Not so long ago, Abu Dhabi's vegetarians sought refuge in the teeming South Indian restaurants that line the busy alleyways of downtown Salam Street. Cheap, but not necessarily cheerful, non meat eaters of all nationalities relied upon the curries offered here for their spicy curds fix.
A profusion of hotel restaurants competing to win customers has created many more options for vegetarians dining out, so ordering a side dish as a main course is almost a thing of the past. But the absolute minimum requirement for great vegetarian cooking is freshly sourced ingredients, which is perhaps why – in a city where so much is imported from so far away – more heavily spiced regional cuisine has proved such a salvation.
This is changing, according to Matteo Fontana, restaurant chef at Circo at the InterContinental Abu Dhabi. “With the trend of eating more healthily, you’ll find many dishes suitable for vegetarians in most Italian restaurants, including Circo,” he maintains.
Fontana buys staple ingredients from farms in Al Ain, which operate outdoors as the seasons permit, before moving into greenhouses for the summer months. He procures and serves mostly locally sourced vegetables all year long, although he admits that there are some ingredients, such as truffles and certain delicate varieties of melon, that will never be available locally.
"It is somewhat difficult to find fresh vegetables here. Many items have to be flown to get to our kitchens and, ultimately, our tables," counters Suzanne Husseini, the Dubai-based celebrity chef and author of The Modern Flavors of Arabia, who was in Abu Dhabi recently to promote a Ramadan menu at Market Kitchen in Le Royal Méridien Abu Dhabi. "I buy vegetables that have travelled in small quantities and use them quickly in their prime. I also love to shop on Fridays at the local organic markets to support the commendable efforts of local farmers that have managed to make the desert bloom."
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In keeping with demand for simply cooked food that highlights the quality of ingredients, many restaurants are now applying protein-based cooking techniques to vegetables – searing, charring, grilling and oven-roasting to add richness and complexity that satisfies the tastebuds.
Even vegetarians like to feel full, Husseini says. “I always offer something as satisfying to my vegetarian and vegan guests as my meat-eating diners, such as my roasted cauliflower steak with citrus tahini sauce, so everyone leaves the table happy.
“No one leaves my table hungry, or I haven’t done my job,” she insists.
While vegetarians are now better served in the capital, eating dairy-free can still be a challenge. “Abu Dhabi restaurants have a lot of work to do before anyone could call them vegan-friendly,” laments Abu Dhabi-based vegan Kathryn Anderle. She admits that things are getting better, but progress is slow. “Don’t even ask how hard it is to be a vegan at a Friday brunch,” she jokes.
Alongside limited choice, unfair pricing is a source of frustration for Anderle. “Some outlets that advertise vegetarian or vegan options just take the meat out of the sandwich and call it vegetaria’ or vegan – or worse, some charge extra for the vegandesignation.”
Anderle also finds the general lack of effort maddening. “Shops just send people away with no coffee, rather than investing in a Dh14 carton of nut milk that might service several customers,” she says.
Cultural differences add another layer to the problem. “Once I asked a server for no animal products and then asked for a tofu substitute. The server said that tofu was made from soya and soya has milk in it [because of the word ‘milk’ in soy milk],” says Anderle.
“This was a new one for me. I had no idea how to clear up her misconception. And then I realised my own language contributed to the problem.”
Where to sample some local creative vegetarian cooking
Although Indian food has become a tried and tested fall-back for hungry vegetarians, Anderle points out that it is a nightmare for vegans. “Indian restaurants tend to use a lot of ghee and yogurt and, with the servers’ limited English language skills, few understand the difference between vegan and vegetarian.”
Purity of ingredients may have to take a backseat for some time to come, as vegetarians and vegans learn to navigate what’s still a fairly nascent meat-free food scene. Still, there has never been a better time to enjoy vegetables centre-plate in the capital – just don’t expect the ordering process to always be simple.
Roasted cauliflower with citrus tahini sauce
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
¼ cup olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons,
Zest and juice of ½ orange (save some zest to garnish)
1 cup water
3/4 cup tahini
Sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, mashed
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
½ cup toasted pine nuts
¼ cup slivered pistachio nuts
Method
▶ Preheat the oven to 220°C. Take the whole head of your cauliflower and cut (core included) into four thick slices. Place the slices on a large baking sheet, coat with oil and season with salt. Roast until golden and crisp, and cooked through. Turn over halfway, being careful not to break the cauliflower. It should take about 20 minutes. Mix the lemon juice, orange juice and zest, water and tahini to make a creamy sauce. Once done, leave to one side.
▶ In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil, and sautée the onions and garlic until light golden and soft. Pour the tahini sauce over the cooked onions and bring to a simmer until the flavours mingle and it thickens slightly. Taste to adjust seasoning according to taste.
▶ Serve drizzled over the roasted cauliflower and garnish with toasted pine nuts, slivered pistachios and orange zest.
From When Suzanne Cooks by Suzanne Husseini (Motivate Publishing, 2010)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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.”
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
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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
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The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
MATCH INFO
League Cup, last 16
Manchester City v Southampton, Tuesday, 11.45pm (UAE)
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
Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm
On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm
The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, June 28 at 4pm
Romang, June 28 at 6pm
Mal Mo E: The Secret Mission, June 28 at 8pm
Underdog, June 29 at 2pm
Nearby Sky, June 29 at 4pm
A Resistance, June 29 at 6pm
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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"
A German university was a good fit for the family budget
Annual fees for the Technical University of Munich - £600
Shared rental accommodation per month depending on the location ranges between £200-600
The family had budgeted for food, books, travel, living expenses - £20,000 annually
Overall costs in Germany are lower than the family estimated
As proof that the student has the ability to take care of expenses, international students must open a blocked account with about £8,640
Students are permitted to withdraw £720 per month
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Poacher
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Miguel Cotto world titles:
WBO Light Welterweight champion - 2004-06
WBA Welterweight champion – 2006-08
WBO Welterweight champion – Feb 2009-Nov 2009
WBA Light Middleweight champion – 2010-12
WBC Middleweight champion – 2014-15
WBO Light Middleweight champion – Aug 2017-Dec 2017
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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.
Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
