Buffets are something I usually try to avoid, on the not-unreasonable grounds that most of them consist of too much food and not enough good food. But I'd heard and read nothing but raves about the buffet at the Sofra bld restaurant at Abu Dhabi's Shangri-La hotel. Its delights, I was told, included: an all-you-can-handle oyster bar (and when it comes to oysters, I can handle way more than my fair share); top-class sushi; good roast beef; fish and seafood cooked to order; kebabs fresh off the grill; and - always a consideration in these harsh economic times - not unreasonable prices.
It's all true. The Sofra bld dinner buffet, which a friend and I tackled recently, has so much to offer it's hard to know where to start - unless, that is, oysters happen to be your favourite food in the world and you find yourself living and working in a city where they're not all that easy to track down and usually not all that easy on the pocket. After spending five minutes or so reconnoitring the various food stations - more about the array of choices in a moment - we spotted the cold seafood, which included a large tray of oysters sitting enticingly on a bed of ice.
Only a couple, however, were shucked, which had the cynic in me immediately wondering if this was some sort of catch: all the oysters you can eat, as long as you pry them open yourself? We sought help, and, within a few minutes two or three dozen freshly shucked oysters had been added to the mound, a dozen of which quickly found their way on to my first platter of the evening. They were splendid, every bit as good as those I'd sampled a few weeks previously at one of the city's finest seafood restaurants, where a dozen had set me back Dh135. Given that the price of the entire Shangri-La buffet was Dh170, this was not only delish, it was a deal, and if I hadn't been there in the line of duty, with an obligation to sample and report on as many dishes as I could, I'd have been happy to wrap myself around five or six dozen and call the evening a success.
They came with the usual trimmings of sauce mignonette, lemon wedges, horseradish, hot sauce - all surplus to requirements: the oysters were so juicy and succulent they needed no embellishment. My companion settled for a more diverse platter from the seafood bar, including fresh mussels, boiled shrimp, smoked salmon and a selection of salmon and tuna nigiri and various rolls from the well-stocked sushi bar.
The mussels were fine, the smoked salmon more than fine, the shrimps bland and virtually tasteless and the sushi outstanding. I lived for many years in Vancouver, the sushi capital of North America, and the selection would have been very much at home in that city. Back into the fray. Rather than two or three production-line tables, this buffet has a number of individual stations. Among them: pizza, breads and cheese; a kebab grill; roast beef, lamb, meat and fish; salad; cold seafood; sushi; dessert; fruit; Moroccan; Indian; hot seafood (with fresh fish, crabs and giant prawns cooked to order), and a couple of inviting soups.
We did battle next with the main meat and fish station, and it was another hit. The roast beef - a rib-eye, my personal favourite - was quite superb. I went for the medium-rare; my companion settled for the medium and had an end cut. The meat was melt-in-the-mouth tender, juicy and would have easily constituted a meal in itself. A couple of chops from a beautifully cooked rack of lamb were equally good, as was a small hammour fillet, simply prepared and elegantly presented on its own small plate.
My companion also sampled a spicy seafood dish, consisting mainly of nice rings of squid, which was very good, as were a couple of offerings from the Indian selections: curried eggs and spicy potatoes, and a mixed kebab, with excellent cubes of lamb, chicken and beef. I couldn't resist trying a couple of dishes from a separate table of seven Moroccan dishes, one of which, lentils in a tangy but delicate sauce with cherry tomatoes, was quite superb.
Complaints? It would have helped enormously if the dishes had been clearly labelled. We asked why they weren't, and were told many of the offerings changed each evening and it wasn't practical. Nonsense - any establishment that puts this much effort into getting things right could surely spare someone for an hour or so to print out a few dozen customer-friendly labels. The only serious complaint we had about the food was with the shrimp. We tried them prepared three different ways. Two of the varieties were simply overcooked; the other, the tiger prawns cooked to order on a giant hotplate and brought to the table, were overwhelmingly seasoned and didn't taste particularly fresh.
By now, we were more or less on the ropes, and decided to content ourselves with a little ice cream from the abundantly stocked dessert station. It was the perfect end to a meal that was worth every dirham, and then some. * Mr Creosote Sofra bld at the Shangri-La, Qaryat al Beri, Abu Dhabi, 02-509-8888. Our reviewer's meal for two cost Dh340 without beverages. Restaurants are reviewed incognito and the meals are paid for by The National. Mr Creosote is a nom de plume.
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed PDK
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 820Nm
Price: Dh683,200
On sale: now
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
'I Want You Back'
Director:Jason Orley
Stars:Jenny Slate, Charlie Day
Rating:4/5
RESULTS
Main card
Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision
Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision
Lightweight 60kg: Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision
Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
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
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
DUNGEONS%20%26%20DRAGONS%3A%20HONOR%20AMONG%20THIEVES
%3Cp%3EDirectors%3A%20John%20Francis%20Daley%20and%20Jonathan%20Goldstein%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Chris%20Pine%2C%20Michelle%20Rodriguez%2C%20Rege-Jean%20Page%2C%20Justice%20Smith%2C%20Sophia%20Lillis%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
