have the time to search out the best of what there is to do in Dubai. So you choose your favourite restaurant and you go there again and again. Why not let Lime & Tonic shake things up a little and build experiences that inspire you to do something unique and memorable".
For more information visit www.limeandtonic.com. Lime & Tonic plans to expand its service to Abu Dhabi eventually
Swish standalone restaurant in Abu Dhabi
Take a wander around Al Bandar Marina, and Ornina Restaurant & Lounge is hard to miss. The striking, standalone building set out on the water offers 360° views of the sea and marina. Step inside and this place aims to provide a lesson in Mediterranean cool.
Ornina's "tasting cultures" concept originated in Barcelona and the Abu Dhabi outpost features a lounge bar serving tapas-style dishes, an outdoor terrace surrounded by flaming torches and a fine-dining restaurant on the upper deck which specialises in "a fusion of south Mediterranean cuisine with an oriental touch".
Ornina's doors have been open since June, but the outlet will be declaring itself officially operational from October 1.
Ornina, Pacifico Building, Al Bandar, Al Raha Beach. Visit www.orninalounge.com