When a restaurant is located a little out of the way, when you have to make an effort to reach it, the dining experience needs to justify the effort. Hawksbill at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is a 20-minute drive from the centre of Abu Dhabi and after a meal there last week, I am not entirely convinced that it was worth the trip.
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As you would expect, the restaurant has a clubhouse feel to it, albeit a rather grown-up one. The views of the rolling greens of the golf course break things up a little and I daresay that in cooler weather, the atmosphere out on the terrace would be less muted. Inside, though, the mood matches the colour scheme: it's all a bit restrained.
The international-style menu is unnecessarily long. It features more than 60 dishes, including soups, sandwiches, pasta options, various appetisers, full main courses (with everything from fish and chips to curry) and a separate Arab menu. In short, there is just too much going on. A menu of this length clearly doesn't play to the strengths of the chef and makes one question how the kitchen could possibly find the time to prepare the dishes from scratch.
The 20 minutes or so that we spent deliberating over what we wanted to eat was in part due to the vast amount of choice, with the other reason being that soon after we were given a menu, the music stopped and the room was plunged into darkness. This happened twice more during the meal and each time we sat in uncomfortable silence while the problem was rectified. Despite the service being generally rather friendly and attentive, no one apologised for this inconvenience, nor attempted to offer an explanation. Odd.
My starter of Thai-style prawns consisted of seven small balls of deep-fried minced prawns with a breadcrumb shell and a dot of Thai curry paste in the centre. Had I been served this dish as a bar snack, I would have been relatively impressed: the prawn meat was succulent and the coating a crisp, golden brown. But as a starter in a vaguely upmarket restaurant, it wasn't quite good enough, particularly because the uniformity of the balls very much suggested that they had not been made in-house and the only accompaniment was a small pot of shop-bought sweet chilli sauce.
My friend, however, enjoyed her lentil soup very much. The smooth amber liquid was nicely spiced, with cumin undertones and a wholesome, healthy feel to it. What a shame, then, that the garlic croutons seemed stale and without any garlic flavour.
A main course of lamb shank with pumpkin risotto was as robust and rustic as it sounds. On the plus side, the rich, slow-cooked meat subsided from the bone into tender, succulent chunks filled with gamy flavour. The accompanying risotto was disappointing, though. It was watery, lacked depth and the rice, which is supposed to retain some of its bite, had been overcooked - the texture was mushy rather than tender. A few chunks of pumpkin failed to add much-needed oomph.
My cordon bleu chicken was served with a pile of nicely seasoned spinach and a smudge of cauliflower purée that looked and tasted past its best. The stuffed chicken was surrounded by a distinctly soggy, chewy breadcrumb batter and the meagre amount of taleggio cheese and crispy bresaola in the middle did very little to enhance the taste of the dry, bland meat. A side order of truffle mash glistened with grease, the potato had a gluey texture and the synthetic flavour of the truffle oil was overwhelming.
Unfortunately, the meal did not take an upward turn when it came to desserts. My friend's macerated strawberries were drowned in a strongly flavoured, very vinegary balsamic syrup. It was both unpleasantly astringent and too sweet - the poor strawberries didn't stand a chance. I, meanwhile, could not identify any caramel flavour in my crème caramel and the promised macaroons (the real reason I ordered the dish) were missing from the plate entirely.
I think that to succeed, those in charge at Hawksbill need to stop, take stock and decide whom they want to cater for. Is this a place for golfers to relax with a salad, sandwich or bowl of soup, or is it a fine-dining destination? At the moment they are trying to do it all and it's not working.
A meal for two at Hawksbill, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club costs Dh395 not including service. For reservations call 02 557 8000. Reviewed meals are paid for by The National and reviews are conducted incognito.
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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
Frida%20
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice.
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
BRIEF SCORES
England 228-7, 50 overs
N Sciver 51; J Goswami 3-23
India 219, 48.4 overs
P Raut 86, H Kaur 51; A Shrubsole 6-46
England won by nine runs
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
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
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai
Gulf Under 19
Pool A – Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jumeirah College Tigers, Dubai English Speaking School 1, Gems World Academy
Pool B – British School Al Khubairat, Bahrain Colts, Jumeirah College Lions, Dubai English Speaking School 2
Pool C - Dubai College A, Dubai Sharks, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Yasmina
Pool D – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Deira International School
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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