World

A look at the eight most anticipated dining spots in Dubai this season

Restaurateurs in Dubai are ready for their third, fourth and fifth acts.

Some of the city’s most well-known chefs and operators going bold this season, while others are opening new outposts of restaurants that have been big hits in London — a concept that works well in this expat enclave.

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The contours of the expansion reflect the fact that the city has been in the culinary spotlight for the past few years. Local tourism agencies have showered publicity on restaurants and chefs, sponsoring food festivals, television shows and lists and awards.

Michelin inspectors came through the city for the first time in 2022, as did the regional Middle East/North Africa awards from the Worlds 50 best restaurants organization.

Dubai dominated this year’s list, taking six of the top 10 spots.

The most popular restaurants used to be franchise expansions from foreign chefs, but now many of the top operators live and work in the emirate and are creating distinct concepts.
One of the biggest openings is the Guild, which fills a massive space in the city’s business district with several distinct dining areas.

Restaurants have also become increasingly important for hotels in Dubai’s competitive market. The blockbuster Atlantis the Royal hotel, which opened at the start of the year with a rare private performance from Beyoncé, has already opened a lineup of restaurants from celebrity and Michelin-starred chefs. Next year, Björn Frantzén is opening two spots.

Later this year, the same developer behind Atlantis— Kerzner International—is bringing in even more top chefs to accompany two new hotels opening in Dubai at a venue called the Link.

It’s one of eight most exciting venues in Dubai this season. Read about them, below.

The Guild

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From longtime Dubai restaurateur Tom Arnel, the guy behind favorites such as Tom & Serg and, more recently, Hawkerboi, comes the Guild, where the focus will be on European cuisine. Five years in the making, the 20,000-square-foot space is at the foot of ICD Brookfield Place, the new destination office for bankers in the Dubai business district.

Entering feels like walking into a jungle—minus the animals and humidity. Botanicals real and fake drip from the walls: kentia palm trees, ficuses, zz plants and snake plants. The Guild has been opening in phases that Arnel is calling, in typically dramatic Dubai fashion, “Act I,” “Act II” and “Act III.”

Act I includes a patisserie and brasserie called the Nurseries, with housemade sweets and pastries, and lunch service that includes dishes such as confit duck leg and lobster linguini.

Meanwhile, the Potting Shed is a separate, slightly sunken area, for which Arnel said he drew inspiration from London’s Chiltern Firehouse.

Act II, which opened this week, includes the Rockpool for seafood such as grilled Hokkaido scallops; the Salon for formal dining, with dishes that will include black truffle risotto, wagyu and prime steak and garlic snails; and the Ritz Room for private parties.

Act III will be the Aviary, a cocktail bar that will stay open late.

The Link

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Ensconced in a cantilever that connects brand-new skyscrapers in northern Dubai, the Link intends to feed both local residents as well as guests at two new hotels: the luxury One&Only One Za’abeel and fitness-themed Siro, both Kerzner. Arrazuna, an elevated food hall from Finnish-Turkish chef Mehmet Gürs, will serve cuisine from the Levant and the Arabian peninsula.

French cuisine will come courtesy of La Dame de Pic from acclaimed chef Anne-Sophie Pic. Chef Dabiz Muñoz is bringing his signature mohawk haircut and his StreetXO concept to Dubai.

Chefs Bo Songvisava and Dylan Jones will open a Thai restaurant called DuangDy; Chef Paco Morales’s Qabu will serve Andalusian cuisine; and the site’s Japanese restaurant will be Sagetsu from chef Tetsuya Wakuda. All are slated to open in December.

Row on 45

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Celebrity chef Jason Atherton has been opening a collection of restaurants and bars at the Grosvenor House hotel this year. The last of the four spots is the posh Row on 45, which will serve a 17-course tasting menu in three “acts.” (Again, very Dubai.)

Act I takes place in a Champagne lounge that is meant to feel like an old-money parlor in a baronial residence.

Act II is the meal. The third act, the “Grand Finale,” is desserts and drinks, including premium cognacs and rare whiskeys, in the “chef’s library.” The restaurant has space for 22 guests per night. The meal costs 1,145 dirhams ($312) per person, drinks not included. Opening night is Sept. 21.

Jamavar

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This pan-Indian fine dining concept, which has a Michelin star at its London dining room is planning an outpost in Downtown Dubai for December, with executive chef Surender Mohanin overseeing the menu.

The restaurant group opened its first dining room in Bangalore in 2001; it has since expanded to Doha and has locations around India. The Dubai menu isn’t confirmed; here’s hoping it will include dishes that are popular on the London menu, like old Delhi butter chicken and Tellicherry pepper and garlic soft-shell crab.

Hoe Lee Kow

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Dubai has more than 13,000 restaurants, but it hasn’t had many destination Korean restaurants. Now it’s going to have two.

One is Hoe Lee Kow, from noted Dubai chef Reif Othman, who has built a mini-empire of Asian restaurants in the city, including Reif Japanese Kushiyaki. His latest includes offerings like Reif lunch box (stocked with kimchi fried rice, bulgogl and Napa kimchi), as well as grilled wagyu galbi and Jeju island scallops. The restaurant had a soft opening in July; it officially launches September 27.

Gimi

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Dubai’s other notable Korean restaurant opening is Gimi, a place with a hawker-stall vibe and Chinese, Indonesian and other Southeast Asian influences. Dishes include bibimbap made with Korean rice, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and scallion and beef randang.

The restaurant doesn’t serve alcohol but offers nonalcoholic cocktails and opened on September 12. The location in Jumeirah — one of Dubai’s older neighborhoods, close to the beach — is down the street from 11 Woodfire, another restaurant from the Atelier House Hospitality group behind Gimi.

Signor Sassi

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Transplanted from London, Italian restaurant Signor Sassi is settling onto one of the most interesting culinary locations in Dubai — the newly revamped rooftop of the St. Regis Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah.

The St. Regis Gardens, as it’s called, is also home to two-Michelin-starred Trèsind Studio and Chez Wam. Two other restaurants, steakhouse Leña and Jazz-Age styled Aretha, will also be opening at the location. Dishes at the new Signor Sassi, which will open September 25, include lobster alla Catalana, pizzas and braised beef short ribs.

Maison de la Plage

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Some beach clubs are better known for the lounging scenes than bikini sandwiches. But Maison de la Plage, from Izu Ani, one of Dubai’s most well-known chefs, will undoubtedly be focused on the food.

The French Mediterranean menu will feature dishes such as rigatoni with truffle, the “Izu burger” and a niçoise salad. The restaurant is backed by Fundamental Hospitality, the group behind Dubai favorites such as Greek restaurant Gaia and Shanghai Me.

If you haven’t heard of these dining spots yet, you probably will soon: The group plans to open 100 restaurants globally in the next five years, including Gaia in London, Marbella and Miami by the middle of next year.

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World

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi meets with CEOs of leading Norwegian companies

H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, has met with a group of CEOs from leading Norwegian companies, as part of their participation in the UAE-Norway Investment Forum, held alongside his official visit to the Kingdom of Norway.

During the meeting, H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed underscored the UAE leadership’s commitment to strengthening economic cooperation with its international partners.

He highlighted that investment in innovation and knowledge is a cornerstone for achieving sustainable development, noting that enhancing collaboration with Norwegian companies across key sectors will open new avenues for mutual economic growth between the two countries.

The UAE-Norway Investment Forum, taking place in Oslo, aimed to highlight available investment opportunities and strengthen trade relations between the UAE and Norway, fostering shared interests and supporting innovation and knowledge-based economic visions.

-wam

World

At the Indonesia International Book Fair 2024, TRENDS inaugurates 10th global office, releases four books

As part of its Asian research tour, partnership with Aletihad News Center, and
primary sponsorship of the Indonesia International Book Fair 2024, TRENDS
Research & Advisory inaugurated its office in Jakarta, marking its 10th location
worldwide. It also released four books in Indonesian.
The inauguration event was attended by ambassadors of the UAE, Bahrain, and
Jordan to Indonesia, chairpersons of the UAE and Indonesian Publishers’
Associations, the Director of TRENDS’ Jakarta office, and a group of researchers
and academics.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of TRENDS
Research & Advisory, stated that TRENDS’ international offices—set to reach 15
by the end of 2024—aim to enhance the Center’s research efforts and deepen its
role in disseminating knowledge, thus serving as a global knowledge bridge.
He emphasized, “At TRENDS, we believe in the importance of cooperation
between think tanks and prioritize this endeavor. We believe the TRENDS office in
Jakarta will enhance the exchange of knowledge and ideas between think tanks in
Asia and the Middle East, opening new horizons for collaboration in various
fields.”

Four books in Indonesian
As part of the Jakarta office’s inaugural activities, four books were released in
Indonesian, including the 11th and 12th books of the Muslim Brotherhood
Encyclopedia and Global Trends in AI and Automation and the Future of
Competition between Man and Machine: An Analytical Forward-looking Vision.

Hostility to Arab states
The 11th book of the Muslim Brotherhood Encyclopedia, The Concept of the State
According to the Muslim Brotherhood, highlights its hostile stance toward Arab
states since its inception. The group views them as an obstacle to its ascent to
power. It opposed the modern principles upon which these states were built,
considering them incompatible with the group’s unique interpretation of Islam,
which it claimed to embody exclusively.

Exclusion of nonconformists
The 12th book, The Muslim Brotherhood: Rejection of Tolerance and Exclusion of
Nonconformists, examines the Muslim Brotherhood’s stance towards
nonconformists, individuals, and entities. The book reveals the group’s binary view
of the world, categorizing others as allies or adversaries. It ties these relationships
to the Brotherhood’s internal power struggles and self-serving interests.

Global Trends in AI
The third book, Global Trends in AI, explores significant developments in AI and
its impact on various aspects of life, including the economy, society, and
governance. It also offers a comprehensive analysis of technological advancements
in AI, its applications across sectors, the ethical and social challenges it presents,
and its future trajectory.

Automation

The fourth book, Automation and the Future of Competition between Man and
Machine: An Analytical Forward-looking Vision, addresses the growing challenges
faced by the human workforce in the face of widespread automation and AI
applications. The book concludes that while automation presents a significant
challenge to the labor market, it simultaneously creates new opportunities. It
emphasizes the importance of preparing for this shift through skills development,
continuous education, and adopting economic and social policies that support the
workforce.

Prominent pavilion and active presence
The TRENDS’ pavilion at the Indonesia International Book Fair has attracted
numerous visitors, including academic researchers and officials, such as the
ambassadors of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and Turkey. Additionally,
chairpersons of Arab and Indonesian publishers’ associations, authors, publishers,
and students visited the pavilion. All were impressed with and praised TRENDS’ diverse, valuable publications. They also commended TRENDS’ active
international presence and ability to address global developments with rigorous
analytical research.
Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali honored the esteemed guests, including
ambassadors of the UAE and Bahrain to Indonesia, Wedha Startesti Yudha,
Chairperson of the Indonesia International Book Fair Committee, Arys Hilman
Nugraha, Chairman of the Indonesian Publishers Association, and others,
presenting them with TRENDS’ publications and commemorative shields.
Additionally, he awarded TRENDS’ Research Medal to Ni Made Ayu Martini
Indonesian Deputy Minister of Marketing, Tourism and Creative Economy
It is worth noting that during its current Asian research tour, TRENDS announced
the launch of the TRENDS Research Medal, awarded to individuals who make
significant contributions to the development of scientific research and promote collaboration with TRENDS in strengthening a culture of research across various fields.

World

US determined to prevent full-scale war in Middle East, Joe Biden tells UNGA79

US President Joe Biden highlighted the US Administration’s determination to prevent a wider war that engulfs the entire Middle East region, noting that a diplomatic solution “remains the only path to lasting security to allow the residents from both countries to return to their homes on the border safely”.

In remarks he made today before the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79), the US President said, “Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest,” adding that a diplomatic solution is still possible.

He also touched on “the rise of violence against innocent Palestinians on the West Bank”, and the need to “set the conditions for a better future”, which he said featured “a two-state solution, where the world — where Israel enjoys security and peace and full recognition and normalised relations with all its neighbours, where Palestinians live in security, dignity, and self-determination in a state of their own”.

President Biden underscored the ceasefire and hostage deal put forth by Qatar and Egypt, which the UN Security Council endorsed. He said, “Now is the time for the parties to finalise its terms, bring the hostages home,” adding that this would help ease the suffering in Gaza, and end the war.

-WAM