Almaz by Momo Harvey Nichols Mall of the Emirates Dubai, Tel: 04 409 7788. Iftar buffet is Dh165 per person, including juice.
Just after sunset, a mass of shuffled feet buffed the zellige floor tile mosaics at Almaz by Momo. They padded a determined course underneath bulbous glowing lanterns, and through an atmospheric dining room to a brightly lit chamber decked with ornamental curios and swooping chandeliers. Running around the room in a broken horseshoe were tables laden with Arabic food, a bounty of dishes from the Levant and Morocco. Only minutes ago, the sound of prayers had echoed through the restaurant, yet now the murmur of people breaking the fast melded with the sound of glasses being filled with fruit juice and the clink of cutlery. As people carried food back to their tables, they sat down to the sweeping music and powerful voice of Umm Kulthum, which burst from the speakers like friction sparks in the night.
We may have been in a contemporary Moroccan restaurant for iftar, but the sound of the Egyptian singing legend's distinctive outpouring of emotion signalled that the evening's gathering transcended mere national boundaries. It was a time for Muslims from all over the Arab world and beyond to meet, congregate, reflect and dissect their day at the beginning of the holiest of months. Tonight, Almaz by Momo seemed a million miles away from its glitzy, celebrity-infested London counterpart, Momo, which has become a byword for North African chic. Instead we saw families, couples, friends and colleagues celebrating iftar in an environment that was perfect for amplifying the unique atmosphere of Ramadan.
Though some remained at their tables to break the fast the traditional way, with dates and juice, most flocked to the buffet in the adjoining room. We duly followed, and began with a bowl of thick harira soup. It was crammed with chickpeas and finely chopped vegetables, sprinkled with lemon juice and soaked up with chunky Moroccan bread. Soon it was time to sift through the salads, where we discovered Lebanese tabbouleh and fattoush alongside smoky moutabel and creamy hummus. I also grabbed a couple of fried kibbe, which were delicious, with moist granules of minced lamb and pine nuts in a crisp shell. And we'd hardly got started.
I had to try the berber tagine, which was lined up next to two more overflowing clay pots of slowly simmered delights. Among the boulders of soft potato, carrot, onion, green beans and peas were hunks of unfathomably tender lamb. There was more melting meat to be savoured with the shoulder of lamb. And on the side, I spooned heaps of crumbly couscous from beneath flapping white cabbage leaves and a further haul of steamed vegetables. And yet, there was still the tender and flavour-packed koosa mahshi (stuffed courgettes with rice, minced lamb, garlic, cinnamon and mint) to enjoy.
A landslide of tumbling baklava, pastries and Arabic sweets led us to the spongy berber pancakes with syrup, which were devoured alongside fresh slices of pineapple and melon. Around the gently lit dining room, the sorties to the buffet were becoming less frequent. And as the sated diners settled down for the evening, Umm Kulthum's cries continued to wash over us in dramatic, heartfelt waves.
@email:jbrennan@thenational.ae
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES
September 30
South Africa v Australia
Argentina v New Zealand
October 7
South Africa v New Zealand
Argentina v Australia
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
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
If you go:
Getting there:
Flying to Guyana requires first reaching New York with either Emirates or Etihad, then connecting with JetBlue or Caribbean Air at JFK airport. Prices start from around Dh7,000.
Getting around:
Wildlife Worldwide offers a range of Guyana itineraries, such as its small group tour, the 15-day ‘Ultimate Guyana Nature Experience’ which features Georgetown, the Iwokrama Rainforest (one of the world’s four remaining pristine tropical rainforests left in the world), the Amerindian village of Surama and the Rupununi Savannah, known for its giant anteaters and river otters; wildlifeworldwide.com
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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
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
1999 - 1st round
2000 - 1st round
2001 - Quarter-finalist
2002 - 1st round
2003 - Winner
2004 - Winner
2005 - Winner
2006 - Winner
2007 - Winner
2008 - Finalist
2009 - Winner
2010 - Quarter-finalist
2011 - Quarter-finalist
2012 - Winner
2013 - 2nd round
2014 - Finalist
2015 - Finalist
2016 - Semi-finalist
It
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Three stars
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
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
