Private Dining Picnic Style: Marina Social.
When a good friend from Doha rang up to say he would be in town and was I available to meet at YNot (at the Intercontinental Marina), I was happy to agree. After all, I’d seen lots of fun events at the venue and had been wanting to check out the property. Unfortunately, due to the post-Friday brunch crowd, the bar was a bit of a disaster and our party decided we’d much rather dine at Marina Social (even higher on my list!). For reasons unknown, we were given one of the two private dining tables (more on that in a bit), overlooking the marina in all its glory (there are better waterfronts in the world, to be sure, but this one was fairly nice — there would be a lot of wow factor for out of town guests). The private dining area is set into two tables and at…
Beverly Hills vibes at Jumeirah Emirates Towers.
Full stop, I have a special relationship with the Jumeirah Emirates Towers. In 2007, we had been in country 11 days, when I got a job in the office towers (42nd floor, no less). From 2008-2009, a friend and I would stop in weekly at the Agency for their ladies night specials. In 2010, I nearly accepted another job in the office towers and in 2013, I finally had the chance to stay in the hotel (excellent, in case you were wondering). In between my trips to this property were (many) visits to Harry Ghattos. Without question, the Emirates Towers are iconic and one of my favorite destinations in the city. Walking through the corridor, I note how the Boulevard has changed (Scarletts to The Ivy, for example) and thus find myself at La Cantine du Faubourg, yet another iteration of the ever-changing roster of restaurants. As a ‘celebrated Parisian institution’…
A Mystical Garden in Jumeirah (no, really).
Living on the ‘other’ side of town, I still somehow often find myself on Al Wasl or Beach Road for appointments at least once a week. Today was no different, so after finishing up, I plugged in One Cafe by Life N’One (which, my apologies to the owners, sounds like a fancy yoghurt) to trusty Dr. Google and six minutes later arrived at my destination. Firstly, if ‘curb appeal’ counts for anything, you will immediately be put off. The cafe/yoga/pilates studio is fronted by a busy parking lot (I chose street parking down the way). Inside, you will know you are in the right place by the number of life-affirming mottos on placards and windchimes. While the immediate steps lead into the studio space (which, should you be interested, offers an extensive list of courses), the back garden has been transformed into a cafe of sorts. For the record, this…
An Ecelctic, Civilized Affair: Intersect by Lexus
The Entertainer has been absolutely crushing it recently! When April’s monthly offers came out and I saw a brunch with Intersect by Lexus, I was excited. Although I put the call out to other friends, in the end, it was just Hubs and myself and we had a blast (seriously, some very good people watching on offer as well as running into a former colleague from 2008). As a concept, the restaurant is one of three in the world (the other properties are in Toyko and New York, respectively). As the website itself lists, the location is “an artisanal eatery offering an authentic and evolving culinary journey with a focus on pure, handcrafted organic cuisine and beverages.” Reservations? Made online (1 day before – oops!!). Ambiance? Located in (where else), DIFC’s Gate Village. As best I can explain, it’s a bit like eating in a funky artist studio. Straight away, unlike some…
Terrific Tresind.
When someone who works for one of the big food websites in the region recommends a restaurant, I take notice… Which is how we ended up at Tresind on Friday. As each member of our group was recovering from, ahem, rather late endeavors the night before, we leafed through the (far too) heavy card stock and requested the chef du cuisine menu (not sure why it wasn’t presented with the other menu). The concept behind many of the dishes is deconstructing or presenting Indian street food in a unique way. And it works. Reservations? Made online. ‘Mr’ Courtney certainly gets around in this city. 🙂 Ambiance? Well… There is definitely room for improvement. Of the places I’ve been, all things aside, Hide and Rang Mahal are probably my favorite venues for straight up seating. In any venue, I like a bit of space from my neighbor. I like a private conversation.…
Molecular Gastronomic Delights as Dubai Gets Farzified!
On an overcast evening in March (what is UP with the weather this spring in Dubai?), a select group of foodies were invited to a gastro molecular tasting at Farzi Cafe. To personally attend to the evening was Mr. Zorawar Kalra, restaurateur and genuine host. Pitched a ‘modern Indian cafe’ with promises of a ‘quirky theatrical experience,’ I was impressed by the attention to detail and artistry. With each dish a work of art (yes, Instagram foodie types — you have a new ‘must visit’ locale) and more unique than the one before, the guests were delighted by the dinner. As Mr. Kalra informed us, Farzi Cafe is the only cafe which serves up molecular gastronomy and believes this type of cuisine can be delivered without the cost of fine dining prices. Standout dishes included: Dynamite prawns and the scallops in peanut sauce (I’m sure they have fancier names, but…
Is Social by Heinz Beck worth the schlep? Mostly no.
The Dubai Restaurant Week 2016 is almost finished and we were able to enjoy 2 exceptional meals. Calling an audible on Wednesday night, I decided for a booking at Social by Heinz Beck on Thursday night. Traffic on the Palm is currently a terrific disaster, so we arrived nearly 45 minutes late for the booking (which they were kind enough to hold for us — we were not the only ones in the situation). I tried to reach the restaurant to advise them, but was not able to get through (also frustrating). Reservations? Made through the ReserveOut function (which was quite easy to use – there were two seatings for the restaurant week tasting meals, 7:30 and 9:30). Ambiance? Very posh. This is the Waldorf, after all. Unfortunately, from the start, I was a bit disappointed at our seating. While not everyone can have the best table, I strongly believe we…
Enjoyable Sundowners: Sun& Dubai
Finally getting settled in Dubai, I took the opportunity this weekend to book a sunset brunch at Sun&. The concept is small bites and unlimited booze, which seemed a good fit for Hubs and I. After all, we’re usually up quite early on the weekends and waiting until 7PM or later to eat is tough for someone like me. We went for drinks after with friends, and when they asked how we enjoyed Sun&, what I thought was a good time actually turned out to be a lot of dishes we didn’t like. All things being equal, I would still go back. I don’t think Sun& is trying to establish itself as an incredible fine dining experience. Reservations? I did e-mail via the website, but received no response. In the end, I called on Wednesday and made the reservation. Ambiance? Chilled out beach vibe. As this restaurant is tucked away…