Shaikha Al Kaabi with her Meylas food truck, which serves Emirati cuisine in locations around Abu Dhabi. Ravindranath K / The National
Shaikha Al Kaabi with her Meylas food truck, which serves Emirati cuisine in locations around Abu Dhabi. Ravindranath K / The National

Meylas food truck offers Emirati cuisine to Abu Dhabi’s residents



Emirati food might soon be available on a street near your home via Meylas, a first-of-its-kind mobile van serving Emirati cuisine at pop-up locations throughout the capital.

The Emirati Shaikha Al Kaabi, who was born and raised in Abu Dhabi, came up with the food truck as a way to expose more people to the flavours of the country. The truck has also served as a preview of Al Kaabi’s forthcoming Emirati restaurant, also called Meylas (the word is a local expression for majlis), which is set to open its doors in Al Muneera by the end of the month.

“I’m proud of our food,” says Al Kaabi. “I want people to try authentic Emirati food. I want to teach people about our food and our culture. It’s rich with flavours. It’s not just hummus and tabbouleh. People have the wrong idea.”

Meylas’ menu is filled with traditional recipes from Emirati mothers and grandmothers. Dishes include legimat (sweet, fried dumplings similar to Indian gulgula), batheetha (a traditional dessert made with date paste, flour and ghee), rgaag sandwiches (rgaag is thin, light, crispy bread) and khameer (Emirati bread often eaten with honey and cheese).

Al Kaabi says her passion for food and pride for her country have fuelled her ambitions. “I’m serious about Emirati food,” Al Kaabi says. “I want to take Emirati food to the next level.” That next level includes giving Emirati food a modern twist. She plans to offer gluten-free Emirati dishes as well as dishes that work with the popular paleo diet (also known as the caveman diet). She also sources all of her ingredients locally. “The only thing that’s not local is the truck; no one knows how to fit out a food truck here.”

Meylas food truck is expected to be a regular feature at cultural, social and national events around the country. Al Kaabi says: “We have lots of events here and we want to get our food out there. That’s the idea behind it.” Since its debut at Abu Dhabi Art in early November, Meylas has popped up for National Day celebrations at Adnoc, twofour54 Abu Dhabi and Masdar City.

To track Meylas food truck, follow it on Instagram: @meylas. Meylas restaurant is due to open in Al Raha Beach, Al Muneera, opposite the Etihad Plaza complex. Visit www.meylas.com

sjohnson@thenational.ae

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Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

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

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
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The 12 breakaway clubs

England

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur

Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus

Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid

Profile of Whizkey

Date founded: 04 November 2017

Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani

Based: Dubai, UAE

Number of employees: 10

Sector: AI, software

Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million  

Funding stage: Series A

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Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

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PROFILE BOX

Company name: Overwrite.ai

Founder: Ayman Alashkar

Started: Established in 2020

Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai

Sector: PropTech

Initial investment: Self-funded by founder

Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors

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Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

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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.

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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

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Transmission: six-speed manual

Power: 395bhp

Torque: 420Nm

Price: from Dh321,200

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Champions League Last 16

Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER) 

Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG) 

Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED) 

Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA) 

Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG) 

Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA) 

Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG) 

Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)  

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)

Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas

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Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong

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Director: Sam Raimi

 

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rachel McAdams

 

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Engine: 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo

Gearbox: 7-speed automatic

Power: 211hp at 5,500rpm

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Fuel economy, combined: 6.0 l/100 km

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THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

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The more serious side of specialty coffee

While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 

The specs: 2019 Haval H6

Price, base: Dh69,900

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km

WHAT IS GRAPHENE?

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. 

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