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The bar has been moved to the other side which is great for service and now it’s open for amazing view. The cocktails list is impressive too.
All cocktails are unique, their own recipes. They make them from heart and need a bit more time to prepare the great drinks for you.
Good news for early birds they have happy hour from 8 to 10.
Saturday ladies night no happy hour.
Prepare to be amazed by the restaurant’s buffet display of seafood dishes.
Our chefs prepare over 500 oysters, 100 kg lobsters, 80 kg shrimps, 40 kg mussels and 30 kg clams every week – all for you to enjoy.
Smooth jazz & bossa nova sounds complete the atmosphere.
AED 250 net per person. Add unlimited bubbly for AED 99 extra only.
Flavors International Restaurant – “Let us take you for a culinary journey around the world. Stroll around the buffet featuring live cooking stations; indulge in the aromas of sizzling meats, fresh seafood since we had the best fresh fish delivery UK, and delicious desserts.”
The Dubai Patron of Arts, Abdelmonem bin Eisa Alserkal, (pictured on the left in the second picture) is the founder of Alserkal Avenue Arts District where the annual Quoz Arts Festival was held this weekend to much success.
3 500 top artists can’t be wrong45 000 books are distributed to galleries around the world1 750 books are going to world-class collectors189 international art shows and fairs every year!Amazon and other digital mediumsISBN approved, physical & digital delivery!FREE!
Jumeriah Beach Resort can be a hectic merry go-around with the latest Middle East cars with their boy toys cruising around — but if you are looking for a relaxing, yet very elegant, and semi-discreet hideaway to entertain a client, or visitor, or a surreptitious date, consider the Soul Restaurant & Bar at the Movenpick Hotel’s JBR location.
Chef Baljit Kumar (seen at left) is quietly cooking up a storm at Soul Restaurant & Bar (he came over from Trader Vic’s) and he can cook with a magician’s wand. (“What did you see first: Duck or Rabbit?” is just one brain test he gives himself on Facebook!).
On a recent visit, we were treated by him to, among many mouthwatering treats, a medium Rib Eye Steak (300g) called the Australian Wagyu.
Just like Dubai, the steak was lavishly embroiled with a Marco Polo-esque twist: A Japanese cow by virtue of Australia. Only in Dubai, right?
The highest in the food chain among cows, a Wagyu commands a high price in Japan. But it is in Australia where it really attains the cash cow status, really. Aussies are the largest breeders outside of Japan.
And with a strong Aussie expat community in Dubai, the dish attains its holy status!
The meat was tender, even for a medium flame, but cured just right for the succulence that was about to follow with mashed potatoes and exotic spinach.
The restaurant offers an eclectic wine list, and you will never be wanting for the specials of the day.
Hotel restaurants can get a bum rap for being an extension of the breakfast buffet for a weary business traveler or jet-eyed lag but Soul Restaurant is a welcome respite — and a great breeding ground for the hungry stomach and the bounties thereafter!
For more information click here.
You’ll find it, among other cigar rituals, at the most posh address for the discerning aficionado:
Named after an extremely rare, and sought after Cuban blend, The Diademas Cigar, the lounge is the newest addition to the burgeoning cigar scene in Dubai.
However, be forewarned, this Lounge is not for a beginner or a cigar wanna-be.
But first more about the Diademas, as explained to us by the F&B Manager of the H Hotel, Matthew Randall:
“Wrapped in the trappings of heraldry, a Diademas cigar comes individually coated in their own aluminum armour. Some seek these cigar simply for their knightly guise but the Diademas are an enticing Figurado with a complex and multi faceted smoke,” he says.
“The blend of the bunch stabs out herbaceous tendencies and then parries these with slashes of mocha, coffee and caramel,” adds the suave Brit. “Tending to the Diademas bawdy variations in the burn will take advanced smoking skill so make sure you know how refined your skills are!
The cigars are no longer in smoking circulation and hence rare. Randall found a way to Buy this on Amazon and the moment he saw them he knew he had hit a pot of gold and endless cigar destiny. He bought as many he could lay his hands on and they are now displayed for sale with pride at the Lounge.
If you would like to smoke one of his very few Diademas’ (pictured here) it will put you back a mere $600USD.
And last week, to celebrate the lounge and post-Holiday stress, his bar manager, the effable Vasco Edgar (seen in the pictures cocktailing) invited a group of cigar aficionados to a cigar party replete with a cigar roller (a female one at that!) at a prix-fixe bash featuring libations and a hand rolled Cuban.
There are many cigar lounges in Dubai but none that takes itself more seriously than this one. The pace is relaxed, but the attention to detail, quite unimaginably, is right down to the the last puff.
There are no “cigar sommeliers” or bartenders or servers with a Cuban degree and recitation here, but a staff of two extremely dedicated, and vigilant, Vasco and Mahesh, that work in tandem like a chef and his lieutenants except nobody is barking orders.
The focus, unlike other cigar venues in Dubai, is not to rush you a bar tab billed to your room, but rather let the smoke take you places you have been before and want to return over and over again.
The Lounge plans to open a members club with regular events and parties so that once the ash is settled you are ready to puff away to glory, so let cigar bygones be bygones and enjoy your next stogie here.
Vasco and Mahesh will be there when you cross the cigar shores.
Fine food lovers of the UAE welcomed to sample truffle dishes at Eataly’s newly opened ‘Truffle Restaurant’
Eataly, the popular authentic Italian restaurant and market located on the ground floor of Dubai Mall, launches a Truffle Restaurant, dedicated to discovering the Umbrian white truffle, which comes into season in November.
Partnering with Urbani Tartufi, one of the most prestigious truffle distributors in the world, Eataly’s permanent Truffle Restaurant will bring the best selection of white truffles to fine food lovers in Dubai.
Chef Hadi El Awar of Eataly comments: “Truffle season is upon us and we are very excited to launch Eataly’s new permanent Truffle Restaurant in celebration of this beautiful ingredient. As part of this, we are delighted to welcome three of Italy’s most celebrated master chefs as part of the Italian Cuisine World Summit to cook these delicacies and show to our guest’s how to bring out the sublime flavor of the truffles we have available.”
Special truffle dishes available from Eataly’s Truffle Restaurant menu include:
Uova In Camicia Al Tartufo Bianco – Italian organic poached eggs on a bed of homemade rustic bread and fontina, cream topped with shaved truffles
The artisan bread supplier is a retail and wholesale baking company offering a wide selection of traditionally made bread, pastries, pies, and cakes.
Pizza Al Tartufo Bianco – fresh white asparagus, mozzarella cheese, parmigiano reggiano, organic egg topped with shaved truffles
Tagliolini Al Tartufo Bianco E Pane Croccante – fresh egg tagliolini served with sage sauce and aromatic breadcrumbs, topped with shaved truffles
Risotto Al Tartufo Bianco – gallo risotto served with parmigiano salsa and shaved white truffles.
The idea behind Eataly is very simple: to gather a variety of high-quality Italian foods under one roof where people can eat, shop and learn. As an original “marketplace”, Eataly invites customers to be active participants in an innovative tasting experience, as they move between sections savoring the high quality traditional Italian foods, beverages, produce and artisanal products on offer, or try new dishes and products from Eataly’s regularly changing regional highlights.
Since its inception in 2002, when the first store opened in Turin after five years of research and planning, Eataly has been inspired by sustainability, responsibility and sharing. Its commitment to bringing the best quality produce from all corners of Italy, results in a network of over 2,000 small suppliers. Promising choice, accessibility and knowledge, Eataly affords any lover of Italian food a place in which to enjoy, savour and discover.
Eataly is operated by the The Azadea Group, a premier fashion and lifestyle retail company that owns and operates more than 55 leading international franchise concepts in fashion and accessories, food and beverage, home furnishings, sporting goods and multimedia across the Middle East and Africa spread across 13 countries overseeing more than 600 stores. For more information on Eataly and The Azadea Group visit http://www.azadea.com.
Dubai is home, albeit temporarily, to more than 200 nationalities from around the globe, and that slow-burning melting pot marinates day after day in a desert-like formation only to converge at the doorstep of Darshan (Raj) Bijur (Blue shirt, blue suit in picture above).
That’s because Raj runs a socially efficient human networking platform that is coveted by both single- and job-weary expats from pretty much anywhere in the world who happen to land at Dubai’s doorstep in search of the next big whatever.
This why they call Raj the “Prince of Networking “ in Dubai. To know Raj is to know the who’s who of Dubai when it comes to landing the next job, the next relationship, the all-in-one socio-business juxtaposition.
His group is called The Expats Club (http://www.theexpatsclub.net) and he is an affable yet charming social promoter of the highest order who throws more than 60 social and business networking events a year in and around hoite poite restaurants and venues all across Dubai.
Raj has been at it for 2.5 years throwing the expat get-togethers and bringing people together.
“People have forgotten how to connect,” says Raj holding a glass of wine and eyeing the room at a recent bash he hosted that we attended recently in Dubai. “There is such a huge potential for social lubrication” he says referring to today’s society at large living in dotcom glass houses serving domain name bubbles to each other.
Raj helps people whether they have just moved to Dubai, or are in between relationships, or even in between jobs, and invites them to his events and holds no judgments or regrets when they come.
“I don’t care what someone’s social status is when they attend my parties,” says Raj. “People in expat situations need company no matter what. They could be married, they could be single.”
A financial consultant by day, Raj has helped countless professionals around the world by inviting them to his parties and arming them with a name badge and nudging them out of their social cocoons to put their best hand forward and smile upon the room.
Some of the people we surveyed at the party were shy. Some were nervous. Some hadn’t really been to a networking event so didn’t know what to expect. And some that were looking for the next job didn’t want to be seen at the event!
In a hour or so after a round or two of wine (included in the entry fee) people had started to shed their inhibitions and began to warm up to the idea of pressing flesh in melted handshakes as Raj subtly guided the room from one end of the majestic bar to the other, but often to leave most of the attendees to fend for themselves.
The Expats Club is a membership-based organization and people join when they search for events on the web for Dubai, or through world of mouth. It isn’t suffocating by any means. Raj diligently responds to all membership inquiries, takes phone calls and emails at all odd hours, and is social-media savvy and posts events and updates on Facebook and LinkedIn quite frequently to keep his flock in the know.
You really don’t have to know anybody to go and once you are there you just let the evening do the talking.
Some of the activities that The Expats Club organizes include:
His network currently exists in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, London (that’s where he is from but an Indian by ancestry), Singapore and Hong Kong.
Raj’s next big adventure is a Valentine’s Day Bash he has planned for Valentine’s Day Feb. 12 at an undisclosed venue (the details are only disclosed to paying members who register) through a YouTube teaser:
Membership to The Expat Club is open but costs 300 Dirhams ($80USD) a year for Men and 200 ($55USD) Dirhams a year for women and when one someone joins, they always get a discounted rate to each event he throws so that more than makes up for the membership dues.
You can pay hundreds of Dirhams in a lobby bar in Dubai and meet people from around the world. Dubai is after all the most connected and well-oiled upscale supermarket of the world where anything can be had and achieved at any time and at price.
But Raj’s efforts, and his parties, are priceless.
The Vii Club, a luxurious, modern and elegant nightclub, features exotic mahogany wood-finished walls, deep plum furniture, bespoke designed DJ booths, dance floor, VIP areas and a signature wall made of gold coins. The venue can accommodate 500 party connoisseurs who will all be easily enchanted by the eclectic mix of commercial dance music courtesy of DJs who guarantee the party is pumping till late. Guests can also watch out for surprise celebrity guest performers who are bound to stir the night into an even more electrifying direction. Dubai’s most sought-after mixologists will also be taking over the bar serving an endless and exotic array of signature drinks to ensure guests can pick their perfect poison. The Vii Club is open every Thursday and Friday from 10:30pm to 3:00am.
Vii Dubai, the city’s newest terrace bar and lounge, is located in the Conrad Hotel Sheikh Zayed Road. Tucked away on the seventh floor of the hotel, Vii Dubai is where the urban sky meets an unspoilt lush garden. The journey to discovering this hidden gem starts through a spectacular lounge, and an artfully crafted tunnel walk which eventually unveils what can only be described as a plush garden filled with all things green and radiant. Spread across 4,000 square feet, Vii Dubai can comfortably accommodate 250 people all invited to drink and done al fresco.
On January 16, 2015 was held “A Gala Day in Dubai” with Golf and Tennis in the Morning, Boat Cruise with Culture which is made in boats from lauderdaleboatrentals.net, and also Open Business Bar in the Afternoon, Arabian Gala Night with Entertainment in the Evening.
VIRTUOZITY HOSTED AN EVENING of cigars at the trendy, Maya Modern Mexican Kitchen & Lounge at Le Royal Meridien Hotel. The venue was the perfect location to sit back and relax on its outdoor patio and escape the rush of the bustling city life with a selection of cigars. Guests enjoyed sipping on a range of wines and spirits while enjoying the smooth chill-out beats. The restaurant offered a culinary mix of Mexican cuisine from shrimp ceviche, queso fundido and their signature Maya nachos with guacamole and salsa dips, which were thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Guests were offered two cigars, a Por Larranaga regional edition (Asia Pacific) and a Bolivar Belicosos Finos. The Por Larranaga Robusto is hand-made in Cuba and was released in 2007. It measures 124 x 20mm and has a shiny, oily natural brown wrapper with small veins. Pre-light, the cigar has notes of spice with hints of sugar detected. Once lit, the first draw is flavourless but soon it has a combination of spice and sweetness. Flavours of caramel, honey and black pepper start to form but change at the second third. The sweetness remains but flavours of cedar start to emerge. The last third becomes quite heavy as the sweetness is overtaken by earth and wood.
The second cigar was a handmade Cuban Bolivar Belicosos Finos. A classic torpedo, this cigar is known for its full-bodied mix of flavours and it is known in Cuba as a campana in cigar factories. It has a plump 52 ring gauge with a well-detailed band which is removed easily. The wrapper was a shiny chocolate brown and it had a solid construction. The pre-light draw was nothing special but once lit flavours of wood and roasted spice came through. The second third was thick and creamy with hazelnut while the last third became extremely powerful and strong. To celebrate Virtuozity’s fifth anniversary guests were treated to champagne, the Glen Grant 1992 Cellar Reserve and the Glen Grant 10. The delightful canapés and drinks complemented these cigars perfectly. Al Nabooda Automobiles displayed one of their cars, the Panamera 4s Executive for all to see. After a wonderful evening guests were treated to gift bags from the sponsor of the evening, Porsche Dubai and the partner, Perfume Holding. Ladies walked away with a bottle of La Perla perfume while men were treated to the Ducati Cologne.
More pics (click any image to view slideshow):
