We couldn't, at first, quite put our finger on what was different about PF Chang's China Bistro. Was it the red leather banquettes and dark wooden furniture, which gave the impression of being in an intimate restaurant, but whose glass doors opened directly on to the aisles of Mirdif City Centre shopping mall?
No, that wasn't it, although it meant the place was packed to the rafters at 9pm on a school night, with a pleasing mix of shoppers who had dropped in for a quick bite, families with children parked on their laps and an equal balance of locals and expatriates who were familiar with the US-based chain. In fact, we had to queue to be seated, and this just a week after the joint opened. Was it the two giant horses at the entrance, apparently a signature of each of the 200-plus outlets? Or the hand-painted murals on the walls, or the fusion of traditional Chinese with American, Mexican and Thai cuisine?
In fact, it was only when our waitress was explaining in detail the ingredients of my yin and yang mocktail, made with rhubarb and jalapeno, that it hit us. We were being served by people who knew all about the food they were serving. "It feels just like being at home," my New Yorker dining companion sighed nostalgically. PF Chang's has taken no risks and drafted in a team of trainers from the US to brief staff in the Mirdif restaurant on how to run it. And it showed. We were served by about five staff, of various nationalities, who knew the ingredients of each dish, had tasted them beforehand and gave us an honest review of what to expect.
Our waitress was spot-on with her description of the mocktail as "a bit different but lovely". The sweetness of the rhubarb was undercut by the bite of the jalapeno, making it a refreshing palate cleanser for the assault on our tastebuds to come. Unable to choose between starters, we ordered a selection. The dynamite shrimp might have looked like a starter from a 1980s cruise ship, arriving in a martini glass, but was an instant hit, with large moist prawns lightly coated in batter and smothered in a creamy mayonnaise sauce with chipotle chilli powder, giving a fiery kick that stopped short of being too spicy. Prawn cocktail never tasted that good.
Crab wontons had a delicate flavour and were wrapped in parcels that were neither too crispy or oily. They came with a selection of soy sauce, mustard and sweet chilli dips that hit the spot. The meat in our chicken and lettuce wraps - of which PF Chang's apparently sell 200 million a week - was tender, packed with flavour and complemented by the crisp greens. Thin slices of seared sushi grade ahi (yellowfin) tuna, cooked with five spices, were equally moist and melted in the mouth, although my companion turned up her nose at the thick mustard dressing, which seemed an unnecessary extra flavour.
Our mains were rather more hit-and-miss. The Philip's better lemon chicken and Chang's lemon scallops came with the same sickly-sweet gloop drowning them. The chicken was passable, despite a thick batter, while the scallops were okay if instantly forgettable, but both were marred by the sugary thick sauce. Crisp honey shrimps went down rather more easily, with just a drizzle of tangy sauce coating the battered prawns - not enough to make them inedible.
The wok-charred beef was more of a winner, with mouthwateringly tender top-grade meat caramelised with plump marinated shiitake mushrooms. A side dish of Szechuan asparagus had a lovely and slightly spicy oyster sauce poured over it but was ruined by the woody ends of the vegetable being thrown into the mix to bulk out the dish, leaving us chewing on bark-like, stringy pieces, rather than the delicate spears we had hoped for.
The waiting staff ended by wheeling over a trolley full of desserts. The "great wall of chocolate" and carrot cake earned the epithet "obesity on a plate" from my dining companion, thanks to their enormous six-layered slabs packed full of butter, cream and icing that made us feel slightly unwell just looking at them. We opted to share the banana spring rolls instead, which came wrapped in filo pastry that was too thick and chewy to work with the huge mound of coconut and pineapple ice cream in the middle. Banana fritters would have been a lighter option to accompany the ice cream - it was just too heavy after the vast, American-sized portions we had enjoyed. Judging by its popularity, PF Chang's is going to be a huge hit, particularly when it opens a second branch in Mall of the Emirates later this year. It's definitely worth a trip to Mirdif for the hospitality, the novel setting and the taste of Americana. But if you don't want to be rolled out of the restaurant, and to guarantee a tasty meal, stick to a selection of starters.
PF Chang's China Bistro, Mirdif City Centre, Dubai (04 231 6660). Our reviewer's meal for two with soft drinks cost Dh431. Restaurants are reviewed incognito and meals are paid for by The National.
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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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
Zayed Sustainability Prize
MO
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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.”
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Donating your hair
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• Straight, wavy, curly, permed or chemically straightened is permitted.
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Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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The five pillars of Islam
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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