DUBAI // The Haji Ali Juice Center in Mumbai is set against the backdrop of the majestic Haji Ali Mosque, visited daily by thousands of worshippers. The roadside juice stop has earned a loyal following since it opened in 1937 by the entrance to the mosque, refreshing the faithful with sandwiches, fresh fruit juices, milkshakes and faloodas (a cold tapioca and rosewater drink).
Closer to home, the Haji Ali Juice Center in Oud Metha might not have the same rich history or picturesque views, but it carries on the tradition of warm service and affordable prices. Located in a busy bylane of an older quarter of Dubai, the cafe is surrounded by restaurants, salons, mosques, community clubs and residential buildings.
And, like the home branch in Mumbai, the smell of fresh fruit juices and grilled sandwiches wafts through their doors and down the street, luring hungry customers.
For nostalgic Indian expatriates who have made Dubai their home, Haji Ali offers a taste of Mumbai in a glass. That's a lot of expats and a lot of glasses: the emirate is the only place outside India to which Haji Ali has expanded (it also has a presence in Chennai).
"This place reminds me of home and good times," said Chithkala Rajaram, who has been a daily customer since the cafe opened in 2005. "The sandwiches are simple. It's convenient food and you won't add too many calories if you know what to eat. I love the fact that they keep their fruits fresh," said the expatriate, who also visits Haji Ali for its range of vegetarian options.
"We buy most of our fruits - especially custard apples and mangoes - from India," said Mohideen Faizal, the operations manager. "We do not put additives or artificial flavours in our juices, which is what makes them fresh. Our creams and faloodas are very popular."
The five-year old eatery is popular with expatriates and Emiratis alike, be it for takeouts or casual dining.
"We get customers of all nationalities," Mr Faizal said. "Many more come during the summer months for our juices and custard apple creams."
In the winter, outdoor pavement seating on plastic chairs makes it an appealing place to stop and linger with friends. And it's not unusual to find a line of idling cars outside: motorists pull up and honk their horns for roadside service - UAE-style drive-through dining.
The restaurant offers sandwiches with a variety of fillings, from Schezwan (vegetables in a spicy Chinese dressing) to cottage cheese, mushroom and potato.
And the menu includes "Jain Specials" designed for followers of Jainism, an Indian religion whose followers avoid inflicting violence on any living being - a proscription that extends to the uprooting of root vegetables such as potatoes, onions and garlic.
"After a late-night movie, we can come here to grab a sandwich," says Krishna Nair. "It's well-priced and there is always a choice between a light snack or a heavy sandwich. The creams are the tastiest, if you are up for some high-calorie desserts," she said.
Her family of four makes it a point to drive once a month from their home in Sports City to dine at the outlet. "My children love the pizzas and the creams here," she said.
A meal for two, including a Haji Ali Special Sandwich with Schezwan, mashed potato and cottage cheese, a mushroom pizza, a large mango fruit juice and fruit falooda costs about Dh60.
"It's hard to get tasty and affordable sandwiches in Dubai," said Mohammed Aijaz, who frequents the restaurant at least once a week.
The busiest times at the Haji Ali Juice Center are between 9pm and midnight. Late-night partygoers and people looking for a midnight snack visit the restaurant, which remains open until as late as 2am.
At the end of this month, Haji Ali plans to open a branch in Sharjah.
Drive to Lamcy Plaza and, with the mall on your left, take the next turn right. Head down this road, and you’ll find Haji Ali on your right at the corner of the first junction.
pkannan@thenational.ae
Next week, get a taste of Africa at a restaurant in Sharjah
@ For more TASTE OF ADVENTURE visit thenational.ae/topics
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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
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
Company%20Profile
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Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Fixtures (all times UAE)
Saturday
Brescia v Atalanta (6pm)
Genoa v Torino (9pm)
Fiorentina v Lecce (11.45pm)
Sunday
Juventus v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Inter Milan v SPAL (6pm)
Lazio v Udinese (6pm)
Parma v AC Milan (6pm)
Napoli v Bologna (9pm)
Verona v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Monday
Cagliari v Sampdoria (11.45pm)
