First, the very good news: Frankie's, one of the flagship restaurants in the recently opened Fairmont Bab al Bahr, is a delightful place to spend an evening. From the moment you're greeted, with the sort of warmth that seems to be second nature to everyone working at the hotel, to the moment you leave, the service is as friendly as it is efficient. And any establishment where the resident pianist/vocalist launches into commendable versions of Eddy Grant's Gimme Hope Joanna, Carlos Santana's Black Magic Woman and Bobby Darin's Somewhere Beyond the Sea and then fires up Van Morrison on the sound system when he takes his break has scored big-time brownie points with this customer.
Frankie's, for the record, is the latest in a stable of high-profile restaurants that are a collaboration between the Italian-born jockey Frankie Dettori and the chef Marco Pierre White, whose three Michelin stars have long since been overshadowed by his personal life. Now for the not-so-good news: the food is rather ordinary. At least it was on a recent Friday evening. A sauce so thick as to be borderline unpalatable; a distinct lack of seasoning on one dish; another minus the sauce that was supposed to accompany it. Not what you would expect from a kitchen created by someone who has spent his professional life in the culinary major leagues.
Before deciding on our appetisers, we were unable to resist an attack on the bread basket. The breads were freshly baked on the premises, almost feather-light and quite scrumptious. A promising start. We decided on one appetiser, scallops, that was an off-menu special. Unfortunately, because of a slight language gap, we weren't able to discover exactly how they were going to be prepared, but my companion, a scallop aficionado, decided she would have them anyway.
I wanted to test the kitchen's Italian mettle, and settled for the sautéed mussels and clams in fresh tomatoes and chilli. My dish consisted of nine or 10 small mussels and the same number of tiny clams in a zesty, aromatic broth. The mussels were by no means the best I have tasted - that accolade goes to the succulent bivalves of Cortes Island in Canada's Georgia Strait - but they were fine, and the broth reflected a touch that was light yet bold.
My companion's three plump scallops were criss-crossed with grill marks and nestling on a bed of greens and cannellini beans. She pronounced them fairly good, but no more than that. I tried a couple of mouthfuls and had to concur: they were sadly lacking in pizzazz. We asked how they'd been prepared, and were told they had been marinated in lemon juice and sprinkled with a little salt and pepper. But we could detect no hint of any kind of kitchen input that might have helped justify an asking price a shade under Dh30 per scallop.
For main courses, we decided on a meat option - oven-baked rack of lamb with a macadamia nut crust and mint jus, served with gratin potatoes and baby vegetables - and one of the pasta offerings, potato gnocchi with a Gorgonzola sauce. My companion's lamb arrived perfectly pink, as ordered, and was tender enough to cut easily with a fork. The outer layer with the crust was excellent, but the rest of the lamb cried out for some help from the advertised mint jus, which was nowhere in evidence. The gratin potatoes were exceptional and the vegetables crisp and flavourful.
My gnocchi were light in texture, and a perfect foil to the robust Gorgonzola sauce. The only problem was that the sauce was thick. Very thick. Removing a piece of the gnocchi left an indent. The sauce was an immovable object and would have been helped immeasurably by the addition of a little vegetable stock. Despite these shortcomings, it was an evening we enjoyed thoroughly, and it would be unfair not to report that colleagues who have eaten at Frankie's are unanimous that their food was excellent, and assure me I must have caught the kitchen on a rare "off" night. Judging by every other aspect of the operation, I have no trouble in believing that.
Frankie's, Fairmont Bab al Bahr, Abu Dhabi, 02 654 3333. Our reviewer's meal for two cost Dh467.48 without beverages. Restaurants are reviewed incognito and the meals are paid for by The National.
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.
On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE
Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.3-litre%20turbo%204-cyl%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E298hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E452Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETowing%20capacity%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.4-tonne%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPayload%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4WD%20%E2%80%93%20776kg%3B%20Rear-wheel%20drive%20819kg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrice%3A%20Dh138%2C945%20(XLT)%20Dh193%2C095%20(Wildtrak)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDelivery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20from%20August%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
You might also like to read
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Final: UAE beat Qatar by nine wickets
Third-place play-off: Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by five runs
Table
1 UAE 5 5 0 10
2 Qatar 5 4 1 8
3 Saudi 5 3 2 6
4 Kuwait 5 2 3 4
5 Bahrain 5 1 4 2
6 Maldives 5 0 5 0
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Tottenham's 10 biggest transfers (according to transfermarkt.com):
1). Moussa Sissokho - Newcastle United - £30 million (Dh143m): Flop
2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop
3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out
4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen - £25m: Success
5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop
6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop
7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop
8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb - £17m: Success
9). Paulinho - Corinthians - £16m: Flop
10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success
Read more about the coronavirus
Pathaan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Siddharth%20Anand%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Deepika%20Padukone%2C%20John%20Abraham%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
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