A rendering of the exterior of upcoming Asia Asia in Abu Dhabi.
A rendering of the exterior of upcoming Asia Asia in Abu Dhabi.
A rendering of the exterior of upcoming Asia Asia in Abu Dhabi.
A rendering of the exterior of upcoming Asia Asia in Abu Dhabi.

Yas Bay Waterfront: Asia Asia and The Central to open at Abu Dhabi’s new dining and entertainment destination


Janice Rodrigues
  • English
  • Arabic

The launch of Yas Bay Waterfront is keeping Abu Dhabi residents on their toes – and rightly so.

Just last month, Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island opened doors on Yas Bay, and we have also been teased with more restaurants and entertainment concepts in the past few months.

And now, Solutions Leisure Group, a food and beverage company in Dubai, along with developer Miral, has shared renderings of two of the exciting concepts that will be opening in Yas Bay this year.

A rendering of the entrance of Asia Asia in Abu Dhabi, featuring cherry blossom trees.
A rendering of the entrance of Asia Asia in Abu Dhabi, featuring cherry blossom trees.

Asia Asia is already a well-established name in the UAE, with a popular branch at Pier 7 in Dubai Marina. However, it will be expanding to Abu Dhabi, and the first look presents an upscale venue, complete with cherry blossom trees at the entrance.

Meanwhile, The Central will be a new concept in UAE's entertainment scene. Little has been shared about the venue so far, but it looks like it will offer numerous seating options, as well as arcade games – much like Dubai's Wavehouse.

"We could not be more excited about the opportunity to bring some of the region's [most popular] nightlife concepts to Abu Dhabi. Upon seeing the outstanding vision of Miral, there was only one decision to make and that was can we build our best venues to date? The answer was yes and that's exactly what we will do," says Paul Evans, chief executive of Solutions Leisure Group.

“The potential of Yas Bay is limitless and with Miral’s vision and drive, this promises to be the most relevant entertainment development in the capital.”

According to a representative, both concepts will tentatively launch in September 2021.

Arcade games and exposed ceiling pipes at The Central in Abu Dhabi, set to open this year. Courtesy Solutions Leisure Group
Arcade games and exposed ceiling pipes at The Central in Abu Dhabi, set to open this year. Courtesy Solutions Leisure Group

They will be joining other big restaurants and nightlife destinations scheduled to launch at Yas Bay Waterfront such as Zeera, Bushra, Siddharta Lounge, La Catrina, Akiba Dori and Lock, Stock & Barrel.

The Central is a new concept launching in the region. Solutions Leisure Group
The Central is a new concept launching in the region. Solutions Leisure Group
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Zidane's managerial achievements

La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017

Gertrude Bell's life in focus

A feature film

At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.

A documentary

A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.

Books, letters and archives

Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
 

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

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FINAL RESULT

Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)

Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2

Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross

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