DHS 10 JANUARY 2011 ISSUE 393

EXCLUSIVE!
JAMIE OLIVER
ARRIVES IN
DUBAI

54 WAYS TO IMPROVE
UAE DHS 10 OMAN RO 1.000

YOUR LIFE IN 2011

Contents
Features
12
Jamie Oliver
Celeb chef and TV star
Jamie chats exclusively
about his new Dubai
restaurant. Pukka

16
Backstreet curries
We’ve scoured Bur
Dubai and beyond for
Dubai’s spiciest secrets

21
New year, new you
Yup, it’s that time of

p12
year again. Make your
resolutions and stick to
them with our essential
guide

p34
JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 3
The round-up
p52
10 55
Salaam Sport and outdoor
Everything you need to Mr Fitness tackles your
know about January, January issues, plus
plus a chat with a we meet a triathlete
National Geographic and show you how to
photographer prepare for the Dubai
marathon
14
Win win win 61
Your chance to win an Music and clubs
extra special night at Musician Jay Wud gets
Zuma, on us. Bubbles chilly, plus which dance
and nibbles included floors you should be
hitting this month
28
Films 65
Heavy hitters from the Travel
silver screen including Swiss bliss in Ascona,
Black Swan, The Green the top travel deals and
Hornet and Simon going on holiday with
Pegg’s latest offering, the founder of Lonely
Paul Planet

31 73
Eating out Hot lists
Exciting Arabic at Who will start the year
Zaroob, the new at the top of the table?
farmers’ market, a
visit to Stay by Yannick 90
Alléno, the latest Backchat
openings and more Catboy kicks off 2011
with an anti-resolution
40 resolution
Art
Behind the scenes at
Shakespeare 4 Kids,
five minutes with Syrian
painter Kais Salman
and the exhibitions you
must see this month

44
Shopping
Our must-have buys
of the month, plus the
sartorially chic Sophia
helps out readers in
need

47
Mind and body
We investigate at-home
spas, visit the capital's
Zayna Spa, check out

p40
the new Talise spa and
find the best beauty
bargains

4 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011

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InterContinental Abu Dhabi . Call 800 423463.

 This month we’ve been...
Editor-in-Chief
Obaid Humaid Al Tayer
Group Editor & Managing Partner
lan Fairservice
Group Senior Editor
Gina Johnson | gina@motivate.ae

Senior Editor
Mark Evans | marke@motivate.ae
Deputy Editor
Helen Spearman | helen@motivate.ae
Features Editor
Gareth Rees | gareth@motivate.ae Cooking with local produce, p36
Chief Sub Editor
Iain Smith | iains@motivate.ae
Senior Designer
Sheila Lyn Carino | sheila@motivate.ae
Editorial Assistant/Picture Researcher
Karen Sequeira | karen@motivate.ae
Picture Researcher - Gulfpics
Wayne Fernandez | wayne@motivate.ae

Contributors
Naveed Ahmed, Victor Besa, James Brennan,
Louise Browne, Vikram Gawde, James Houghton,
Catherine Jarvie, Russell Kempson, Richard Luck,
Conor Purcell, Farooq Salik, Thomas Shambler,
Simon Smedley, Sophia Triantafillou,
Trying spas at
Adam Workman Completing our training, p55 home, p50
Cover
Antoine Corbineau/folioart.co.uk

General Manager
Production and Circulation
S Sasidharan | sasidharan@motivate.ae
Editor’s note
Production Manager
Sudhakar Chandran | sudhakar@motivate.ae OK, I’m going to let you in on a secret – I’m actually writing this
Production Controller
Murali Krishnan | muralik@motivate.ae before the new year.
I know, I’m sorry, I’m spoiling the magazine magic here, and I don’t
General Manager – Group Sales
Anthony Milne | anthony@motivate.ae want to go all Marty McFly on you, but the fact is New Year, New
Senior Advertisement Manager You is still about two and half weeks away for me at this stage. So
Dale Isaac | dale@motivate.ae
Advertisement Manager while I’d dearly love to extol the virtues of a sound mind and body,
Varsha Bhatia | varsha@motivate.ae as Team What’s On have done so beautifully from page 21, Team What’s On’s Editor
General Manager, Abu Dhabi
Joe Marrit | joe@motivate.ae is busy eating Pad Thai and drinking a can of fizzy orange. But don’t let my example
Advertisement Manager, Abu Dhabi bother you – come new year (which, er, is now for you), I’ll be right there with you,
Darryl Wiley | darryl@motivate.ae
sorting both mind and body. We (and I say ‘we’, but I mean ‘the team’ – I’m busy with
Annual Subscription GCC Dhs120 other countries US$70 that Pad Thai, remember?) have come up with the definitive guide to a better 2011
(including Airmail charges)
and, ultimately, a better you. From finances to finding new friends, from getting in
shape to this year’s trendiest travel destinations, we’ve got you covered.
And, come January (for me – we’ve already established that’s now for you), I’ll be
joining you and ditching the Thai food for carrots and all the rest of it. But for now,
keep that a secret.
Head Office: PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE
Tel: +971 4 282 4060, Fax: +971 4 282 4436, Happy New Year, and all the best for 2011.
E-mail: motivate@motivate.ae
Dubai Media City: Office 508, 5th Floor,
Building 8, Dubai, UAE, Enjoy the issue.
Tel: +971 4 390 3550, Fax: +971 4 390 4845
Abu Dhabi: PO Box 43072, UAE,
Tel: +971 2 677 2005, Fax: +971 2 677 0124,
E-mail: editor-wo@motivate.ae
London: Acre House, 11/15 William Road,
London NW1 3ER, UK,
E-mail: motivateuk@motivate.ae

Printed by Emirates Printing Press, Dubai

JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 9

 We're officially part of the Twitterati.

Salaam!
Follow us at WhatsOnDubai for
exclusive updates on nightlife,
restaurants and more around the
UAE. Tweet yourself.

One month, two pages

What’s hot Guess list

Photography competition Rumours doing the rounds
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of in Dubai
Arabian Heritage Books
Motivate Publishing

(that’s us) is launching a
nationwide photography
exhibition. Send in your best
pics illustrating the culture,
heritage and history of the
UAE and, if you win, your
snap will be included in a coffee table
book – plus you’ll receive US$1,000.
Deadline Feb 20.
www.motivatepublishing.com
Eco-fridge
We like to do our bit for the environment,
so we were mighty impressed with this
90%
MARCO PIERRE WHITE
Having flown to London to interview the
purportedly fearsome chef in 2009, we ended
up dining at Frankie’s in Abu Dhabi with the
man (and, oddly, the Queen of England’s
cousin) last time he was out to visit his UAE
restaurants. So we’re looking forward to his
We told you so...
next visit, which we hear could well be in PHARRELL WILLIAMS AND N.E.R.D
February. Oh, we’re good. We broke this one
months ago, and, indeed, hip hop/R&B

little gizmo. The Eco-fridge doesn’t use
electricity; instead, the polystyrene fridge
uses a dry ice compartment to cool
perishables simultaneously saving your
frozen goods and the environment. What
will they think of next?
Carbonic International, Attar Centre,
opposite BurJuman Centre, Bur Dubai,
Dubai, Dhs49
35%
EVERYTHING EVERYTHING
The art rock outfit from England’s Manches-
ter are being hailed as the next big thing in
their home country. Howard from Take That
is a big fan, apparently. We’re pretty tight
with the drummer’s sister, and she tells us the
band is keen to pay us a visit in 2011.
star Pharell and his band N.E.R.D will per-
form in the UAE, at the Gulf Bike Week,
Feb 10 to 12.
MACY GRAY
We heard a rumour about this one early
last year, and sure enough, American R&B
songstress Macy Gray is coming to the
UAE, and will appear at the Dubai Jazz
Festival, Feb 17.

What’s not
Thursdays
According to figures recently released by
Dubai Traffic Police, 135 people died in traffic
accidents in the first ten months of 2010 – 27
of those deaths occurred on Thursdays. The
total number of deaths declined by 30.4 per
cent, though, so it’s not all bad news. Just be
careful next Thursday.
Temperature complaints
It’s not cold. It’s still 20-odd degrees. The sun
is shining. Half of Europe is buried under
snow, with minus temperatures – that’s cold.
ISTOCK
This month we’re going to…
DUBAI SHOPPING FESTIVAL
Christmas is over and you’re suffering from
the January blues. What better way to cheer
yourself up than bagging some bargains
at the Dubai Shopping Festival? A few tips.
Make sure you save some money (we always
forget DSF and spend all our money early in
the month), shop strategically and go early –
on the first day, if possible. Happy shopping.
Jan 20 to Feb 20, Dubai. www.

Quit your moaning. dubaishoppingfestival.com

10 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011


Five Questions… Ira Block
American photographer Ira
Block has been shooting
for National Geographic for
40 years, travelling across
the globe. This month he
is heading up the two
day Click and Stay digital
photography workshop at
Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort
in Abu Dhabi
What can people expect from the
workshop?
It’s very hands on, a lot of shooting. Last
year’s workshop was mostly wildlife
because we were out at a game reserve,
but this year we’re in the desert so I’m
expecting desert scenes and there’s a lot
of architecture around, too. I will guide the
students totally. When we reach the area we
will shoot together, a few of them will see
things and wander off on their own, but I’m
always around for questions and to show
them different techniques to improve their
photos.
Do you host these workshops often?
I’m still active shooting for National
Geographic and right now I’m in the middle
of a couple of stories for them. I have
something coming up this month, actually,
a local US story about an ancient Native
American group in the States.
You spend the rest of the year travelling?
I used to be on the road seven or eight
months a year, but now it’s six months.
People always ask me where I’ve been and
I say it’s easier to ask me where I haven’t
BLUES IN THE PARK
You wait months for some live music and an
entire blues collective comes along at once.
Going back to the Crossroads – Deitra Farr,
Angela Brown, Imelda May, Jimmy Thomas,
Micahel Roach, George 'Jackie' Lee, Bobby
Parker, Johnny Mars, Danny McCormack
and Paul Corry – are set to perform at Wafi
Rooftop. And you get Cajun food included.
Feb 1, Wafi, Rooftop Gardens, Oud Metha,
from 8pm, Dhs145. Tel: (04) 3244100
been. As far as the major places go, I’ve been
everywhere in the world apart from India.
That’s one people always expect me to have
been to, but I just haven’t been there for
whatever reason.
You must have done a lot of memorable
shoots?
My last shoot is usually the most
memorable, because it’s fresh, but every
shoot has its own great interest to it. In the
last few years I’ve been working a lot in Asia
and South America. I like those continenets
because the cultures are really different to
say, Europe, where I used to work a lot. The
culture and tradition is visually different
from Western cultures.
And the UAE?
Last year was my first trip to the UAE, but
otherwise I’ve been to Egypt, Lebanon and
Syria. I’m looking forward to it.
Jan 20 to 22, Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort, Abu
Dhabi, Dhs6,172 (including two nights, meals
and drinks). Tel: (02) 8862088. www.irablock.
com
IRISH COMEDYFEST
Who doesn’t like a laugh? We’re going to find
one at McGettigan’s Irish Pub where the Irish
Comedyfest will welcome PJ Gallagher, Jason
Byrne, Dermot Whelan and Paddy Courtney.
Man with a spade on his head? Doug. Man
without a spade on his head? Douglas. Thank
you very much. We’re here all week.
Jan 6 to 9, McGettigan’s Irish Pub, Bonnington
Towers Hotel, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai,
9.30pm to 12.30am, Dhs350. Tel: (04) 3560600
FOUR QUIZZES
TO TRY
Four nights to test your
general knowledge
THE BOSTON BAR
Make your way to the pre-8pm happy
hour to make the most of the knockdown
prices, but make sure your brain is still
functioning for the quiz. It’s pretty hard,
but there are some decent cash prizes
on offer. The Boston Bar does some
surprisingly good pub grub, too. We
enjoy the burgers and the fish 'n' chips.
Jumeirah Rotana Hotel, Al Diyafah Street,
Dubai, 8pm to 11pm, free. Tel: (04)
3455888. www.rotana.com
FIBBER MAGEE’S
We’ve participated in the Easy Tiger
Tuesday quiz on a couple of occasions,
but we’ve never managed to win it. Prizes
include drinks and meal vouchers and
you’re always guaranteed a good time at
one of our favourite Irish pubs.
Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, Tue from 8pm, free.
Tel: (04) 3322400. www.fibbersdubai.com
THE UNDERGROUND PUB
Pub manager David hosts The
Underground quiz and it’s always a good
night. Be warned, the maximum team
size is four, so ditch your thick mates for
the evening and take along the clever
clogs. If more than ten teams turn up,
first prize is Dhs300, second is Dhs200
and third is Dhs100. Fewer than ten and
its two drinks for each member of the
winning team.
Habtoor Grand Resort & Spa, Dubai, Mon
from 9pm, free. Tel: (04) 3995000. www.
grandjumeirah.habtoorhotels.com
LAKE VIEW
The Lake View IQ quiz is going to set you
back Dhs159 to enter, but before you start
guffawing about spending that amount
of money just to answer some questions,
know that you get unlimited chicken, ribs,
wine and Foster’s beer for your cash. Yeah,
now you’re interested, aren’t you? The
prizes aren’t all that, mind.
Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Deira,
Dubai, Wed 8pm to 11pm, Dhs159. Tel: (04)
2956000
Find us at
www.facebook.com/WhatsOnDubai
JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 11
 DUBAI’S
THE
PLACE!
Since making his name as
the cheeky solo star of TV
cooking show The Naked
Chef, celebrity chef Jamie
Oliver has become a bona
fide international star. In the
past few years he’s auctioned
off his famous scooter, be-
come a social campaigner
and blubbed live on TV. And
now he’s finally set to open a
restaurant in Dubai
We like to grill any passing culinary
superstars who happen to open a restaurant
here in the UAE, and it’s fair to say we’ve met
a few famous chefs in our time.
We’ve flown to London to meet Marco
Pierre White, who turned out to be a real
character unafraid to speak his mind, sure,
but nevertheless, a true gent. We’ve tangled
with philosophical French master Pierre
Gagnaire, the modest and soft-spoken Indian
wunderkind Vineet Bhatia, Italian family
man Giorgio Locatelli, Mr Food Gary Rhodes
and, most recently, the troubled but confident
celeb chef Gordon Ramsay.
But there was one name missing from our
celeb chef hit list. One illustrious, but elusive
chef who we had never managed to pin
GETTY
down… until now. Jamie Oliver.
12 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011
Set to open his first UAE restaurant in Dubai
this month, the 300-seater Festival City
branch of his popular Jamie’s Italian chain,
Jamie Oliver has been the missing ingredient
in our UAE celeb chef salad. But why has
it taken the crusading Essex lad so long to
arrive?
“It’s just been a case of waiting for the
right time,” Oliver tells What’s On. “I
wanted to make sure Jamie’s Italian was well
established in the UK before going overseas,
and I have to say the British people have
really taken it into their hearts – there are
still queues outside some of the restaurants
two years after we opened.”
So what does he think of all the other big
names in Dubai?
“Giorgio’s a great guy – always friendly,
always supportive of The Jamie Oliver
Foundation and he’s a great, great chef,”
replies Oliver sincerely. “Gary, I’ve not seen
around for a while, but he’s a good guy.
And Gordon and Marco… Well, Gordon
and Marco just seem to spend a lot of time
slagging me off for some reason…”
It’s not surprising that Gordon and
Marco’s alleged put-downs perplex Oliver.
The amiable chef comes across as a genuine
guy, and negativity doesn’t seem to be his
forte – an attitude that’s served him well in a
career that’s spanned two decades.
Oliver’s cookery adventure began in
the kitchen of his parents’ Essex pub, The
Cricketers. Then, at 16, keen and cocky,
the youngster went to work for Italian chef
Gennaro Contaldo at London’s Neal Street
WHAT
EXCLU’S ON
SIVE
Restaurant before moving to The River Café,
where his likeable manner was spotted by
bosses at the BBC who hastily signed him
up for his own TV show, The Naked Chef, in
1999.
Since then the chef ’s career has blossomed
at a stellar rate. In 2002 he set up Fifteen in
London, where he trained 15 disadvantaged
youngsters to work in the kitchen (televised,
naturally) – now there are branches of the
restaurant in Cornwall, Amsterdam and
Melbourne. Then, six years after he had left
the kitchen at The River Café came Jamie’s
School Dinners, the 2005 TV show that
heralded the beginning of Oliver’s campaign
for healthier school meals in the UK. It’s a
big leap from successful television chef to a
social campaigner, we ventured?
“I’d recently become a father and that
really focuses you on what kids are eating,”
he insists. “Once I’d done a bit of digging
into what kids were eating at school, I knew
I could do better and so that’s how it all
began.”
Five years on and Oliver is still scathing
when it comes to parents who feed their
children a diet of what he regards as
“rubbish”.
“I believe it’s a form of child abuse,” he
declares. “I’ve said this before, but it does
anger me. If you feed your kids sweets and
chips and takeaways every day then you’re
doing them no end of harm.”
Should proof be needed that he’s the
chef that cares, Oliver supplied it by the
handkerchief full, bursting into tears on his

“I’D MUCH RATHER BE DOING THE
CAMPAIGNS AND WRITING THE BOOKS
THAT I PUT MY HEART AND SOUL INTO
AND DOING WONDERFUL FOOD AT
JAMIE’S ITALIAN, WHICH WILL NEVER
GET A MICHELIN STAR”
US TV show Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution
because the tubby citizens of Huntington,
West Virginia didn’t take kindly to him or
his urges to eat healthier food.
“The whole crying thing comes up a lot,”
he sighs, resignedly. “It’s as if no one watched
the rest of the series – just the scene with
the crying. That was very early on, and I
was getting grief all the time. I was missing
home and it all just got on top of me. But if
you watch the rest of the series, it gets better,
people’s opinions change, the kids and parents
are amazingly supportive and by the last show
the town’s moving in the right direction.”
But that wasn’t Oliver’s first success.
As a result of an earlier campaign for
healthier school meals in the UK, the
British government made a pledge to tackle
the issue. So while it’s tempting to take a
sceptical view and question whether the
chef ’s motives are entirely pure – and many
have – his obvious and ongoing passion
makes it seem unlikely that he simply started
the campaign to prolong his time in the
limelight.
It is perhaps harder to understand why an
obviously talented chef didn’t wait to make
a name for himself in the kitchen, like Gary
and Gordon, before jumping in front of
the TV cameras. After all, surely TV glory
meant losing the race for culinary glory,
including the chance of the much-coveted
Michelin stars?
“I never regret that for a minute,” he
shoots back in an instant. “I’d much rather
be doing the campaigns and writing the
books that I put my heart and soul into and
doing wonderful food at Jamie’s Italian,
JAMIE OLIVER
DICTIONARY
OF
OLIVERISMS
Phrases the chef has
made his own
PUKKA
From the Hindi word meaning genuine or
perfectly done. Used during Oliver’s The
Naked Chef at least 100 times an episode,
but later replaced with delish, which
means something entirely different.
LOVELY JUBBLY
Stolen from David Jason’s dodgy dealer
Del Boy from 1980s British comedy TV
show Only Fools And Horses. Oliver also
purloined cushty from Del Boy.
WHACK IT IN
THE OVEN
Meaning put that item in the oven in
an enthusiastic manner and be quick
about it.
DELISH
Those edibles look delicious and are
causing me to salivate and lick my lips.
GO ON, MY SON
Meaning keep doing what you’re doing
in exactly the manner you are currently
doing it in. This doesn’t have to be
directed at your male progeny, though
we are sure Oliver says it to little Buddy
Bear Maurice Oliver on a daily basis.
which will never get a Michelin star.”
Maybe not, but at just 35 Oliver seems to
be doing OK without one, and his love of
Italian food, and the fact that the his mentor
Gennaro Contaldo has had a hand in the
menu, should ensure that Jamie’s Italian is as
big a hit in Dubai as it has been in the UK.
“As with everything I do, I’m all over
it – menus, design, everything down to
the cutlery,” he promises. “What to order?
Anything you like, although you must try
the anti misti planks and I know the fresh,
locally caught fish cooked in the wood-fired
oven is going to be incredible.”
Come the end of the month, ladies and
gentleman, you can find out for yourself –
finally.
Jan 26, Jamie’s Italian, Festival Centre, Dubai
Festival City, Dubai. www.jamieoliver.com/italian
JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 13
 Win with What’s On

WIN! AN EVENING AT
ZUMA WITH WHAT’S ON
We’re kicking off our new Saturday Sessions afternoon at Zuma
and want you to be there. Starting on January 29, What’s On’s
favourite Japanese restaurant will be hosting us every month
for a winning mix of jazzy, loungey beats and their award-
winning setting from 4pm to 7pm. There’s a table waiting with
champagne and canapés for you and three pals and for your
chance to win, simply answer the following question correctly…
Zuma won what accolade at the 2010 What’s On awards?
a) Favourite American pie
b) Favourite Japanese restaurant
c) Favourite Scotch egg

ON
CLICHKMOTIVATE.CDOS
M
IT A
.WINW ND LO
WWW TER THIS A ITIONS
TO EN PET
COM
MORE

14 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011

Fancy a curry? We ventured into the nooks and crannies
of Karama, Bur Dubai, Oud Metha and Deira to unearth
14 pocket rockets, all serving cracking authentic Indian
cuisine at bargain prices
Little Hut
LITTLE HUT
Specialising in Mughlai dishes and
influenced by the cuisine of the Mughal
Empire, this cosy, no frills restaurant is a
hidden gem. We love their tangy hot 'n' sour
chicken soup, but you won’t go wrong with
the lightly spiced Tawa mutton in a rich gravy
or the impressive mix sizzler platter. Round
your meal off with a milky and refreshing
Kulfi ice cream.
Best dish: mix sizzler platter
Bill for two: Dhs135
Al Karama, next to Family Supermarket, Dubai,
noon to 1am. Tel: (04) 3379993
DELHI DARBAR
The comfortable Karama branch of this
popular chain specialises in Mughlai cuisine,
but there are also a few Chinese dishes
on the menu. As you do. Regardless, the
expertly marinated chicken malai kebab
melts between your teeth and the soft, fluffy
roomal roti is a delight.
Best dish: roomal roti
Bill for two: Dhs100
Zabeel Road, near Karama Post Office, Karama,
11.30am to 11.30pm. Tel: (04) 3347171
16 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011
ISTOCK
MIRCHI (DINE & DANCE)
Popular with Bollywood actors and a
sponsor of Bollywood movies such as
Rajneeti and I Hate Love Stories, Mirchi’s walls
are strewn with images of celebs. Desi music
is pumped out seven days a week and the
restaurant boasts themed evenings and a
dance floor. If that wasn’t enough, they also
do great food, too. Mini barbecue pits are
available for your table and the chapattis are
just brilliant – try them with a knob of butter.
Best dish: chappatis (pulkhas)
Bill for two: buffet Dhs79
Ramee Royal Hotel, opposite Al Maktoum
Bridge, near Splash, Dubai, 7.30pm to 11.30pm.
Tel: (04) 3344088
Kamat
KAMAT
This family diner proudly declares itself "not
just another vegetarian restaurant", and we
agree. Served on a piece of capsicum, their
paneer tikka masala is deliciously moist and
tangy, the spinach-based biryani, unusually
green in colour, packs a real punch and
the rasmalai, payasam and gajjar halwa are
outstanding desserts. Clean, bright and no
nonsense, plus there’s plenty of parking
space, which is always a cheeky bonus in
Bur Dubai.
Best dish: paneer tikka masala
Bill for two: Dhs60
Al Mankool Rd, Bur Dubai, Sat to Thurs
10.30am to 3,15pm and 7pm to 11.45pm, Fri
Delhi Darbar 10.30am to 11.30am, 1.30pm to 2.30pm and
7pm to 11.45pm. Tel: (04) 3595441

Gazebo
MEZBAAN
On the outskirts of Karama, Mezbaan offers
an assortment of Indian and Chinese dishes,
but specialises in Hyderabadi cuisine. Go for
the mixed tandoori platter, which is exactly
what it says on the tin: moist chicken tikka
kebab, mutton sheek kebab, resmi kebab,
tandoori chicken with green chutney, biryani
rice, bhagarey baigan and a soft rumali roti.
After that lot, don’t expect to have room for
anything else.
Best dish: mixed tandoori platter
Bill for two: Dhs80
Al Musallah Road, Karama, Dubai, noon to
midnight. Tel: (04) 3517863
GAZEBO
The words 'extensive menu' seem to have
been created just for Gazebo, which boasts
a huge menu. Always busy, there’s a real
buzz about the place, with staff on hand to
help you work your way through that menu,
which includes a huge choice of superb
dishes from Lucknow and Hyderabad. The
murg chettinadu in a spicy masala is pretty
fiery if you like things hot, but don’t miss the
dum pukh biryani, which is cooked slowly
over a fire and served in an earthenware pot.
Best dish: dum pukh biryani
Bill for two: Dhs100
Al Mankool, Bur Dubai, noon to 3pm and 7pm
to 11.45pm. Tel: (04) 3598555
BACKSTREET CURRIES
array of vegetarian dishes at Rangoli. Aside
from the South Indian delicacies, you must try
the chaat and the sweet and spicy best-selling
pani puri. The popular buffet is just Dhs15.
Best dish: pani puri
Bill for two: buffet Dhs15
Cosmos Lane, opposite ITL Building, Meena
Bazaar, Bur Dubai, 8.30am to 11.30pm. Tel: (04)
3515873
VENUS VEGETARIAN
RESTAURANT
High quality vegetarian food at budget
prices is a formula that guarantees Venus
is always crowded, with long queues on
Fridays and Saturdays. The crisp paper dosa
is complemented nicely by sambar and
several chutneys, a cauliflower-based dish
of dry gobi Manchurian is truly magnificent
and the creamy Venus special curry is perfect
with a butter naan.
Best dish: dry gobi Manchurian
Bill for two: Dhs50 a la carte
Opposite Dubai Central Laboratory, Karama,
Dubai, 7am to 11.30pm. Tel: (04) 3352113
AKBAR’S
Just three minutes from Al Rigga metro station,
Akbar’s serves a mean mixed kebab platter
and a flavoursome dum mutton biryani, but
the chicken kurchan is the star, displaying the
best traits of Indian home cooking. The menu
is dominated by North Indian dishes, but there
are also Chinese offerings and, somewhat
brilliantly, a chat counter.
Best dish: chicken kurchan
Bill for two: Dhs100
Rigga Road, Deira, Dubai, noon to midnight.
Tel: (04) 2288789
BOMBAY CHOWPATTY
It may be in a mall food court, but serving
cuisine from both North and South India,
including street food, mains, juices and
sweets, means Bombay Chowpatty is no run Bombay Chowpatty
of the mill junk food stall. Kalli mirch chicken
and chicken Manchurian with paratha are
the people’s favourites, but it was the chicken
tikka roll that reminded us of Mumbai.
Best dish: chicken tikka roll
Bill for two: Dhs60
Lamcy Plaza, Karama, Dubai, 10.30am to
midnight. Tel: (04) 3349489
RANGOLI
Starting off with the cheese masala dosa
before hitting the buffet is a good idea to stir Rangoli
up a massive appetite in preparation for the
JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 17
BACKSTREET CURRIES

VIVA GOA
Viva Goa is one of those venues that’s in
such an odd location, it’s a surprise anyone
can find it. That anyone does is down to its
reputation as a lively, sometimes boisterous,
venue that feels half underground club, half
backstreet diner. Colourful murals grace
the walls, while attentive staff serve a wide
variety of Goan dishes – including delicious
Goan sausages marinated in spices, tomato,
onion and green chilli, prawn curry and chilli
fried squid. Resident duo Conny and Vinny
keep diners entertained with a repertoire
of Goan and Mandos songs, courtesy of a
sound system that would do itself justice in
any nightclub.
Best dish: Goan sausages
Bill for two: Dhs150 and Dhs250
Al Nasr Leisureland, Oud Metha, Dubai, from
7pm until late. Tel: (04) 3371234

LUCKY
Parking’s a major issue here, so Lucky mainly
focuses on deliveries and takeaway, but
if you can bag one of the restaurant’s five
tables, eating in is possible. Lucky’s forte is
Mughlai cuisine, but they also offer Chinese,
albeit altered for the Indian palate. Their
biryani is the most stand-out dish and can
be traced to Lucky’s main Mumbai branch,
Bandra, opened, we’re reliably informed,
in 1938.
Best dish: biryani
Bill for two: Dhs85
Al Fahidi Street, opposite Mussalla Post Office,
Meena Bazaar, Bur Dubai, noon to 4pm and Viva Goa
7pm to 10.30pm. Tel: (04) 3534563

THE BOMBAY
As well as the vast meat and seafood
offerings, The Bombay offers plenty of
choice for vegetarians and even has a Jain
section. The Omani lobster with saffron is
an indulgent treat, but the pulao rice with
fruits and nuts is an unexpected star – laced
with not just the expected dried fruits and
nuts, but also finely-chopped fresh kiwi
fruit, strawberries and grapes. The décor is
a strange mix of old and new, but there are
some beautiful old photographs of Bombay,
with live music in the evening and classic
Bollywood hits playing throughout the day.
Best dish: pulao rice
Bill for two: Dhs300
Marco Polo Hotel, Deira, Dubai, 12.30pm to
3pm and 7.30pm to 2am. Tel: (04) 2720000
PARATHA KING
The paratha is the epitome of cheap and
cheerful Indian food, and none more so than
those served by Paratha King in Karama.
The Bombay Although the restaurant offers only the
basic requirements necessary for eating (it is
Paratha King
primarily for takeaways), the purely vegetarian
fare is a treat for any fan of budget Indian
cuisine. Flat bread stuffed with a wide variety
of fillings (potato, cauliflower, onion, spinach,
cheese, green peas etc), offer a mouth-
watering choice, but the paneer tikka paratha
is an instant hit, with the distinct Indian cheese
mixing beautifully with various spices. If you
opt for a meal deal – costing a mere Dhs16 –
your parathas can be accompanied by dal, raita
or chick pea curry.
Best dish: paneer tikka paratha
Bill for two: Dhs32
Karama, Dubai, 10am to 3pm and 6pm
to11pm. Tel: (04) 3979110

18 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011

 Mamma Mia!
Filini, contemporary Italian bar and restaurant
serves authentic Italian food. Smart and modern
setting, an open-terrace and friendly service.
Italian Chef Thomas Marchi blends exceptional
ingredients with traditional cooking methods
to conjure an almost 100% Italian experience!

You’ll find Filini at the

Radisson Blu Hotel, Abu Dhabi Yas Island
Yas Plaza, Yas Island, P.O. Box 93725, Abu Dhabi, UAE
info.abudhabi@radissonblu.com
Tel: +971 2 656 2000
radissonblu.com/hotel-abudhabi
NEW YEAR,
NEW YOU
Time to cast off the shackles of 2010 and start afresh.
Whatever your resolution, we’ll keep you on track with
some expert advice

Travel more
If you’re looking for adventure in
2011, Open Skies editor Conor
Purcell says you should buy your
ticket, pack your bags and take
off to one of these alternative

ILLUSTRATIONS: LINDA COULTER

destinations

The real voyage of

discovery consists not in
seeking new landscapes,
but in having new
eyes. That was Marcel
THE EXPERT Proust, who was right,
Open Skies’
Conor Purcell
up to a point. There are,
however, landscapes so
breathtakingly beautiful that your current
eyes will do just fine. Happily, many of these
places are within a few hours flight of the
UAE, so you have no excuse not to begin your
own voyage of discovery.
DJIBOUTI
Africa’s North East coast is spectacular –
pristine beaches, world-class diving and
amazing food. Tourists are thin on the
ground so prices are cheap and you can
enjoy the sights in peace. Chief among
these is the awesome Lake Assal, the lowest
point in Africa and a bright white salt flat
ringed by black volcanic rock. Close by
is Lake Ghoubert, home to the youngest
volcano in the world, near rock so hot you
can boil water on it. This is Africa’s Ground
Zero, jagged, raw and thrilling.
Flydubai flies to Djibouti from Dhs2,200
SEOUL
Less hectic than Tokyo and cooler than
Beijing, the South Korean capital is about as
good as an Asian megalopolis gets. Its recent
embrace of design (everything from bus stops
to office buildings are being created with
aesthetics in mind) has tied into a burgeoning
arts and culture scene. Add an amazing array
of food, great hiking, wonderful temples,
reasonable prices and a world-class transport
system and Seoul should be on everyone’s
Asian ‘to-do list’.
Emirates flies to Seoul daily from Dhs4,500
THE PANJSHIR
VALLEY
Yes, it’s in Afghanistan and yes, it’s safe – not
to mention beautiful. The Panjshir rises
from the Shomali Plain and continues more
than 100km north before morphing into the
Hindu Kush. The valley offers white water
rafting, swimming and trekking along its
banks. The locals are welcoming and there
are one or two restaurants by the water’s edge
where you can gorge on mutton and naan
alongside ageing Mujahideen fighters.
Flydubai flies to Kabul daily from Dhs650. From
Kabul book a driver and a guide through Afghan
Logistics for the three-hour drive north to
Panshir. www.afghanlogisticstours.com
ALEPPO
Forget Beirut, Aleppo in Syria has faded charm
in spades, without the tacky renovation that
has seen central Beirut turn into an outdoor
shopping mall. Aleppo has always been an
important trading stop, attracting everyone
from Theodore Roosevelt and Kemal Ataturk
to Agatha Christie and T.E. Lawrence. They
all stayed at Hotel Baron, now slightly shabby
but still full of character. Many of Aleppo’s
souqs are covered and a Friday morning stroll
through the deserted tunnels, the smell of
fresh bread in the air, is a magical experience.
Flydubai flies to Aleppo from Dhs900

JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 21

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU

Take up a
challenge
Three ways to challenge yourself in 2011

SURVIVOR SEVEN EMIRATES WADI BIH RUN

CHALLENGE
We’ve already completed the Survivor
Challenge and we’ve just signed up to
do it again. That’s how good it is. For
three months, three times a week former
ice skating champ Alena Pask directed
her early morning shout at us, emitting
such motivational gems as "milk is for
babies!" and "the weights aren’t heavy,
you guys are!". And it worked. We lost 5kg
and would have lost more if we weren’t
so slack. The sessions combine boxing,
kickboxing, strength training and circuits
with prizes throughout the programme
and a nutritional regime, essential gear
and regular weigh-ins are included.
KO Gym, Dream Tower, Dubai Marina, Dubai,
Sun, Tue and Thurs 6am, ladies only 8am,
Dhs2,300. Tel: (050) 2861673.
www.kopromotions-dubai.com
CYCLE
Why travel abroad to challenge yourself?
Climbing Kilimanjaro is so 2010 (in fact we
ran a feature on it). Sign up to the Gulf For
Good cycle challenge and you will be able
to raise money for charity, see the whole
of the UAE from the saddle and meet a
rather challenging challenge. You have to
be in pretty good shape to go the distance
from Al Ain across endless tarmac, bumpy
mountain tracks and desolate desert
paths to Dubai, but you have plenty of
time to turn yourself into the next Lance
Armstrong and G4G will provide you with
a training schedule, equipment advice and
fund-raising ideas.
Nov 27 to Dec 2, Gulf For Good, Dhs2,200,
minimum sponsorship Dhs12,000. Tel: (04)
3680222. www.gulf4good.org
Although various members of the
What’s On team are going to be
running both the Dubai Marathon
and the RAK Half Marathon in the
first two months of 2011 (some are
running both), we’re still tempted by
the Wadi Bih run. We’re just that keen.
But what fool wouldn’t want to camp
on the beach at Dibba before waking
extremely early and running up Wadi
Khab Shamsi. Sign up with a team of
five and run about 15km each or, if
you’re stark raving bonkers, run the full
72km on your own. Registration closes
January 25.
Feb 11, Golden Tulip Hotel, Dibba, from 4am,
Dhs150. www.wadibih.com

Meet new people

In a town more transient than Heathrow
airport, your social group will inevitably
swell and wane; some weeks are a festival
of fun, while others are barren of banter.
If you’re going through something of a
friendship dry spell, or are just a bit sick
of your mates, then take some action with
our pick of the UAE’s best social groups

DUPLAYS
Meet fellow sporty sorts at DUPLAYS, which
organises leagues for everything from
bowling to ultimate Frisbee.
www.duplays.com
Dubai Indie Film Group) to the downright events, this is a good one if you’re new in
WWW.MEETUP.COM bizarre (see The Carpet Appreciation Meet town. The forums are friendly and you can
Wowsers. Organised by city, this Up Group – sorry lads). join (very) special interest groups, such
mammoth website allows you to set up www.meetup.com as Social Fire Circles, which meets up to
and join groups, as well as contribute to practice playing with fire. Other groups just
a calendar for your city. The topics are WWW.SOCIALCIRCLESUAE.COM like to go out for a nice dinner.
diverse, ranging from the cultural (such as With over 5,000 member and plenty of www.socialcirclesuae.com

22 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011

 NEW YEAR, NEW YOU

Give up smoking
Our resident social smoker THE VERDICT
braves hypnotherapy in an I was keen, both to try something I hadn’t
tried before and, of course, to quit the
attempt to kick the ciggies ciggies, but I have to admit I was nervous the
morning before my session. I didn’t like the
Put your hand up idea of losing control. But let me bust one
(the one without myth right from the off – hypnotherapy will
the cigarette in not leave you in a zombie state in thrall to
it) if you enjoy a your therapist. And you will not be made to
crafty smoke or 20 bark like a dog. If I was, I could have said no.
on a night out or “It’s like that state you’re in in the morning,
after dinner and when you’re not asleep but you’re not quite
a few glasses of awake,” explained Eileen during our pre-
something pleasant treatment chat. It was, indeed, just like that.
from Argentina. I was asked why I wanted to give up social
GAR E T H I’m imagining smoking and how much on a scale of one to THREE OTHER WAYS
R E ES hundreds of digits
reaching for the
ten. Then Eileen explained the purpose of the
hypnotherapy and how it would rid me of my
TO RID YOURSELF
clear blue desert skies little problem. OF THAT FILTHY
right now, and one of them is mine. To put it simply, the reason I was a social HABIT
I’ve been promising to quit ‘social smoking’ smoker is that I associated smoking cigarettes
for some time. Probably about three years. with having a good time and feeling relaxed,
I’ve tried will power, but when it comes to because when I smoked I was with friends NICOTINE GUM AND PATCHES
this little problem it seems my will is not that and in a positive state of mind. The purpose If you’re going to use the force to quit,
powerful. Now it’s time to take drastic action. of the hypnotherapy was to break that it’s best to have a trusty lightsaber
I’m running a marathon this month. connection – to condition my subconscious on hand to help you beat your Darth
So, despite my fear of being made to mind not to associate smoking with having a Vader. For the quitter, nicotine gum
quack like a duck or something worse, good time, but rather see it as the disgusting and patches are your versions of Luke
I called up Synergy Medical Centre’s habit it truly is. Skywalker’s mighty whooshing weapon.
personal development trainer and certified Next time I go out for a drink with my Super-Care Pharmacy, Dubai Mall, gum Dhs15,
hypnotherapist Eileen Meehan and asked for friends, I simply won’t want to smoke, patches Dhs76. Tel: (04) 4341687.
an appointment. according to Eileen. www.thedubaimall.com
There are various professionals at Synergy So what exactly went down in that small
that can help with this particular problem. room at the Synergy Medical Centre? CHAMPIX
Martine Nates, for example, employs Well, after our initial conversation, I sat in This non-nicotine tablet is the trendy
acupuncture techniques to help you quit and a reclining chair (all a little bit Freud, but of quitter’s method of choice at the moment.
Dr Parviz Rashvand a computer programme course it would be), put my feet up and closed The hipster’s method reduces cravings
called QXCI to reduce cravings, which may my eyes while I was covered with a blanket and makes the whole process a lot more
well appeal to the more scientifically minded. to protect me from the A/C. You have to feel comfortable, apparently.
But I’ve always fancied being hypnotised so I completely comfortable. Super-Care Pharmacy, Dubai Mall, Dhs198. Tel:
went for that. First I was asked to imagine a ball of energy (04) 4341687.
First things first, though. This is not magic. travelling through me and relaxing my whole www.thedubaimall.com
You have to be prepared to work with your body, from head to toe. Then came the time
therapist to achieve the result you’re hoping line therapy. Essentially travelling back into ACUPUNCTURE
for. your past and telling your younger self not Dubai Herbal And Treatment Centre
“The most important thing is that you do to take up smoking, then into the future to provides a consultation with a doctor
want to quit as we can’t influence anyone see yourself in a situation where you would (Dhs300) and tailor acupuncture sessions to
to do anything that they don’t want to do,” usually smoke, not smoking. help you quit smoking. One session will set
warned Meehan. I don’t want to give the whole game away, you back Dhs200 or you can wage a full on
The good news is that if you do really want because it’s quite an individual experience. assault on your habit with a package of five
to give up smoking, it should take just one or But you should ‘wake up’ full of energy and sessions for Dhs750.
two sessions to do the job. in a positive frame of mind. Did it work? So Dubai Herbal And Treatment Centre, Dubai,
I confirmed that I did indeed want to quit far so good; I’ve been smoke-free ever since. Dhs500 to Dhs1,050. Tel: (04) 3351200.
and went off to write a list of reasons why Synergy Medical Centre, Al Wasl Road, Dubai, Dhs500. www.dubaihtc.com
before our session. Tel: (04) 3485452. www.synergyctrdubai.com

JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 23

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU

Sort your finances

We spoke to an expert at
INVEST YOUR INVEST IN
Mashreq bank for a five-step SAVINGS PROPERTY
programme to staying in Martin De Waal, head Before you start
control of your finances of investment advisory
at Emirates NBD Asset
searching for the
perfect investment
Management, answers property check out
a few FAQs about these price comparisons

1 LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS,

PLAN METICULOUSLY AND
PRIORITISE PURCHASES
investing your hard
earned cash

What’s the minimum

One-bedroom
apartment
Dubai Marina
Your living standards should be defined by amount we need to September 2010
your income; it’s as simple as that. Grab a start investing? Dhs1,137,105
For monthly December 2010
notebook, scribble down your income and contributions Dhs1,800 Dhs1,080,626
your outgoings and set out how much you is a good start. Regular
can save for investments and the balance is savings tend to be One-bedroom
affordable and easily apartment
what the experts call your ‘comfort corpus’ accommodated within
and what we call your fun fund. your overall budget. START AN ART Downtown Dubai
September 2010
COLLECTION Dhs2,047,353

2
What is diversifying December 2010
LIMIT THE NUMBER OF CREDIT CARDS your portfolio?
YOU HAVE, MAKE PAYMENTS BY THE Diversification is the
Follow managing director of Du- Dhs1,628,291

PAYMENT DUE DATE, KNOW THE INTEREST process by which an bai’s Meem Gallery, art historian Studio apartment
investor distributes his
RATES AND DON’T EXCEED 80 PER CENT or her investible wealth and collector Charles Pockock’s International City
OF YOUR CREDIT LIMIT September 2010
across different asset beginner’s guide to art investment Dhs281,726
It’s hard to keep track of multiple payment classes [eg cash, bonds
December 2010
and stocks] in order to
dates and missing payments will cost you reduce risk and improve
I genuinely believe that people should buy Dhs243,947
money and lower your credit score. Choose the quality of returns by art because they love it. That’s the most
One-bedroom
one card and cancel the others. And don’t providing more stable, important thing of all. Motor City
let anyone persuade you signing up to a new less volatile long-term You need to go to a number of advisers.
returns. September 2010
card is a good idea. Make sure they have a good, clean reputation Dhs681,264
We hear investing in in the market and access to a reference December 2010
Dhs645,768

3 PAY BILLS ONLINE gold is a good idea library.

right now?
If you set up automatic payments online If concerns about the There are problems in the region relating Three-bedroom
you will never be charged for late payment. health of the global to provenance. Is the work original? villa The Springs
September 2010
You will also avoid processing fees. economy remain high, It’s important to focus so you become Dhs2,174,462
then gold should
continue to perform an expert in your own field. If you are December 2010

4 KEEP ALL THE PAPERWORK

You should hold onto all of your
statements for two or three years. It will
well. However, a
strengthening global
economy could lead
collecting, you should specialise.
To understand the art of today you need
to have knowledge of the art of yesterday.
1,974,350

make it easier to manage your expenses
and act as a useful reference should any
discrepancies arise.
Statistics provided by
to significant falls as www.propertyfinder.ae
investors rotate out of Remember that. It’s vital.
this safe haven asset. We If you’ve got Dhs5,000, go and buy
believe that the price
of gold is no longer
lithographs – limited editions prints.
attractive at these levels They won’t appreciate as quickly in value as

5 KNOW YOUR CONSUMER RIGHTS

You can find out all about this online
at www.consumerrights.ae and if you
have any trouble with your bank, you can
contact UAE Central Bank Control and
Inspection.
UAE Central Bank Control and Inspection.
Tel: (04) 3939777
and the downside risk is
quite high.
original works of art, but we have Mona Saudi
prints, one of the great modern sculptresses
of the Arab world, for Dhs3,500.
What should we invest
in for 2011? Go with recognised artists. Is the work
Income generating held in a major international museum? Is the
assets should provide
some support for work published in independent, recognised
investors in 2011 so journals and books? What books have been
our focus would be on written about the artist?
high yielding corporate
bonds and high Get a collective of three or five or ten
dividend paying stocks. friends together, put in $10,000 each, buy
the work collectively then flip it in three or
five years and share the profit. This works.
If you want to get involved as an investment,
this is the best way.
www.meem.ae

24 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011


Get fit
Join one of our three
favourite classes and sweat
in good company
KINETIC ZOO
Billed as the anti-boot camp, KZ is run by our
very own Mr Fitness James Houghton and
What’s On marathon guru Chris Miller. The lads
promise that the group fitness programmes will
change once a month (so you won’t get bored),
boost metabolism, increase
strength and generally
make you feel better. The
sessions are just 45 minutes
and you will be provided
with fat burning meal plans
and recipes, recovery and
regeneration strategies and
a weekly body fat analysis.
These guys don’t mess about.
From Jan 2, Sheikha Hind Bint Maktoum Al
Maktoum Sports Hall, Street 25A, off Al Wasl
Road, Dubai, Sun, Tue and Thurs 6.15am to 7am,
Dhs800 per month. Tel: (050) 4762704. www.
theantibootcamp.weebly.com
TRX
Ever fancied becoming a Navy Seal? OK,
pretending to be a Navy Seal? Well TRX
was created by one of those sea-going hard
men who wanted a way to train at any time,
wherever he happened to be. We’ve tried
it. It’s a strange, springy contraption that
can be used to work out any part of your
body, anywhere, any time. Or, at one of The
Aviation Club’s three weekly sessions.
The Aviation Club, Garhoud, Dubai, Sun, Mon
and Wed from 6.15pm, Dhs50 per session. Tel:
(04) 2833071. www.aviationclub.ae
CONTENDER MMA
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is the in thing at the
moment, probably due to those angry chaps
ripping chunks off each other on the TV in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The
Contender Mixed Martial Arts Training Centre
in Dubai offers you the opportunity to unleash
your mean streak in a controlled environment.
Pay a one off Dhs100 joining fee and you can
enjoy MMA, Muay Thai and boxing sessions for
just Dhs80.
Contender Mixed Martial Arts Training Centre,
Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, joining fee Dhs100,
Dhs80 per session. Tel: (04) 3469990. www.
contendermma.com
NEW YEAR, NEW YOU
Detox
It’s the classic resolution. Cut back on your bar bill, give
your liver a rest, have the tin of Quality Street wrenched
from your clammy grasp and get healthy. Frankly, we
can’t be trusted to do it alone, so here are a few
programmes to kick-start 2011 the right way
THE ULTIMATE
WELLNESS
RETREAT
In order to break out of your couch potato
routine, a change of scene will help. The Ultimate
Wellness Retreat includes six days and five
nights at Bab al Shams desert resort, then a final
night at Meydan racecourse hotel. Your stay
will include full board (with nutritious food,
of course), health assessment, use of the pool
and spa facilities, group fitness sessions, daily
personal training, yoga, tai chi and meditation,
private mentoring, inspirational talks, cookery
classes, activities including archery, horse riding
and falconry, plus star gazing and astrology. This
week of wellness aims to see you shed 3 to 5kg
and introduces you to health and fitness experts RECIPE
from PTX who will tailor your programme
based on the results of your assessment, giving Avocado Iced Tea by
you the know-how to carry on with good diet Jimmy at Zuma
and regular exercise once you leave the hotel.
From Dhs9,000 per person (based on two Gently detoxifies the liver, with natural sugar
people sharing a double room). Tel: (056) for an energy lift
7894026. ultimatewellness@ptxdubai.com
Ingredients
Half an avocado
THAI DETOX One lemon
The lazy option, this one-hour treatment 20ml of organic agave syrup
involves massage and warm herb and mineral Green tea
compressions to relax and detox muscles. Much
more enjoyable than drinking wheatgrass, and Method
more comfortable than colonic irrigation. t Start by steeping the green tea in hot water,
Biolite Skin Clinic, Healthcare City, Oud Metha, making sure to leave it for no more then 30
Dubai, Dhs250. Tel: (04) 2096802 seconds to avoid a bitter taste. Once infused,
allow it to cool down.
ELECTRO-DERMAL t Peel the avocado, then place it into a mixer
SCREENING glass - ‘muddle’ it with a wooden spoon (do
It sounds complicated, but this simple test is not blend as you want to keep the thick
one of the most accurate ways of finding out consistency of the avocado).
which foods you’re intolerant to. Your skin’s
electrical activity is used as a marker for how t Add the juice of a freshly pressed lemon, then
your body responds to external stimulation, the cooled green tea and the agave syrup.
and after a pain-free hour you will have a list
of what you should avoid. t Shake with ice cubes, then pour into a long
The Dubai Mall Medical Centre, Dubai Mall, glass.
Dubai, Dhs550. Tel: (04) 4495111
JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 25
NEW YEAR, NEW YOU
Move house
We know moving house in this part of the world can be a giant
headache (deposits, connections, movers, lost Allen keys…) but for
a new lease of life in the UAE, it could be just what you need. And
prices are looking good. Here’s the best bargains and latest trends in
property for 2011
SERVICED
APARTMENTS
They’re furnished, you pay rent monthly,
short and long-term contracts are available,
bills are usually included, and you get a maid
service thrown in. What’s not to like? In the
past, it was the price, with one-bed hotel and
serviced apartments nearly double the cost of
regular one-bed accommodation. With a glut
of them on the market, landlords have got
realistic and you can live in luxury without a
billionaire’s bank balance.
Our pick:
tFurnished one-bed in The Greens, 800sqft,
Dhs8,000 per month
HIGH-END
NEIGHBOURHOODS
Viewings in areas that have previously been
perceived as out of most people’s price range are
set to soar in 2011. The end of last year saw Old
Town and Palm Jumeirah jump in popularity,
with people biding their time to get the bargains.
While Dubai Marina was the big daddy of 2010,
renters are now looking for buildings with high
quality finish and the cache of living in iconic
areas, be it at the base of Burj Khalifa (and in the
building itself) or on the Palm.
Our picks:
tOne-bed in 8 Boulevard Walk, Old Town,
938sqft, Dhs65,000 per year
tOne-bed in Royal Oceanic, Palm Jumeirah,
800sqft Dhs55,000 per year
26 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011
JUMEIRAH LAKE
TOWERS
Many of us swapped a few letters last year and
relocated from JBR to JLT. However, the next
few months are set to see this area blossom
(while prices are staying low) with the Metro
now open, more shops and hotels on the
horizon, and hopefully the ‘lake’ in Jumeirah
Lake Towers being sorted. You can pick up
a studio for around Dhs40,000, a furnished
one-bed for Dhs60,000 and a two-bed for
around Dhs75,000.
Our pick:
tFurnished one-bed in Indigo Tower, 792sqft,
Dhs60,000
OFF THE BEATEN
TRACK
We all claim to be here to save money,
but how’s that working out for you? Ah.
Thought so. If you’re really serious about
tightening your belt, then moving to cheaper
accommodation will have a massive impact
on your bank balance. International City will
remain popular next year (where you can
get a studio for less than Dhs22,000), as will
Discovery Gardens, but the buzz in 2011 will
be about Al Quoz. Yup, the land of labour
camps and art galleries is getting residential.
Our pick:
t One-bed in Al Khail Gate, 650sqft, Dhs28,000
including DEWA
Learn…
A MUSICAL
INSTRUMENT
Remember that guitar that sat in the
corner of your teenage bedroom until you
left home? Those dreams of becoming the
next Jimmy Page? Well, it’s never too late
and Abu Dhabi’s AKM Music Centre offers
guitar, piano, drum and bass lessons. After
eight, 45-minute sessions and you’ll be
caressing that axe like Hendrix.
AKM Music Centre, Hamdan Street, Abu
Dhabi, Dhs400. Tel: (02) 6219929.
www.akmmusic.net
A LANGUAGE
Parlez-vous Français? Well you should. And
there’s no better place to learn than Dubai’s
Alliance Française. There are various courses
on offer throughout the year from beginner
to intermediate. The first course in 2011
starts January 8, with further courses starting
in March, May and June.
From Jan 8, Alliance Française, Bur Dubai and
Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, Dhs1,500. Tel: (04)
3358712. www.afdubai.com
PHOTOGRAPHY
Gulf Photo Plus offers all manner of
photography workshops, but if you’re just
starting out visit their website and sign up to
Digital Photography – Level 1. Courses start in
Abu Dhabi January 7 and Dubai January 14,
but they run regularly throughout the year.
From Jan 7, Gulf Photo Plus, various locations
Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Dhs730.
www.gulfphotoplus.com
ACTING
If you’ve always fancied yourself as an
actor, sign up to The Desert Monologues
course and test your mettle. The workshops
deal with scripts, improvisation and
characterisation and at the end of the course
you will be given the chance to record your
monologues in a studio with professional
sound, lighting, make-up and costume.
From Feb 10, Drama Workshops Dubai,
DUCTAC, Mall of the Emirates and The Fridge, Al
Quoz, Dhs1,500 to Dhs2,000. Tel: (050) 9861761

Improve
your image If you open your
wardrobe each
morning with a
sinking feeling,
then a bit of expert
advice might be in order.
La Vie en Mode helps you
chuck out those clothes you
should have given up years
ago, assists on buying key
items, sources tricky to find
pieces and offers personal
styling.The beauty and brains
behind the operation Sonia
Sheikh shares her top tips for
sorting out your image
THREE TIPS FOR REVAMPING YOUR
EXISTING WARDROBE
1 Reorganise your closet so you can literally
see it differently and therefore pair items
together like never before. Reverse-engineer
your organisation method: if it was by colour,
consider organising by type of article; if it was
by type of article, consider organising by casual
versus glam.
2 Develop new ways to wear old items. Use
long pearl strands as belts, wear an ankle-
length skirt as a belted strapless dress, tuck flare
pants into boots to create a parachute look... Let
your creative juices flow.
3 Let go of your fashion fears. Pair items
that you may not have combined before,
like denim shorts with tights and purples with
greens. If it feels daring, go for it.
NEW YEAR, NEW YOU
Be
charitable
THREE ESSENTIAL ITEMS FOR EVERY
What can you spare?
AN HOUR
Riding for the Disabled are always
WOMAN’S WARDROBE looking for volunteers
1 BLAZER The beauty of this item is that it
does a tango between the masculine and
feminine, the formal and the casual, the preppy
to help with sessions.
You don’t need any
experience with horses
and the trendy, the smart and the sexy. Buy (although it helps
it oversized or unconstructed to maximise its if you’re confident
fashion value. around them) as
volunteers simply
2 LBD There is the classic LBD, and then there
is the avant-garde black dress. Own one of
lead the horse or walk
beside it, offering
assistance to the students.
both. The first should be a body-hugging Audrey
Hepburn sheath style, and the second should be There are morning sessions at 9am and
crafted of something utterly unexpected like lace, 10am and afternoon sessions at 4pm
corduroy, beaded chiffon or leather. and 5pm on various days through the
week.
3 STILETTOS This shoe combines the
emotions of euphoria, admiration, panic
and justifiable credit card debt. You can never
www.rdad.ae
have enough. The right pair will help define the FOOD
curvature of your leg, offer height, confidence Helping Hands regularly puts together
and sass. care packages for labour camp workers
so next time you do your weekly shop,
THREE MUST-HAVES FOR MEN pick up the following; Thai, Jasmin
1 TAILORED SUIT NAVY OR GREY
Even if you only need a suit a couple of
times a year, you’ll be glad to have it on hand
or Biriyani rice, canned fish, tea bags,
1kg of sugar, Nido milk, tomato paste,
noodles, cans of lentils, sunflower
when those occasions arise. Navy or grey suits cooking oil and a packet of sweet
are classic and neutral and can be dressed up biscuits.
or down. You can wear the jacket with jeans Tel: (050) 5671434.
for a more casual look, so this is an item worth www.helpinghandsuae.com
spending some money on.
JUNK
2 WHITE DRESS SHIRT The quintessential
white shirt can be worn a number of Well, maybe not total junk, but if you
ways and goes with everything. Well worth the
investment of having it tailored to your size.
have furniture or electrical goods that
are no longer wanted, then Take My
Junk will collect and redistribute to
3 A TIE COLLECTION WHICH
REFLECTS YOUR PERSONALITY
From Hermès to H&M, bold colours to
those who need it.
Tel: (050) 1794045.
info@takemyjunkuae.com
paisleys, wide to skinny (think Don Draper in
Mad Men), you can make this item the staple
BOOKS
in your wardrobe and something that people
will associate only with you. Get yourself, and assorted possessions
(books, toys, DVDs and clothes in
La Vie en Mode, Dubai, wardrobe revamping good condition), to the Holy Trinity
Dhs200 per hour (minimum of two hours). Tel: Thrift Store where they are sold for a
(056) 6916950. E-mail: stylist@vieenmode.com good cause.
Holy Trinity Church Compound, Oud
Metha, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3374947
JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 27
 FILM
Black Swan How Do You Know
Black Swan
WHO? Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis,
Vincent Cassel, Barbara
Hershey, Winona Ryder, Darren
Aronofsky (director)
TAGLINE ‘From the director of The
Wrestler’
ONCE UPON A TIME... Top ballerina Nina Sayers (Portman)
found herself in line for the lead role
in a production of Swan Lake. But
fellow dancer Lily (Kunis) also has
her eye on the prominent dual part
of the Black and White Swans.
IDEAL IF YOU’RE IN THE Watch a superb celebration of
MOOD TO... dance that’s also a sublimely
twisted psychological thriller.
WATCH THIS IF YOU Previous Darren Aronofsky films
LIKE... like the awesome drug drama
Requiem For a Dream and The
Wrestler, aka the movie that restored
Mickey Rourke to high estate.
TOP TRIVIA It took a decade to knock the
Black Swan screenplay into shape.
WHAT’S ON TEN WORD The film of 2011 might have
REVIEW already arrived.
RATE OR SLATE? ★★★★★
28 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011
How Do You
Know
Jack Nicholson, Owen Wilson,
Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd,
Mark Linn-Baker, James L
Brooks (writer-director)
‘A new comedy from writer-
director James L Brooks’
Former athlete Lisa Jorgenson
(Witherspoon) became one
corner of a love triangle when
she fell for both ageing corporate
type Charles (Nicholson) and top
baseball player Matty (Wilson).
Remember what a good
romantic-comedy looks like.
As Good As It Gets, a film whose
similarity to How Do You Know
might have something to do with
it also being written and directed
by James L Brooks.
If being an Oscar-winning film-
maker wasn’t impressive enough,
James L Brooks also helped create
The Simpsons.
It’s nothing new, but it’s hard to
fault the execution.
★★★★✩
The Fighter
Paul
Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jason
Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Seth
Rogen, Greg Mottola (director)
‘Prepare to meet Paul’
Sci-fi convention nerds Graeme
and Clive (Pegg and Frost)
run into a real genuine extra-
terrestrial (essayed by Knocked
Up’s Rogen).
Watch the new Morecambe and
Wise strut their wonderful stuff.
Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz
and Spaced, the ace Pegg/Frost
sit-com that could been created
with guys like Graeme and Clive
in mind.
Keen to get the part of Paul the alien
down, Seth Rogen consulted the
prince of performance capture Andy
Serkis, who played Gollum in the
Lord Of The Rings films and the
great ape in King Kong.
Can our favourite Brits
succeed in alien
territory?
PREVIEW

The Green Hornet
The Fighter
Mark Wahlberg, Christian
Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo,
Frank Renzulli, David O Russell
(director)
‘A new film from the director of
Three Kings’
‘Irish’ Micky Ward (Wahlberg)
found himself transformed
from journeyman to world title
contender by his half-brother
Dicky Eklund (Bale).
See a corking sports movie whose
improbable storyline is that much
more remarkable for being true.
Priceless pugilism pictures such as
Raging Bull. And if you enjoyed
David O Russell’s Gulf War comedy
Three Kings, you’ll long to go 12
rounds with The Fighter.
Boxing fans should keep an eye
out for cameos from Sugar Ray
Leonard, Roy Jones Jr and George
Foreman.
The Fighter is Mark Wahlberg’s
best movie since Boogie Nights.
★★★★✩
The Green
Hornet
Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz,
Edward Furlong, Christoph
Waltz, Jay Chou, Michel Gondry
(director)
‘Can’t you feel the buzz?’
Suave newspaper publisher Britt
Reid (Rogen) decided that writing
about crime wasn’t enough. His
plan? To tackle the problem head
on ‘neath the guise of The Green
Hornet.
See a superhero movie that’s in
no danger of taking itself too
seriously.
The Iron Man pictures, since
they’re also films in which the
hero is unlikely to collapse under
the weight of his own worthiness.
Jay Chou, who plays Reid’s
partner Cato, is a hugely popular
singer in his native Taiwan.
The action’s hum-drum, but the
jokes have some sting.
★★★✩✩
The Mechanic
The Mechanic
Jason Statham, Donald
Sutherland, Ben Foster, Mini
Anden, Tony Goldwyn, Simon
West (director)
‘Someone has to fix the problems’
Veteran assassin Arthur Bishop
(Statham) decided that the best
way to get back at the men who
killed his boss Harry McKenna
(Sutherland) was to train up his
mentor’s son Steve (Foster).
Spend a couple of hours finding
out whether Jason Statham
measures up to Charles Bronson,
star of the original Mechanic.
Previous Statham slugfests such
as the Transporter and Crank
pictures.
The Mechanic is based on that
rarest of things, a Michael
Winner film that’s actually quite
entertaining.
Could The Mechanic secure
Statham’s position on the action
A-list?
PREVIEW
FILM | NEW RELEASES
My Soul To
Take
Max Thieriot, John
Magaro, Denzel
Whitaker, Zena Grey, Nick
Lashaway, Wes Craven (writer-
director)
‘Only one has the power to save
their souls’
Serial killer The Riverton Ripper
returned from the dead to
murder seven teens born the
night he died.
Watch a once great horror
director destroy the legacy of his
greatest creation, the sweater-
wearing, talon-twirling Freddy
Krueger Esquire.
Poor slashathons such as I Know
What You Did Last Summer.
Rogue Pictures sought to
promote My Soul To Take by
orchestrating a fake stabbing at
the film’s premiere. Amazingly,
no one lost their job over this
tasteless fiasco.
Here’s hoping Wes Craven has
an encounter with Mr Krueger.
★✩✩✩✩
JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 29
EATING OUT
When it comes to what we put in our
stomachs we at What’s On don’t do
new year resolutions, especially when
we’re eating out. We deserve to treat
ourselves after securing an exclusive
interview with Jamie Oliver (p12),
after all. So in this, our first Eating
Out of 2011, we have changed not
a sausage. We ate a lot of dessert at
multi-Michelin starred chef Yannick Alléno’s new
French restaurant Stay By Yannick Alléno (p32),
devoured plate after plate of meat heavy Middle
Eastern grub at round the clock restaurant
Zaroob (p34) and visited Souk Al Bahar’s
wonderful Farmers’ Market (p36). Plus The Critic
on the foodie trends he’d like to see in 2011 (p38)
and what we thought of the burger at BoHouse
(p39). Happy new year to you all. And remember,
if seconds are offered, always accept.

Gareth Rees, Features Editor

ZAROOB

JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 31

 EATING OUT
On the
menu
A trio of tasty
morsels to fill your
new year belly
THE STEAKS AREN’T HIGH
Few things warm the cockles
like a carvery. A traditionally
English feast, forget the
roadside restaurants so
sadly associated with the
meaty meal and have
lunch at The Exchange
Grill, where you can pile
your plate with wagyu
beef rump or the daily special
(roast lamb, chicken, tuna or
salmon), carved at your table.
You’ll also get a house salad and
your choice of garlic mashed
potato or jalapeno creamed corn,
all for Dhs99. And if you go on
Sunday or Monday, it’s buy one
carvery get one free.
The Exchange Grill, The Fairmont,
Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, Sun to
Thurs 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Tel: (04)
3118316
WINE FOR DHS39
We love Terra Firma, but it has
completely stolen our hearts
with this grape-soaked offer. Visit
this top-notch steakhouse for a
two-course meal during January
and February and you can add
free flowing red or white wine
for an extra Dhs39. Yup, you read
that right, less than Dhs40 for
unlimited vino.
Until end of Feb, Terra Firma,
Al Badia Golf Club, Festival
City, Dubai, Sun to Tue 7pm to
midnight. Tel: (04) 7011127
FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS
SEVILLE’S!
To celebrate its tenth birthday,
Seville’s isn’t just having a
cake – it’s sharing the love with
you guys. Throughout January
the lovely Latinos are offering
selected Torres wines for Dhs10
per glass, Spanish beers for
Dhs10 and a selection of tapas
priced at Dhs10. Do you see
a pattern yet? Even better,
everyone who dines there this
month could win a trip to Spain.
Seville’s, Wafi, Oud Metha, Dubai,
daily from noon to 1am on
Sat, Sun and Mon and 2am on
Tue, Wed, Thurs and Fri. Tel: (04)
3244777
32 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011
Stay by Yannick Alléno
Michelin-starred chef
Yannick Alléno brings
another French
restaurant to Dubai.
But can it compete?
There are already a lot of French
restaurants in Dubai. Good
ones at that. So one would think
that opening yet another Gallic
culinary emporium to do battle
with the likes of Reflets par Pierre
Gagnaire, Traiteur and What’s On
favourite La Petite Maison would
be a prospect to daunt even the
most self assured chef.
Add to that the fact that Stay
by Yannick Alléno, or rather the
lavish new One&Only hotel it calls
home, sits a good 15 minute drive
down the trunk and around the
West Crescent of The Palm and
you begin to see how the odds were
stacked against the multi-Michelin
starred chef from the get-go.
But that’s just it; Yannick
Alléno is no run of the mill onion
chopper. Chef at Le Maurice, the
Parisian restaurant awarded its
third Michelin star in 2007, he is
one of the most touted talents in
The City of Light. And he doesn’t
do things by halves.
Alléno has had a hand in
all three of the One&Only’s
restaurants. Zest serves up Middle
Eastern fare, 101 is a more relaxed
Mediterranean affair, while Stay
– the only one of the three that
carries the Frenchman’s name – is
his pièce de résistance.
The interior is certainly
impressive. Done out in black
and white with silver chairs and
purple velvet booths decked with
cushions and boasting a ‘pastry
library’ – Stay’s speciality – it rivals
Pierre Gagnaire’s Reflets in the
fancy pants stakes. But does the
food measure up? And is it worth
travelling to the farthest reaches of
The Palm for?
Well, it all started off nicely
with a delicate eel and potato
salad consisting of a handful of
diced beetroot, several pieces of
potato and too few cubes of the
deliciously smoked fish. Smoked
eel is one of the most delectable
flavours known to man, you have
to agree – and this was drizzled
with a beetroot mousse, which was
more of a thin sauce, really.
The ‘modern riviera salad’
was a traditional salade Niçoise
presented slightly differently or
brought up to date, depending
on your perspective, by sitting
the ingredients on three halves of
crunchy gem lettuce rather than
the customary bed. Otherwise all
In tweet form… Dubai’s newest French
restaurant just about competes with
the big boys offering some of the
follow me
best desserts in the UAE. Follow us at
WhatsOnDubai and WhatsOnAbuDhabi
the usual suspects were present
– ripe cherry tomatoes, olives,
potatoes, green beans, hard-boiled
egg and canned tuna (seared loin
would have given it an edge).
Mains, we have to say, were a
little disappointing. A roasted duck
breast cooked rare wasn’t bad by
any stretch of the imagination, yet
it lacked that silky richness that
characterises the best of birds. But
endives soaked in an orange sauce
gave it a little extra zing. Then there
was the Dublin Bay prawn ravioli
that sounded so promising. The
pasta was cooked to perfection, but
there wasn’t a trace of lemon in the
lemon butter sauce and as a result
the dish tasted solely of butter.
Simply too rich.
Thankfully a jolly sommelier,
friendly waiter and dessert, or
rather desserts, saved the day.
You can visit the pastry library
and see your meal’s finale being
prepared. We just sat back until
presented with a yard of the finest
looking puddings we’ve seen in
a long while. They’re only Dhs45
each and the best of them were a
meringue snowball filled with cold
fruit sorbet, a sweet quince confit
tart, a Pims (a giant Jaffa Cake) and
a mille feuille boasting beautifully
brittle pastry. Worth the trip alone.
Stay. Should you go? Yes.
Need to know
Location: One&Only, The
Palm, Dubai
Tel: (04) 4401010
Web: www.thepalm.
oneandonlyresorts.com
Open: Tue to Sun 7pm to 11pm
Cuisine type: French
Must eat: smoked eel and
potato salad
Bill for two: Dhs600
(without alcohol)
 EATING OUT
A taste of
things to
come
Hotter than a
sizzling plate of
fajitas, here’s our
pick of this month’s
new openings
KABABS & KURRIES
We love kebabs. We love curries.
We’re not fans of bad spelling,
but will put that aside in favour
of a plateful of spicy goodness.
Adding to the vast array of outlets
in The Souk at Abu Dhabi’s
Central Market development, this
place will fuel your shopping or
tempt you out of the house for an
Indian feast.
The Souk, Central Market, Abu
Dhabi. Tel: (02) 6282522
BURGERFUEL
New Zealand favourite Burgerfuel
will be opening a mammoth 15
restaurants in the UAE, adding
to its outlet on The Walk at JBR.
Serving grass-fed, meat burgers,
malt shakes and signature ‘spud
fries’ this chain has clearly got
its sights set on overtaking Fat
Burger for our affections. We’ll let
you know how it gets on.
Burger Fuel, The Walk, JBR, Dubai. Tel:
(04) 4458220. www.burgerfuel.com
SUGAR DADDY’S
Thought the cupcake craze
was on the way out? Wrong.
If anything, 2011 will see
the diabetic’s enemy further
covering the UAE in candy-
coloured frosting. The latest is
Sugar Daddy’s stall in Iconic, the
awesome concept store in Deira
City Centre. Buy some jeans,
pick up some homewares, have
lunch at Wild Ginger and a take
cupcake home.
Sugar Daddy’s, Iconic, Deira City
Centre, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3448202
34 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011
Zaroob
A stylish new star on
Sheikh Zayed Road
We can imagine the boardroom
meetings when a new hotel
arrives here. “We want an Asian
restaurant.” “Yes sir, we’ll put some
bamboo up and maybe some
Chinese characters on the wall”.
“Very good, I’d also like an English
pub.” “No problem sir, some dark
wood, stained glass and old signage
coming right up”.
In a land where so much of our
dining out takes place in almost
always five-star hotels, when an
independent spot opens it is worth
a visit. We went to Zaroob with
two pals on a ten-hour stopover
in Dubai (“Just show us around,
there’s nothing we particularly
want to see”. Awesome…) who had
never sampled Arabic food before
and one admitted that meat feast
pizzas had been a staple for the last
two years. Tough crowd.
Luckily, upon entering we
were collectively wowed by the caramelised bananas, all bursting service winning, but what charmed
décor – vast walls covered in with freshness and enthusiasm, our socks off was Zaroob’s style.
graffiti murals, raw wood shelving, and each dish impressing more Simply unlike anywhere else in
gorgeous fabrics and an impressive than the last. It’s fair to say the out- the UAE, its blend of regional
open kitchen with various ovens of-towners were stunned. inspiration, touches like the
roaring. There’s dining upstairs, a After being a little, well, gung-ho metal buckets for bathroom sinks
casual bar set-up on the ground with the ordering we were braced and casual flair means this bijou
floor and a nice little spot on for a stonking great bill. Not so. A restaurant shines like a little beacon
the pavement nestled between mere Dhs5 for five falafel, Dhs6 for of hope for other independents
skyscrapers, which is where we shawarma, Dhs16 for a plateful of from the base of yet another
headed. salty grilled haloumi, and that lamb anonymous skyscraper. Oh, and it
Torn between wanting to show man’oushe for Dhs16. In fact, the will be open 24 hours soon. Those
the newbies some old faithfuls most expensive item on the menu five-stars better look out.
(lemon mint and cheese saj) and was the Zaroob cocktail (Dhs39),
exploring the extensive Levant which we were recommended as
menu, we ordered far too much ‘both a drink and a dessert’, an Need to know
from the bandana’d waiter and explosion of avocado, strawberry
watched as platter after platter and mango juice topped with the Location: Jumeira Tower,
arrived. Hummous and haloumi entire Spinneys fruit section that Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai
obviously made an appearance, succeeded in terrifying our guests Tel: (04) 3276060
with the show stolen by man’oushe as they tentatively picked grapes Open: daily 6am to 4am
flatbread with lamb, herbs and from it while exchanging fearful Cuisine: Levant
freshly squeezed lemon, which glances. Must eat: Kofta man’oushe
was initially ordered to keep the Don’t get us wrong, the food is Bill for three: Dhs180
meat feast lover happy. Falafel with knockout, the prices superb and
tahini, cheese saj, meat shawarma
with pomegranate molasses, In tweet form… One of the most unique
paper-thin pastry filled with cream restaurants to open for ages. Arrive hungry and
cheese and honey, foul with ‘add follow me
prepare to leave Zaroob a loyal fan. Follow us
your own tomato, red onion and at WhatsOnDubai and WhatsOnAbuDhabi
spring onions’, saj with nutella and
 EATING OUT

Market day
The Baker & Spice
UAE Farmers’ Market
at Souk Al Bahar is
back, offering local,
seasonal produce
from farms across
the Emirates. We
spent a morning
sniffing fresh basil
while, Yael Mejia,
the woman behind
the market told us
why it’s madness not
to eat local
Yael Majia at her stall
Why did you start the Farmers’
Market?
Two years of sitting here and
crying over the stuff people
were eating. Watching what the
supermarkets were selling made
me realise that people place no
value on produce that is grown
here in the UAE. A farmer selling
his produce like this is an old way
of life that needs to be brought
back to remind people where their
food comes from. It doesn’t grow
in plastic on a supermarket shelf. Going shopping with
Why do you think that is? Rivington Grill's Liz Stephenson
Urban societies are so removed
from food and where it comes
from that they’ve forgotten when and complete abandon and those strawberries that come here on an
it grows. So they’re happily global businesses have then gone aeroplane? No.
buying plums in the supermarket on to abuse it. Is it possible to eat regional all
that are six months old at the So why should people be year round?
moment and the apples are a eating local? You could only eat regional
year old. People don’t know that For their health, for the flavour. produce, yes. An area called The
so the supermarkets can do what The produce at the Farmers’ Fertile Crescent, just north of
they want. Market gets picked at the right here, is where agriculture began.
People just aren’t thinking moment because the journey Local, no. The season runs from
about these things? from field to plate is reduced December to April or May and
The Internet is there. Information by a factor of 1,000. So nothing that’s it. Then it all dies down.
is there. How can you not think has to be picked unripe then go But then the rest of the region
about something you are forced through picking, packing, storing, starts producing. So India, Iran,
to do three times a day? But some shipping; 3,000 hands with Afghanistan, Lebanon and Syria
people don’t, and supermarkets are everyone wanting a cut. It leaves all burst into bloom.
the result. Simple as that. People more money in your pocket. And right now?
have ceded responsibility for their Isn’t that a good reason? It’s good The winter season is wonderful.
health and their daily bread to for the environment. Isn’t that a Now everything is available. The
global business with an innocence good reason? Do you have to eat rest of the time I buy from Oman,

36 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011


wonderful agriculture there. I
buy from India, Lebanon, Syria
and Jordan. Why do I have to buy
from the USA and Australia?
And how should regular
consumers shop?
People should go to markets
instead of shopping clinically.
In the Deira fruit and veg
market you’ll find regional food.
Carrefour does a lot of regional
stuff. The French love their food
and these guys have done their
homework. And read the labels.
Simple.
Fridays, UAE Farmers’ Market, next to
Baker & Spice, Souk Al Bahar, Dubai,
10am to 5pm. Tel: (04) 4252240.
www.bakerandspiceme.com
EATING OUT
Time to
cook
Rivington Grill head pastry chef
Liz Stevenson shows us what
to do with our fresh, seasonal
ingredients
WHAT’S ON'S SHOPPING purple spinach, 30g goats’ cheese, cut into small
BASKET cubes, pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper
to taste.
Two tomatoes (Abu Dhabi
LTwo
Organics, Dhs2) METHOD
L Bunch of chives (Abu Slice the peppers in half and remove the seeds
Dhabi Organics, Dhs10) and inner white flesh. Cut into large cubes. Place
L Six eggs (Abu Dhabi in a bowl with the basil. Tear the basil, rather than
Organics, Dhs10) chop it, as this will spare the leaves from bruising.
L Mixed peppers (Abu Dhabi Organics, Dhs30) Wilt the spinach in a steamer, microwave, or on
L Purple spinach (Abu Dhabi Organics, Dhs9) top of a small cooling rack placed over a pan of
L Granola (Baker & Spice, Dhs18) boiling water. Remove from heat, cool and place
L Laban (Abu Dhabi Organics, Dhs20) in the salad. Add the goats’ cheese and drizzle
L Award-winning honey (Abu Dhabi Organics, with olive oil. Season with sea salt and cracked
Dhs100) black pepper.
L Box of dried dates (Abu Dhabi Organics, Dhs20)
GRANOLA
OMELETTE
INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS 100g (one cup) of granola,
One tbsp olive oil, four eggs, 150g (just over a cup) of laban,
one tomato, three or four one tbsp honey, 20 to 30g (four to five
chives, salt and pepper pieces) chopped dried dates
METHOD METHOD
Blanch the tomato in boiling water for 30 seconds Place the granola in the base of a bowl, pour the
and submerge in ice water. Peel off the skin, laban over top and drizzle with honey. Add the
quarter, remove the seeds and dice into small chopped dates.
pieces. Chop the chives and set aside. Break the
eggs into a bowl and season with the salt and
pepper. Do not over mix the eggs, as this will be
done in the pan. Heat a small saucepan over a
medium heat with the olive oil. Add the eggs and
mix with a fork, moving quickly. Allow the base to
set slightly and place the tomatoes and chives on
top. Fold half of the omelette on top of itself and
continue to cook until the centre is just set (not
runny, but nice and loose).
SALAD
INGREDIENTS
150g mixed peppers (red, yellow, green, purple or
orange), five leaves of torn fresh basil, 20 to 30gm
JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 37
 THE CRITIC

James Brennan knows
food. Having written on
everything from bhajis
to burgers for a string of
international publications,
James is now the
Middle East chairman
of the World’s 50 Best
long by seemingly every two-bit
chef from Jumeirah to Jakarta.
It’s no longer innovative or
impressive. Besides, it looks vile.
At best it’s like the scum left on
a beach after a chemical spillage;
at worst it looks like something
hocked up by a Jebel Ali docker.
Let’s call it a day, shall we?
5
I want them to wait on me, not Lay off the
chat me up, sit on my lap and hammour
then spoon-feed me. Wire them It’s overfished and over-
up to some kind of electric shock used, so isn’t it about time some
equipment and give me a button. high-profile restaurants gave
As soon as they come too close, the poor hammour a bit of a
or ask me if I’m enjoying my meal breather? Make it your new year’s
the second I place a huge forkful resolution not to eat hammour
of steak into my mouth, zap! A for at least 12 months, and
few well-placed volts should put perhaps they’ll get the message.

2
Restaurants judging panel. Go easy on the things right. Knowing my luck, the new
Don’t miss his monthly tuiles craze for 2011 will be Peruvian

musings every issue.
A year ends and another begins,
and the restaurant world girds its
metaphorical loins for another
12 months of grub. It wouldn’t be
an act of clairvoyance to predict
what chefs and restaurateurs have
got in store for us this year. But
here are five food trends that I’d
like to see in 2011.
4
In case you don’t know More local hammour in culinary foam
them by name, tuiles are wafers, ingredients with a nougatine tuile wedged
which these days appear to Sounds so simple, doesn’t up its backside, delivered by a
adorn every single dessert on the it? But something odd is going psychopathically over-familiar
face of the planet. I have nothing on with locally grown ingredients waiter, but you can always hope.
against them in theory, but they from the estimated 40,000
are often badly executed and farmers in the UAE. Most of
totally superfluous. Biscuit tuiles, their produce is exported, while
when used appropriately, I can the majority of the food we eat
tolerate. But all too frequently I is imported. I understand that
find sticky, stodgy tuiles made some items can’t be grown here,
from sugar or nougatine, sticking but until we start promoting and
out of a scoop of perfectly good respecting the locally grown stuff

1
The abolition of
culinary foam
Yes, yes, we all know that
it’s used to bolster the flavour
of a dish without bulking it up
with thick sauces and heavy
reductions, but does it have to
ice cream, like a flap of peeled
paint that’s fallen off a damp
ceiling. And if I really want to
clog my teeth up with gunk, I’ll
chew on a tube of superglue.
Thanks.
we’ll have a carbon footprint like
Sasquatch in moon boots.
“IT’S LIKE THE SCUM LEFT ON
A BEACH AFTER A CHEMICAL
SPILLAGE; AT WORST IT

3 LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING

be used on every plate? Foam The correction of
may have been developed by overly attentive
molecular genius Ferran Adria, waiters HOCKED UP BY A JEBEL ALI
but he’s been copied for far too They perform a vital service, but DOCKER”
38 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011
BoHouse
A surprisingly
good late opening
restaurant with an
arty streak

There are a few decent places to

grab a bite to eat on The Walk,
but even if there weren’t, every
café, burger joint and coffee
house would still be overrun
with hungry punters.
The kilometre-long stretch
running roughly from Le Royal
Méridien hotel to the Sheraton
Jumeirah Beach Resort backs
on to JBR; prime real estate for
those living the Dubai dream.
The Walk is where you go for
a twilight stroll, pre-beach
breakfast or a convenient
evening nibble.
So why, with a few notable
exceptions such as The Butcher
Shop and Grill and, at a push,
Pizza Express, is it so difficult
to find good food outside of the
hotels?
We don’t have the answer, crispy deep fried squid rings
unfortunately, but we have atop a decent rendering of the
found another establishment to ubiquitous Lebanese salad. We
add to that short list of notable washed it all down with what was
exceptions. perhaps the best strawberry shake
BoHouse looks like a trendy in Dubai – real strawberries and
contemporary art gallery on the thick icecream – and finished
inside – very white, lots of shiny things off with a shared blueberry
plastic – but you should take a cheesecake constructed of
table on the sizeable outdoor delightfully cheesy cream cheese
terrace, despite the regrettable and an unfortunate sponge base
view of the beach car park. in place of the traditional biscuity
Of the two appetisers we bottom.
enjoyed, the shrimp cakes were
the real surprise. Light and
springy and not at all rubbery Need to know
as they often can be. The veggie
quesadilla weren’t bad either – a Location: The Walk, Dubai
nice sharing plate. We made a Marina, Dubai
terrific mess with the sloppy Tel: (04) 4298655
beef burger (a multi napkin Web: www.bohousecafe.
job), but served with onions and com
tomatoes, it was a fair crack at Open: Sun to Thurs 8am to
the classic Yank sarnie and came 12.30am, Fri and Sat 8am
with some fine French fries. to 1am
From the salads menu we Cuisine type: various
chose the intriguing breaded Must eat: shrimp cakes
calamari on fattoush, which Bill for two: Dhs280
was precisely as promised –

JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 39

 ARTS

Puck-er Up
This month, UK drama group
Shakespeare 4 Kids returns
to Dubai with its acclaimed
production of one of the
Bard’s best-loved comedies,
A Midsummer Night’s
Dream. Leading man
Noel Andrew Harron
tells us more

You’re playing Puck, the court jester to the

king and queen of the fairies who gets up
to lots of mischief…
He’s a green hobgoblin in our production –
green, glittery and a little bit manic. I play him
like he’s having fun and gets confused quite
easily. He runs about the stage and makes a
mess, but all in all he’s having fun while doing
it. Shakespeare wrote Puck as an extreme
character. Because he’s a supernatural being
there’s no set way of playing him, and because
I am a physical, comic actor, I play on the
manic, crazy side of him.
Do you still use Shakespeare’s text or
adapt to more modern English?
I would say that it’s about 50:50. We
colloquialise quite a bit of it – it’s keeping to
the story, but adapting the language so the
children understand. We try and make our
productions as accessible as possible, to appeal
to the kids. We try to go to their level and talk
to them, not talk at them.
Shakespeare’s generally seen as being
quite adult – what’s the appeal for kids?
I think he is appealing to everyone. He talks
about love, death, he’s got all these things that

If you like this...

appeal to people of any age or any nationality.
It’s just brilliant storytelling. Even though the
language can be difficult, we try to update it so
they want to go and investigate it more. People
may think we’re dumbing down the Bard, but
we’re not, we’re just trying to give a sample of it
so they’ll want to investigate it themselves.
Do you make any other adjustments to
appeal to a younger audience?
I think everyone in the cast brings their own
stamp to their characters. There are also special
effects and contemporary references.
What, like a touch of Lady GaGa?
Another of Shakespeare’s comedies gets
a Dubai makeover next month. Much Ado
About Nothing is one of the Bard’s best-
loved plays. A tale of romance, deception
and, ultimately, the triumph of love, sweet
love, this performance by homegrown
not-for-profit theatre troupe Dubai
Drama Group, promises to be one of the
highlights of February’s arts calendar.
Feb 10 to 12, Kilachand Studio Theatre, Ductac,
ISTOCK

Yeah, pretty much! Myself and Bottom [the Mall of the Emirates, Sheik Zayed Road, Dubai.
character Puck turns into a half-donkey in the Tel: (04) 3414777. www.ductac.org
play], we do go off on a tangent sometimes.

40 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011

 ARTS

Future Five minutes

perfect with...
Progress on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island’s Kais Salman
cultural district continues apace with the
unveiling of award-winning architect Lord Syrian painter Kais
Norman Foster’s design for the Zayed
National Museum. Built to showcase the
Salman is the focus of
life and achievements of the UAE’s found- a solo show at Ayyam
ing president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Gallery DIFC
Nayhan and the history of the UAE, the
sweeping design (five pavilions rising up
to 124 metres above the Arabian Gulf ) is
intended to represent the feathers of a
falcon’s wing. Promising to be a model of
sustainable development, the museum is
due for completion in 2014, and it will form
the centrepiece of the Saadiyat Island de-
velopment, alongside the Guggenheim Abu
Dhabi and the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
www.tdic.ae
The show’s called Material World.
What does the title say about

Millennium your work?

Like it or not we all live in a world that is

falcon becoming more and more materialistic.

With Puck, it’s more like he’s a pantomime
comic who’s very appealing to the kids.
It does sound a bit like panto…
Maybe a bit – just to alleviate some of the
stress of Shakespeare. Engaging the audience
with stuff they’ll recognise and know makes
it that little bit more interesting for them.
We’re cheating in a way, because in between
all the fun it’s like, ‘By the way kids, this is
Shakespeare.’ We get an amazing response
from the audience – it’s not just children,
adults really like the show. It’s fun, it’s
hysterical in bits. All in all you’re there to enjoy
yourself – it’s a comedy at the end of the day.
Jan 10 to 13, Centrepoint Theatre, Ductac,
Mall of the Emirates, Sheik Zayed Road, Dubai,
Dhs150. Tel: (04) 3414777. www.ductac.org
National Day inspires us all in different
ways, but for Lebanese designer Pierre
Abboud it was the source of an idea to
create The Falcon’s Nest, the sculpture
recently erected in Downtown Burj
Khalifa. Standing seven metres high
and up to 24 metres in length, the
white wooden structure is designed
to represent the great power of
the "multicultural force" that is the
modern UAE.
Word up
Pecha Kucha, the interactive multimedia
forum that invites individuals and
groups from the creative worlds to show
off their projects and ideas prepares
for its ninth outing on January 19 at
Dubai’s The Third Line gallery. As ever,
participants must stick to PK’s 20x20 rule
(20 slides discussed for only 20 seconds
each), giving each speaker just over six
and a half minutes to get their message
across. Concise and to the point – just
the way we like it.
www.thethirdlinegallery.com
I consider myself a spiritual person,
but at the same time I dream of buying
an Audi. I dream of living in a big
house with a 1,000sqm studio. It is this
contradiction between spirituality and
materialism that is inside me every day
that I am trying to portray.
How does your background impact
upon your work?
I think Eastern cultures in general are
living a debate between older, more
spiritual lives and new Western ideas.
As an artist living in Syria, I am also torn
between the East and West and I think
that is portrayed in my art.
Your painting is attracting worldwide
recognition – how does that impact
upon you as an artist?
It makes me spend more time in my
studio and worry more about each
piece I produce.
Your work is often called provocative
– do you see it that way?
I think my work could be shocking
and provocative, but I hope in a funny,
satirical and positive way.
Describe your current artistic
direction in three words...
Enjoyable, funny, satirical.
Until Jan 15, Ayyam Gallery DIFC, Gate
Village, Building 3, DIFC, off Zebeel Road,
Dubai. Tel: (04) 4392395

JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 41

 ARTS

Five to see

ÅANCESTRAL SPACE  TRANSLATED IDENTITY

The second of Mojo’s compelling four-exhibition series dedicated ÅTHE BRIGHT SIDE OF THE BONES
to contemporary art from Africa and the Diaspora this exhibition With its apparent emphasis on human remains, this solo show
focuses on artists who draw from both their traditions and modern by emerging Emirati artist Maisoon Al Saleh might at first glance
art to stake a new claim on representations of modern Africa. appear macabre, but is in fact a study into life – how our bodies
Fascinating stuff from a part of the world – and the UAE’s cultural carry our stories, culturally, historically and personally. Her vision
mix – that has until now been woefully underrepresented. is not fully realised yet, perhaps, but this show marks her as one
Jan, Mojo Gallery, Unit 33, Al Serkal Avenue, Street 8, Al Quoz, Dubai. to watch.
Tel: (04) 3477388. www.themojogallery.com Jan 18 to Feb 2, Gallery of Light, Ductac, Mall of the Emirates, Sheik
Zayed Road, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3414777. www.ductac.org
ÑRESIDUA
The second in a series of
revolving exhibitions at this
impressive new Sharjah gallery,
Residua features pieces from
the private collection of Barjeel
founder Sultan Sooud al-
Qassemi. It throws a spotlight
on work from both established
and rising stars of the UAE
and Middle Eastern art scene,
including Youssef Nabil and
Jeffar Khaldi.
Until Feb, Barjeel Art Foundation,
Al Maraya Centre, Sharjah.
Tel: (06) 5566555. www.
barjeelartfoundation.com

ÉRSTW
Last chance to catch this
impressive round-up of
mid-20th century American
greats, including Ed Ruscha, Cy
Twombly and UAE favourite
Andy Warhol, brought together
from the private collection of
one the leading gallerists of our
time, Larry Gagosian. Yet another
taste of things to come at Abu
Dhabi’s soon-to-be cultural hub.
Until Jan 24, Manarat Al Saadiyat,
Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi. Tel: (02)
6435781. www.artsabudhabi.ae
ÅEDUCATING THE HORSE
Art and politics meet in Nicky Nodjoumi’s first solo show in the UAE.
Slightly surreal, apparently incongruous imagery of encounters
between (a well-dressed) man and beast form the metaphor for the
Iranian artist’s musings on the relationship between East and West
in layered references to situations and events drawn from the
daily news.
Until Jan 14, Gallery IVDE, Al Serkal Avenue, Street 8, Al Quoz, Dubai.
Tel: (04) 3235052. www.ivde.net

42 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011

 /GADGETS
/GEAR
/TECHNOLOGY
Behind the Bard /ONLINE
GETTY IMAGE

E WOR LD ’S BEST-
TH ADGET
SELLING GE IS NOW...
His plays have been translated into every living language and
are performed more than any other playwright in history – it’s

E
MAGAZIN

N
probably fair to say that William ‘the Bard’ Shakespeare needs

LI
little introduction. But as profound and prolific as he was (about

ON
38 plays and four times as many sonnets alone), the man himself
remains steeped in intrigue and mystery. It’s agreed that he was
born in Stratford-upon-Avon in the UK in 1564, where he married
Anne Hathaway aged 18, before heading to London as one of
the King’s Players theatre troupe and finding fame. The idea
that the man who, by the 18th century had widely come to be
known as the greatest playwright of all time, could have come
from such humble origins, however, has lead to countless claims
over the years that Shakespeare was a front for another writer (or
writers). In a series of plot twists worthy of the great man himself,
English writers from Francis Bacon to Christopher Marlow have
all been mooted as the 'real' Shakespeare over the years. These
days, however, such considerations generally rest alongside man
never walking on the moon in the dustbin of conspiracy theories
and it’s generally believed that, give or take a few possible early
collaborations, his writing was his and his alone. Either way, the
work lives on – and that’s entirely as it should be.

JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 43

 SHOPPING

This month we’re buying…

Stylish
laptops
Why shouldn’t accessorising extend to our technology? Black-
Berrys and iPhones have their own little rubber and knitted
outfits, but laptops are taking it that step further with HP col-
laborating with snow sports brand Rossignol to create the his
and hers HP Pavilion DV6 Rossignol editions, complete with
graffiti-style graphics on the casing (and matching skis). Sony
Vaio has always lead the PC pack with its ‘lifestyle’ approach,
HP Pavilion and the new super-light (and super-expensive) P-Series with
its eight-inch screen is the latest addition to the colourful
DV6 Rossignol family, while Acer’s Aspire One Happy comes in sickly sweet
editions, tones (one for the girls) and merrily juggles both Android
and Windows 7. So which one should you get? The one that
price TBC matches your T-shirt, of course.

Sony Vaio P-series,

from Dhs4,850

Shambler
says...
THE EXPERT
Stuff magazine’s
Thomas Shambler

The Acer is my pick of the bunch. It’s slim, it’s

portable, but more importantly, it dual-boots
Windows and Google’s Android operating system
and gives you the best of both. So there’s Windows Acer Aspire One
for desktop-like productivity plus Android for on- Happy, from
the-go mobile smarts and for squeezing extra juice
out of the battery. Dhs1,400

44 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011

 Got a fashion
question for
Sophia?
E-mail

Sophia says...
editor-wo@motivate.ae

We drag the oh-so stylish

Sophia Triantafillou away
from the helm at Emirates
Woman into the grubby
What’s On office to answer
your wardrobe woes

My daughter hates the way have some of the best tailors

I dress – she says I dress in the world on our doorstep,
too young for my age. I am but when it comes to casual
nearing 50 and think I look wear it all seems a little too
great. Do I have to stop tight and bright. The only way
wearing mini skirts and to approach this is to trawl the
vest tops? malls. The Dubai Mall and Mall
Margaret, Dubai Marina. of the Emirates have some of
the larger department stores, so
Yes and yes. Mini skirts should you’ll find greater variety there.
be forbidden, just like any short Avoid the high street – a lot of
shorts, over the knee boots and these stores do catwalk knock
off the shoulder tops. Not even offs and the result isn’t pretty.
Donna Karan gets away with it.
I am sure you do look great, but
there is a time when you have
My friends have told me
to give these items to charity
that I don’t dress well. I
and start purchasing new, age
have loads of clothes in my
appropriate pieces. You can still
wardrobe, but problems
show off your body and be sexy,
arise when I have to put
it’s just a matter of choosing the
them together – especially
right items and remembering
at the weekend.
less (flesh) is more. Swap the
Paul, Sharjah.
mini for just above the knee
length and get a great white
Think classics. For example, it’s
shirt that can look superb with
just not possible to go wrong
a skirt for work or jeans
with blue jeans and a polo. If
on the weekend.
you have a night on the town
Leave anything of
planned, go for jeans, shirt and
the mini variety to
a jacket – it's foolproof. Just
younger ladies.
don’t go too crazy on patterns
or bright colours, as I imagine
Skirt by Camilla and this is where you are going
Marc at Valleydez wrong. Keep away from trainers
by night and opt for a loafer
(muted tone) or dress shoe
instead.
What’s your advice for
winter dressing in the UAE?
I’m fed up with the lack
styles in Dubai for men’s
clothes, which seem better
suited to boys, not men. Top by H&M
Francois, Downtown Dubai.

This is a cry I hear from many

men in the UAE. You all seem
to be fine with suits, as we Shoes by Hermès

JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 45

To celebrate the
25th Anniversary
of Arabian Heritage Books
Motivate Publishing announces a
NATIONWIDE COMPETITION
Are you a budding amateur photographer or perhaps a professional with an extraordinary photo library?
This is your chance to have your photographs published in a superb quality coffee table book.

A P H S E V E R T A K E N
THE BEST PHOTOGR E S !
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In celebration of 25 years of book publishing, Motivate Publishing is
looking for the best culturally iconic images celebrating the history, Submission guidelines
heritage and diversity of the UAE. Each successful contributor will be
SUBMIT IMAGES TO: images@motivate.ae
credited and receive a complimentary copy of the hardback book
Submission deadline: 20 February 2011
worth Dhs 245.
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If we feature your image on the cover of the book, you win US$1,000! Maximum 5 submissions per person

Visit motivatepublishing.com for competition guidelines and entry forms.

 MIND & BODY

NEW

Zayna Spa
OPENING
Instant
Tightening
Serum
Don’t believe the hype
and shell out your dirhams
until you’ve read this. No
jargon, just the truth

ED
TEST

The capital’s latest – and placed on key body parts, along the spine and
largest – health club and in the palms of the hands to relax muscles
so the therapist can bust deep knots with-
spa opens its doors out using excessive pressure. The warmth is
obviously comforting, but is also known to
Abu Dhabi at rush hour. A hastily printed map help with problems such as back pain and WHY? Drink plenty of water, get eight
in hand, which soon ends up under the brake insomnia. A nice bonus. hours sleep, blah blah blah... The festive
pedal. Fairly choice language being muttered. Following a footbath, our therapist dimmed season was a heavy one, so it’s time to
Then, a breakthrough. A sign. Literally. To Al the lights and set to work on some seriously pull out the big guns to sort out our
Wadha Complex. The spa almost in sight… stressed shoulders. The hour flew by, as each knackered skin.
A new hotel opening brings good and bad – limb was warmed and manipulated into a state
the lure of somewhere exciting, maybe a fresh of slumber, leaving only our racing mind to fol- THEY SAY? The Instant Tightening
favourite, offset by the possibility that it’s not low sleepy suit. Not sure what they put in basalt Serum by Clinicans Complex uses
the greatest thing since sliced manakish and a stones these days, but it could knock out a horse. high-tech chemicals, 'superior bimodal
total pain in the proverbial to find. So would the It was with a deep sigh that we hopped back polymer' and elastin molecules for a
Grand Millennium’s new spa (at the largest health into the car and returned to the traffic, but the 'face-lift effect', to reduce lines and
club in the city, no less) live up to the hype? after-effects of the massage managed to keep wrinkles in seconds.
Far from the stuffy business hotel with the temper in check all the way home. A true
token spa that we feared, Zayna Spa is big and test of a spa treatment in the capital. WE SAY? Instant tightening indeed.
beautiful, with ten treatment rooms, relaxa- Zayna Spa, Grand Millennium Al Wadha, Hazza We looked like we’d stepped into a
tion areas, steam, sauna, rainforest showers Bin Zayed Street, Al Wahda Complex, Abu wind tunnel and it made our skin feel
and Jacuzzi. It also smells fantastic. Odd Dhabi, Dhs440. Tel: (02) 4439999. unnaturally tight. It wore off pretty
observation, but go with it. www.millenniumhotels.com quickly though. You wouldn’t want to use
After being greeted with a cool towel and cold this every day, but for emergencies and a
juice, it was time for some hot stones. Despite pre-party fix it could be a good addition
being one of the staples of any self-respecting “The hour flew to your beauty kit.
spa menu, the hot stone massage is still a bit of
a mystery to us. Could you get the same effect
by, as each limb Dhs250. www.clinicanscomplex.com
with a handful of gravel and a hot water bottle? was warmed and
After some research at home, apparently not. manipulated into ALSO RECOMMENDED: Guerlain
Hot stone massage uses smooth, flat basalt Midnight Secret, Dhs330 from Debenhams
rocks (known for retaining heat), which are a state of slumber”
JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 47

His‘n’hers
Our guy and gal hit the Talise Spa at Emirates Towers to test the luxury pampering
His
LOMI LOMI
HAWAIIAN MASSAGE
TALK US THROUGH IT
Though this massage sounds
Hawaiian, what exactly makes
it Hawaiian, I don’t know. No
wreath of flowers, no pineapple
and no outrageous shirts. But,
designed to reduce stress and
improve ‘circulation of energy’,
55 minutes of Lomi Lomi did
just that.
THE BEST BIT?
The spa has its own floor and is
more intimate than most. On
a Thursday afternoon I had the
changing room to myself.
ANY AWKWARD MOMENTS?
Nothing during the treatment,
but with six lifts to choose from
on the way out, judging which
one had stopped was not an easy
task. It was like trying to whack
the mole at the fairground.
HOW WERE THE DISPOSABLE
PANTS?
Big, roomy boxer shorts. The
only choice for the modern
gentleman.
SLEEP FACTOR?
I’m pretty sure this massage was
designed specifically to provoke
sleep. I was out after five min-
utes, even though I’d declined
the sleep inducing lavender oil.
WHO SHOULD GET
INVOLVED?
Tired, overworked and stressed
folk looking for somewhere to
escape for a few hours. Or even
just have a nap.
HOW MUCH AND HOW
LONG?
Dhs415 for 55 minutes. So not
cheap, not cheap at all.
Hers
FLOATATION
POOL
TALK US THROUGH IT
Very simple indeed. You can
book a quiet, private room
with a small, shallow pool for
between 15 minutes and an hour.
Filled with Epsom salts to make
you float, the weightlessness
helps your body to truly rest and
recover, promising the equiva-
lent of eight hour’s sleep.
THE BEST BIT?
You’re faced with an hour of
no interruptions which felt a
little daunting, but instead of the
minutes dragging I was able to do
some serious thinking and a little
snoozing, leaving very well rested.
ANY AWKWARD MOMENTS?
None at all, apart from overcom-
ing the weirdness of bobbing
around with a neck pillow in a
giant bath at Emirates Towers.
MIND & BODY
HOW WERE THE DISPOSABLE
PANTS?
Scant, but surplus to require-
ment anyway. Shout out to the
lovely fluffy pink dressing gown
though.
SLEEP FACTOR?
Some might struggle to switch
off and nap, but the floating,
inflatable pillow and earplugs
should send most people to
Bedfordshire.
WHO SHOULD GET
INVOLVED?
Jet-lagged or stressed execs and
those needing some genuine
quiet time. I couldn’t remember
the last time I had the chance to
relax alone without distractions.
Thoroughly recommended.
HOW MUCH AND HOW
LONG?
Dhs330 for an hour.
Talise Spa, Jumeirah Emirates
Towers, Dubai, 9am to 11pm.
Tel: (04) 3198181.
www.jumeirah.com
JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 49
 MIND & BODY
At home
spas
Forget the magical spell of
post-massage bliss being
broken by rush hour, a new
wave of spas are bringing
their expertise to you
N Style
This popular nail salon has added at-home
services to its already lengthy list of reasons to
love it. Famed for its clients watching Friends
while they get their nails done at its many
salons, you can now enjoy its charms from the
comfort of your own armchair. It’s not that
we’re lazy but… well, we are, actually. When
the price is the same, you don’t need to worry
about parking, can order pizza and watch Mo-
ment Of Truth (don’t judge) you know this will
revolutionise your beauty regimen. How about
waking up after a particularly bubbly brunch
and ordering a Thai massage with your Dial-
A-Whopper to sort you out?
We tried the Soho pedicure (Dhs190) which
includes soak, scrub and masque to leave
you with the feet of a giant newborn and a
back, neck and shoulder massage (Dhs65 for
30 minutes). With three therapists for two
of us, the evening passed in a speedy blur of
nail polish and mumblings of ‘we should do
this again’ as another knot was massaged into
submission. The ‘at-office’ service is appealing
too, but a lunchtime reflexology session might
Who else will
indulge you with
some pampering at
your pad?
Chez Toi
Kick-start your day with an express
facial or get ready to relax with a hot
stone massage. Chez Toi has a minimum
spend of Dhs120 and caters to all-female
gatherings like baby showers and
birthday parties, with monthly offers and
competitions on the website.
Chez Toi, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3397117.
www.cheztoibeauty.com
50 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011
Smile Dubai Express
Fear the dentist? What if the dentist came
to you? While we might be a few years
off at-home root canal work (shudder),
if you want teeth whitening from
your couch then read on. Smile Dubai
Express specialises in teeth whitening
parties (they also have a doctor who can
administer Botox, too), so you can either
host a night of your own, or go along to
one of their gatherings where you can
meet like-minded people with similarly
gleaming gnashers.
Smile Dubai Express, Dubai, Dhs1,500 for
teeth whitening including after-care kit.
Tel: (050) 8967781
mean we’ll have to start drawing up plans for
that George Costanza-style under-desk bed.
N Style. Tel: (04) 3401564. services@nstyleintl.com
Azur Spa
The doorbell rang and two smartly dressed
therapists, armed with enough luggage for
a trip round the world, quickly filled the
flat. In lightning speed a massage bed had
popped up behind the sofa and a nail station
appeared. Candles were lit, turquoise towels
draped and the mood was transformed from
cooking and MTV-watching chaos to a little
sanctuary on a Monday night.
Azur’s ‘spa on wheelz’ service – so good we’re
willing to overlook that z – is one of the few
companies that offer at-home treatments to
both men and women, so is great for a night in
with the other half. Once the, frankly bizarre,
concept of being on a massage bed in your liv-
ing room had been overcome, we couldn’t have
been happier and opted for a neck and shoulder
massage (Dhs70), pedicure (Dhs60) and reflex-
ology (Dhs45) each, followed by dinner. Wild
times. It was such a treat to sit in pj bottoms
getting a foot rub without having to get back in
the car after a spa sesh. But the big surprise was
actually the quality of the treatments – thera-
pists Aileen and Grace were charming, efficient
and superb at their jobs, leaving baby soft skin
and knot-free muscles in their wake. Azur’s staff
can turn their hands to all manner of treat-
ments, from eyelash extensions, spray tan and
an up-do before a party to waxing, threading
and Korean cupping (it the kind of things you
might not look your best after), and the prices
are really reasonable. You need never leave the
house again…
Azur spa on wheelz, Dubai. Minimum spend
Dhs300. Tel: (04) 4475284. www.azurspa.com
 MIND & BODY WIN!
The New Year Resolution
special at Senso
If you like the sound of Senso's January

Spa news
pamper package then read on. We have
two spa visits to give away and for your
chance to win, simply visit
www.winwithmotivate.com and
The best beauty bargains and answer this question:
Senso is in which hotel?
news this month a) Radisson NAVY
b) Radisson BLU
c) Radisson RED

NEW
OPENING

LA CONTOUR SPA
This new spa is offering their VelaSmooth Pro slimming treatments
at a discounted rate throughout January to get your weight-loss
campaign off to strong start. Using radio frequencies, infrared and SENSO WELLNESS CENTRE
deep tissue manipulation, this technique shifts fat deposits and Start the year off feeling good and looking great with the two and
smoothes skin. Sign up for eight sessions this month and you’ll half hour New Year’s Resolution package from Senso. You’ll get a
pay Dhs4,480 instead of Dhs6,400. full body massage of your choice, Anne Semonin facial to sort out
La Contour Spa, Tiffany Tower, JLT, Dubai, Dhs4,480. Tel: (04) 4473626. any peaky cheeks, then either a manicure or pedicure.
Senso Wellness Centre, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Media City, Dhs550.
CLUB OLYMPUS Tel: (04) 3669111
A family day out doesn’t have to involve food courts and mall
mania. This month the spa at Hyatt Regency Dubai is offering a AMARA SPA
package that includes a 60-minute aromatherapy massage for the Our favourite spot for a
parents, while up to three children have swimming lessons. pamper session, Amara is
Club Olympus, Hyatt Regency Dubai, Deira, Dubai, Dhs600 per family. offering a discounted price on
Tel: (04) 2091234 the Total Relaxation package
for January, reduced from
THE HEALTH CLUB Dhs958 per person to Dhs810.
Anti-ageing is the aim of the game at the Sheraton this month, The ritual begins with a hand
with a package to help turn back the clock and undo the damage and foot rose petal bath, you’re
done at Christmas parties (well, they’ll try their best – but some then treated to a 75-minute
of you pushed your luck). The facial takes 75 minutes and uses Ideal Carita facial and 45
Vivrecel products to promote cell regeneration for lifted, plump minutes of reflexology. Lunch
skin and freshness around the eyes. from the poolside menu is
The Health Club, Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort, Corniche Road, included.
Abu Dhabi, Dhs390. Tel: (02) 6773333 Amara Spa, Park Hyatt Dubai,
Deira, Dubai, Dhs810. Tel: (04)
THAI PRIVILEGE SPA 6021660
Enjoy five and a half hours of
luxury at TPS this month for TIPS & TOES
Dhs2,100 including a healthy Bargains aplenty in the January
lunch from the spa menu. sales at Tips & Toes. This month
Your day will be packed with you’ll receive 20 per cent off
traditional Thai spa rituals and massage treatments, enjoy a
hand-picked herbal products full body massage for Dhs160
to custom-design the most instead of Dhs200 or when
relaxing time possible. you book a mani-pedi add on
Thai Privilege Spa, 1074 a 20-minute head, neck and
Uttamah Villas, Al Wasl Road, shoulder massage for Dhs56.
Jumeirah, Dubai, Dhs2,100. Tel: Tips & Toes, Dubai. www.
(04) 3489679 tipsntoeshaven

52 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011


Run with us!
The Dubai Marathon is here.
So this, our penultimate
Run with us! column, is
dedicated to you brave
souls joining us as we set
out on our 41.84km journey
to the finish line and the
glory we have been striving
for over these long and
arduous months. It’s time,
fellow runners, to face our
destinies. But first, a final few
tips from our marathon guru
Chris Miller
As you read this, there is either only a short
couple of weeks until the Dubai Marathon on
January 21 or you’ve been incredibly slack, not
picked up the first What’s On of 2011 and it’s
already over. We will assume that you serious
runners out there, those mighty marathon
warriors who joined us on our righteous quest
and signed up to run the race beside us, fit
into the former category and need to hear our
marathon guru Chris Miller’s final pearls of
running wisdom. So here they are.
Firstly, if you’re going to buy a new pair of
trainers, do it at least two weeks before the
race so you can run them in. Do not, whatever
happens, don a virgin pair of pumps on the
day. You will get blisters.
“Tone down what you are doing a couple
of weeks before the race,” advises Chris. “Just
nice easy runs, especially in the last week,
and nothing in the last two to three days
beforehand.”
During those last few days you should book
yourself a massage, make sure your mobility is
good and do plenty of stretching.
And the night before the big day?
“It’s a big thing,” says Chris. “People,
especially if it’s their first marathon, get
nervous or excited, but it’s important you get a
good night’s sleep.”
But before you hit the sack you should eat a
healthy meal with plenty of carbs and protein,
make sure you have all your kit laid out, ready
for the morning, and drink plenty of water.
“Make sure you hydrate,” warns Chris. “You
should be doing that anyway, but the day before
make sure you drink enough and on the day
itself make sure you stay hydrated. Here in the
SPORT & OUTDOOR
Team What's On put
through their paces
UAE, even during winter, the heat can be quite
dehydrating when you’re exercising outside.”
But you’ll need more than good ol’ H20 to
get you through. Exercising for more than 90
minutes will deplete the energy resources in
your muscles, so you will have to replenish
them with energy drinks to avoid suffering
from cramps. And make sure you stick to the
drink you’ve used during your training.
“If you’ve found a good energy drink that
doesn’t upset your stomach and you’ve been
using it for a while, whatever you do, don’t
change it,” warns Chris.
“I said there’s nothing worse than running
with blisters, but there’s definitely nothing
worse than running with diarrhoea.”
Other than that, warm up properly and
ready your mind.
“Remember it’s your race, you don’t have to
prove anything to anybody. You make it over
the line, you get a medal just like everybody
else,” says Chris. “And when the gun goes, don’t
go for broke. It’s a long way 42km and you have
to run your own race, run how you’ve been
Chris Miller training, don’t let the excitement of the day get
dispenses the advice to you too much so you burn out too early.”
Good luck. See you at the finish line.
RUN WITH US!
Join our free weekly What’s On training session with Chris and Mr Fitness at Safa Park, 6.30am every
Monday. For more information, contact gareth@motivate.ae. Also keep an eye on our Twitter
(twitter.com/WhatsOnDubai) and Facebook (facebook.com/WhatsOnDubai) for updates and our
blog (www.runwhatsonrun.wordpress.com) for more detailed advice.
JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 55
 SPORT & OUTDOOR

Got a fitness
question for

Mr Fitness
Our resident exercise
guru answers your
health and
fitness questions
The free weight area in
my gym is full of well-
muscled types and is pretty
intimidating. As a result I
stick to the machines – am I
missing out?
James, Palm Jumeirah
My gut instinct is to say yes.
However, it depends on your
reason for training. If the
free weight area is full of
people that you want to look
like, then I would say get
in there, get to know some
of them and get involved in
their training. That is not to
say that the machines won’t
help you out to a degree, but
if you have been training
for more than a few months
then I would suggest that
you are ready to progress to
the free weights.
I eat pretty well during the
day but sometimes wake up
in the night with cravings.
How can I curb the late
night fridge raiding?
Beverly, Tourist Club Area,
is a simple saying, ‘if you own
it, you’ll eat it’. So, if you are
craving something that you
feel is not good for you, then
the simplest thing to do is not
have it in the house or fridge,
therefore you simply cannot
eat it. Protein and good fats
tend to me more satiating,
which means they leave you
feeling more full. By ensuring
that your last meal of the
day is based on these two
macronutrients, you should
hopefully not feel the need to
snack late at night.
As a woman I want to be
editor-w @m
that you should be doing
aren’t all that different
to those female body
builders or other female
athletes do. The major
difference is female body
builders generally train at
a much higher volume and
frequency than the average
trainee, and they consume
a lot more food. I’m glad
that you recognise the need
to strength train and would
love it if you trusted me
when I say that, if done
properly, you won’t get
bulky. Some of the exercises
I would recommend are split
squats, dead-lift variations,
pull-ups (or a regression of )
and an overhead pressing
movement.
James?
E-mail
o otivate.ae
I prefer to avoid gyms and
exercising in public, so I've
decided to invest in some
equipment to use at home. I
can afford one machine and
some weights. What do you
recommend I buy?
Praveen, Bur Dubai
The equipment needed to
get awesome results at home
doesn’t need to be particularly
complicated. One of my
former clients got fantastic
results using just Power
Blocks (adjustable dumbbells),
a rowing machine and a TRX.

Abu Dhabi
Without knowing more about
your nutritional habits or
what it is you are craving, it
is going to be difficult to give
you the right strategy to curb
your late night fridge raiding.
Here are a couple you might
want to try though… There
1/4 AD
well toned and know I
should be doing strength
training, but I really don’t
want to bulk up or look
like a female body builder.
What exercises should I be
doing?
Tina, Jumeirah
In all honesty, the exercises

What Mr Fitness James Houghton doesn't know about

staying healthy isn't worth knowing. In his seven
years as a personal trainer, he's helped West End
actresses lose the pounds and worked with the Arabian Gulf
rugby sevens team to keep them in peak condition.

JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 57

 SPORT & OUTDOOR
Sports
shorts
A duet of new year
sporting events
SEEING REDS
If you’re not aged between
seven and 16, stop
reading now. If you
are, demand that
your parents
send you to the
ten-week Man-
chester United
Soccer Schools
programme. You
will spend 12.5 hours
on the pitch learning how
to become the next midfield
sensation and if you score
enough goals you could be
one of two people sent to
Manchester to compete in
the MUSS World Skills Final. If
you’re not, you still walk home
with a Man United training
kit, bag, bottle and ball.
Jan 8, Manchester United Soc-
cer Schools, Dome@Rawdhat,
Abu Dhabi, Dhs1,650. Tel: (02)
4498480. www.manutdsoccer-
schools.ae
JOLLY HOCKEY STICKS
Did you ever see that movie
The Mighty Ducks, starring
Emilio Estevez as a junior ice
hockey coach? Come on, it
was a classic of the 1990s! Well,
fortunately for you, the Emir-
ates Hockey League Cup pre-
liminary matches will be taking
place February 2, 9 and 16
and March 9 at Dubai Ice Rink.
That’s right, you can watch the
Dubai Mighty Camels (see,
they’ve seen it), Abu Dhabi
Scorpions, Abu Dhabi Storms,
Al Ain Theebs and Al Ain Vipers
fight it out for a place in the
semi-finals. And it’s free.
From Feb 2, Emirates Hockey
League Cup, Dubai Ice Rink,
The Dubai Mall, Dubai, 8.15pm,
free. Tel: (04) 4485111. www.
dubaiicerink.com
58 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011
Triathlon man
We’ll be running the Dubai
Marathon and preparing for
the RAK Half this month, but
if you’re still looking for that
spark of inspiration, the Tri Yas
triathlon at Yas Marina Circuit
is sure to provide it. We’ll be
there cheering on our fellow
marathon man and local boy
Eissa Raisi as he competes in
his first multi-discipline event.
Come on, Eissa!
When did you start running?
When I was young I played football for a club in Al
Ain and I twisted my knee, so I shifted to endurance
horse riding and then I started marathon running
last year.
Just last year?
That’s right, my first marathon was in 2009 in Dubai.
I had never run an official race before, but I did it
with two friends and it was great fun. We finished in
around four hours. I’m running the Dubai Marathon
again this month. I ran the RAK Half last year and
I’ve signed up to do that again as well.
We’re running both of those races. How did you
do in RAK last year?
I finished it in one hour fifty.
Beat us by eight minutes. How many marathons
have you run?
I’ve done four marathons now. Dubai was my first,
then I ran one in Beirut, one in Prague and recently
one in Istanbul. It’s the only marathon where you run
from one continent to another – from Asia to Europe,
over the Bosphorus Bridge. I got cramp after 20km but That must have been agony. Why have you
I forced myself to finish the marathon. It took a long decided to punish yourself with a triathlon?
time – about five and a half hours. But I finished it. It’s fun. The training for Yas has been more
interesting than training for a marathon. I have been
working with my American friend. One day we go
swimming 1.5km, one day we go running and once a
week we go cycling. I’ve been preparing for this race
since before I went to Istanbul two months ago, but
I’ve been swimming now for six or seven months.
What’s next?
Well, there’s Dubai and RAK and then I have signed
up for a marathon in Barcelona in March. But
Iron Man is my goal. I have the schedule. For three
months you have to train for at least two disciplines
a day. So in one day you may have to do a 1km swim,
then run 16km and cycle 20km. Then the next day
you have to do a little bit more.
Jan 14, Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, from
1pm, free. Tel: (02) 4460384. www.yasmarinacircuit.ae
 VOTE TODAY

Who wins...? You decide!

Vote for your favourite restaurant, bar, nightclub, weekend
getaway hotel, concert and sporting event in Abu Dhabi

VOTING IS EASY
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address to 3908(Etisalat)* or 4478(du)* (*Dhs3 charge applies for every SMS vote)
3 By logging onto www.whatsonawards.com
MUSIC BANTHDE
OF TH
MON

Jay
Wud
Jay Wud’s album New Blood has the
perfect title, he’s so far from the man-
ufactured, reality TV pop acts and
even contrived wannabe rebel ‘musi-
cians’, that there’s a unique, other-
worldly feel to this soulful rocker. But
with his velvet jacket, quiet smile and
affable manner, the man belies the
music and lyrics on his debut record,
which is packed with raw chords, po-
litical references to his hometown of
Beirut and international influences.
Overwhelmingly though, what will
scream from your speakers is rock ‘n’
roll, making it all the more impressive
that this 27-year-old is the sole musi-
cian on the self-penned album; from
vocals and guitar to production, New
SHOT ON LOCATION AT SKI DUBAI

Blood is the result of nearly two years

of work. Jay has already supported
Aerosmith and Robert Plant, but
2011 could well be the year we clutch
tickets for a big solo show by this cool
character.
www.jaywud.com

JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 61

 CLUB DIARY
This month’s clubbing highlights

1
Big Day Out @ Nasimi Beach
Infusion Magazine presents 36 of Dubai's
7
D*I*R*T*Y D*I*S*C*O @ SYNF
Back-to-back asterisk-strewn disco delights
7
D*I*R*T*Y D*I*S*C*O
@ SYNF
top DJs dropping trip-hop to funk. from local residents Da:Funct, Just Some Kid
Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai, 2am to 2pm, Dhs50 and Bicep.
to Dhs100, free for ladies 2pm to 6pm. Tel: Trilogy, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, 10pm to
(050) 8717493. www.atlantisthepalm.com 3am, Dhs80 to Dhs100. Tel: (055) 8825675

Residents Retox Party @ MustHaveSoul WEEKLY

Ease into 2011 with soulful dance (residents
weekly from January 8 onwards).
360°, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, 4pm
to 2am, free. Tel: (055) 6160643. www.
musthavesoul.com
Residents @ MustHaveSoul
MustHaveSoul mainstays plus Skylite
resident Alex L drop soulful gems, in what's
becoming a hot little party for the capital
crew.

3
Skylite, The Yas Hotel, Abu Dhabi, 4pm
to 2am, free. Tel: (055) 6160643. www.
musthavesoul.com

WEEKLY
Afif Trio featuring Phillippa @ It's Alive
Jazz standards garnished by Phillippa's
sultry vocals.
Cavalli Club, Fairmont Hotel, Sheikh Zayed
Road, Dubai, 8pm to 11.30pm, free. Tel: (04)
Solomun @ Trilogy
Expect redefined Euro house from the
German-based co-founder of the Diynamic
label. Definitely worth checking out.
Trilogy, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, 10pm to
3am, Dhs100 to Dhs130, ladies free before
11pm. Tel: (050) 7258277.

14
3329260. www.cavalliclubdubai.com

6
WEEKLY
Afroboogie @ NEO Nights
Deep, percussive and banging tech
monsters from Afroboogie.
Sensation, Crowne Plaza, Sheikh Zayed Road,
Dubai, 10pm to 3am, free. Tel: (04) 3324383.
www.afroboogie.com
Franck Roger @ Trilogy
French deep house don/Real Tone label
boss Roger recreates a slice of 1990s
Parisian spirit for the always-up-for-it Trilogy
regulars. Fun, fun, fun.
Trilogy, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, 10pm to
3am, Dhs100 to Dhs130, ladies free before
11pm. Tel: (050) 7258277.

1 14 Hisham Zahran
@ Audio Tonic
Big Day Out @
Nasimi Beach

Rising Egyptian talent played here in over two years. I choose

Hisham Zahran has been
hotly tipped, notably on
Radio 1. Currently based
in Alexandria, he co-runs
the label, Union Jack,
and also operates as
a production duo with
younger brother Adham
Are you looking forward to Audio
Tonic?
Definitely. I’ve been in contact about
this gig for almost two years but every
time something happens, so I’m just
excited I’m finally playing. I’ve been
to Dubai a couple of times, but never
as a DJ. I have family there and a lot
of friends working there. I'm looking
forward to seeing everyone.
What’s Egypt’s house scene like?
Pretty much non-existent. I haven't
not to get involved; it’s only going to
bring me down.
Tell us about your sibling
production duo...
We’ve just started, we have a few
releases in the pipeline. We’ve never
DJ’d together. He has a different style,
much deeper house than I play. He’s
only 20. I think he’s going to smoke me
in the next couple of years, make me
look foolish!
What are your hopes for 2011?
Hopefully get enough gigs so I can quit
my day job. I work at a bank, it’s not
very exciting. I don’t belong there to
be honest, but I have to see some signs
first. You can’t be foolish with your life,
chase a dream and end up eating tuna
from a can for a whole month!
360°, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, 4pm
to 2am, free. Tel: (050) 1076405. www.
myspace.com/hzahran

62 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011


21
WHAT'S ON PICK
Craig Richards @ Trilogy
Long-time resident at legendary London
nightspot Fabric rolls out his patented tech
house eclectica.
Trilogy, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, 10pm to
3am, Dhs100 to Dhs130, ladies free before
11pm. Tel: (050) 7258277.
27
DJane Simone @ Zenith Party
German house lady brings an invasion of
funky beats and sexy tribal rhythms.
Sheraton Abu Dhabi, Corniche Road, Abu
Dhabi, 9pm to 3.30am, Dhs100, couples and
ladies free. Tel: (02) 6773333
3
Afif Trio featuring
Phillippa @ It's Alive
13 Bob Sinclar @
Atelier
Atelier’s season-closing party
presents the French house
star behind globe-straddling
hits Love Generation and
Rock This Party (Everybody
Dance Now). His latest single
Tik Tok, featuring Sean Paul, is
out now
As a glamorous guy, do you love the
Dubai lifestyle?
I am not living that luxury every day.
But when there is luxury people always
want to have fun, party and the most
beautiful girls arrive, of course. We’re
ready to have a very beautiful party.
What inspired your current greatest-
hits-done-reggae-style album, Made
In Jamaica?
I’ve been going to Jamaica five years
now since I met the singer of Love
Generation, Gary Pine [of Bob Marley’s
The Wailers]. I met Sly & Robbie and
spent 15 days in their studio. I wanted
GETTY IMAGE S \ GRAPHEAST
to recreate the theme they had in 1979
for the Serge Gainsbourg album Aux
Armes Et Cætera. I’m a big fan of him.
The album is up for a Grammy. Are
you attending the ceremony?
Yeah. I have two invitations, so if I go
with my mother she will be very proud.
CLUB DIARY
28
Dorian Paic @ Trilogy
21 David
Vendetta @
Sven Väth's Cocoon-associated spinner lines
up a set of quality German techno/house.
Trilogy, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, 10pm to
Diablo Red
3am, Dhs100 to Dhs130, ladies free before
11pm. Tel: (050) 7258277.
WHAT'S ON PICK
Steve Mill @ Audio Tonic
Carpet
Grecian goodness from producer/DJ
aligned with respected UK house imprint
Urban Torque.
360°, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, 4pm to
2am, free. Tel: (050) 1076405. www.stevemill.
com
French house head Do you enjoy playing Dubai?
Every time I've performed there I was
David Vendetta found very impressed by the clubs, the sound
favour in the Middle quality and the resident DJs. People
East with hit single are very open-minded; they truly love
music and listen with interest. My radio
Yama Layali, featuring show is a huge success in Dubai. It’s a
Lebanese singer Haifa real pleasure to perform there and an
Wehbe, from last year's honour to play the opening of Diablo.
Diablo is Spanish for devil. Do you
album Vendetta. He harbour a devilish dark side?
graces Diablo’s swanky I won’t say devilish, but as a DJ I have
a dark side, which emerges when I’m
opening weekend playing clubs. During the day I'm David
Paparusso and I have normal activities:
Did you notice your popularity in I work in my studio, I’m with my family.
the Middle East increase after Yama But by night I become David Vendetta
Layali? and I’m absorbed in music.
Yes. I decided to work with Haifa
Diablo, IBN Battuta Gate Hotel, Dubai,
Wehbe because I wanted to offer my
fans a track entirely sung in Arabic. It is 10pm to 3am, free (reservations only).
Tel: (050) 9666408/(050) 9666414. www.
a gift to them. davidvendetta.com
Love Generation was a football
World Cup anthem. What do you
make of the Middle East hosting the
2022 finals?
Ah yes, why not. It’s very ambitious to
21
have stadiums with air conditioning,
but Qatar can do that. They have huge
ideas. Maybe there is only desert, but
they like to entertain people.
Chi @ The Lodge, Al Nasr Leisureland,
Dubai, 10pm to 4am, Dhs150 to Dhs450. Craig Richards
Tel: (04) 3379470. www.bobsinclar.com @ Trilogy
JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 63
 TRAVEL

The great outdoors

Just a short train journey from
Milan, the small Swiss city LONG
of Ascona on the shore of HAUL
Lake Maggiore will provide a
rejuvenating break from the
hustle and bustle

Historians chortle that the one good thing fascist

dictator Benito Mussolini achieved during his time
in charge of Italy was to make the trains run on
time. And now, a good 70 years since brutal Ben
was strung up to a lamppost with a handy length
of piano wire, the Italian train service is still one of
Europe’s most efficient.
Incidentally, not long before Mussolini took
charge of Italy, dancer Rudolf von Laban had
opened an art school on Ascona’s Monte Verità (Hill
of Truth) in the Swiss canton of Ticino – a mere two
hour train journey from Milan.
Rudolf is long gone, but fortunately there is
a train from Milan in the north of Italy to the
Swiss city of Ascona – and it runs regularly and
on time. Milan is a popular destination for UAE
travellers and much has been written about its many
appealing facets, but if you’re making the eight-hour
flight to Italy why not stay an extra few days? And
if you do, we advise you take the two-hour train
journey to Ascona and live life slowly for a while
in an environment that is as far removed from the
noise and befuddling pace of life in the UAE as
Mussolini was from Rudolf von Laban.
Ascona is a small city in the district of Locarno
and it’s beautifully and picturesque in an authentic
rather than a postcard kind of way. If you’re
fortunate enough to be staying at Ascona’s foremost
establishment, the five-star Hotel Eden Roc, you will
be positioned perfectly just a brisk pootle from the
beach, Ascona village and the piazza right on the
shore of the shimmering Lake Maggiore where the
famous New Orleans Jazz Festival Ascona is held in
June and July.
You could easily spend a week just wandering
around, savouring the cuisine at one of the many
waterfront restaurants, all composed of beautifully
fresh local produce, and maybe enjoying the
Lake view: the church of Ronco
activities on offer at the dedicated water sports sopra Ascona beside the majestic
school. But there are three things you simply must
ISTOCK

Lake Maggiore
do in Ascona: see the village sights and walk to the

JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 65

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Take a hike: there's no better
place for a brisk stroll than the lush
Verzasca Valley
top of Monte Verità, take a motorboat trip on
Lake Maggiore and go for a long hike through
one of the surrounding valleys.
The best way to gain a sense of place and
learn the history of Ascona is to book a
guided tour of the town and climb the Hill
of Truth. We contacted the local tourist
board, Ticino Turismo (www.ticino.ch), and
spent two hours exploring Ascona with a
knowledgeable and friendly local lady who
had a real love for her hometown. In the
village, we took a look at the two churches,
Pietro e Paolo and Maria della Misericordia
e Collegio Papio and the Ghiriglioni Castle,
which is now a luxury hotel, before beginning
the gradual ascent of Monte Verità. There is
a steep stone stairway from the village to the
top of the mountain, but unless you’re feeling
particularly energetic, it’s best to save that for
the way down.
Monte Verità is a mountain with an
interesting story. It was just another hill until
1900 when Henry Oederkoven, a 25-year-old
from a rich Belgian family, set up a vegetarian
colony with his partner Ida Hoffmann, but
since then it has attracted all manner of weird
and wonderful individuals looking to live
the utopian dream. German brothers Karl
and Gustav Gräser joined the commune, but
when Oederkoven and Hoffmann decided to
transform it into a sanatorium and welcome
visitors, the brothers ran off into the woods.
One of them was never seen again (maybe he’s
still there?).
Monte Verità soon began to attract thinkers
and creative types ranging from psychiatrist
Carl Gustav Jung to writer Hermann Hesse and
Rudolf van Laban, who set up that dance school.
From the mid-1920s to the mid-1960s
Baron Eduard Von der Heydt ran a hotel on
the mountain before donating it to Canton
Ticino who built a conference centre that
today hosts a variety of cultural events. You
can still see some of the structures, outdoor
baths and contraptions built by Oederkoven
and his cooperative, as well as visit a museum
TRAVEL | ASCONA
24 HOURS IN MILAN
A guide to how to spend your brief
time in the Italian style capital
Your journey from the UAE to Ascona
will begin with a flight to Milan, from
there you will have to catch your train
to Ascona from Milano Centrale station.
Make sure you book an overnight flight
arriving early in the morning, check
yourself into the exquisite Radisson
Blu Hotel (www.radissonblu.com), dig
out your camera, grab a map of the city
centre from the concierge and catch a
tram into central Milan for a few hours
of sightseeing around much maligned,
but actually remarkably attractive,
city. The tram journey from the hotel
will take about 30 minutes, carrying
you through the ramshackle outskirts
right into the centre. Hop off when you
see the crowds and make your way to
Piazza del Duomo to take a look at the
city’s famous gothic cathedral. If you’re
hungry, have a bite to eat at one of the
touristy restaurants. Some may frown
at this advice, but Italian cooking is
spot on in most places and we enjoyed
a classic risotto Milanese and a glass of
wine for just Dhs50. In the afternoon
take a stroll down Milan’s famous
shopping street Quadrillatero d’Oro
and ogle the designer fashion before
visiting the museum at La Scala opera
house and, if you have time and have
booked tickets, the Santa Maria delle
Grazie church to view Leonardo da
Vinci’s The Last Supper (www.vivaticket.
it). You should be back at your hotel
in time to download your pics, order
a pizza from room service and get an
early night before rising for breakfast
and your morning train to Ascona.
Night life: eat at one of the
small restaurants with a prime
view of the harbour
JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 67
 TRAVEL | ASCONA
Boat trip: take a boat trip across
Lake Maggiore and see Ascona
from a different perspective
and the Japanese teahouse and garden. And
on your way back down, make sure to pause
for a moment to enjoy the panoramic views of
Ascona and Lake Maggiore below.
If you want to see Ascona from a different
perspective, hire a motorboat and pilot from
the hotel’s marina. You can spend an hour
skidding across the crisp waters, past the
house of the current owner of the Falke sock
empire (he owns a handsome boat as well,
which can be seen bobbing about near his
own personal jetty). Cruise past the botanical
gardens on Isole di Brissago (a boat daily
service ferries tourists to the island), and the
surrounding hills and various colourful house
lining the shore. After your boat trip, pop into
the Eden Roc Marina restaurant, order a glass
of the local white wine and some fresh fish
and enjoy the view of the lake your lunch used
to call home.
Finally, no matter how slothful you are
feeling, you must go hiking. It’s the best way to
relish the dramatic natural bounty of the area.
We caught a bus from outside the train
station in Locarno and started the long chug
up the winding slope towards Sonogno –
the final village in the eye-poppingly scenic
Verzasca Valley. During the hour-long journey
you will pass the dam featured in Bond movie
Golden Eye, the impressive 17th century Ponte
dei Salti Bridge in Laverezzo and numerous
charming villages. When you reach Sonogno,
you will be 919 metres above sea level and at
the start of what is billed as a two-hour hike
(we did it in 90 minutes) to the picturesque
village of Gerra further down the valley. The
trail is very well signposted allowing you to
68 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011
Making a splash: adventurous
types leap from the Ponte dei
Salti bridge in Lavertezzo
enjoy the scenery without worrying about
getting lost in the wilderness. As you follow
the Verzasca, shrouded by the grassy slopes
of the valley and under the shadow of lanky
trees and luscious green foliage, you will pass
the odd cow, historic villages replete with grey
stone buildings in various states of repair and
a dairy farm before reaching Gerra. And then
you’ll know exactly why you decided to visit
Switzerland in the first place.
Fresh fish: order fish straight
from the lake at Eden Roc's
Marina restaurant
Need to know
WHERE TO STAY
Hotel Eden Roc
If you’re visiting Ascona, you’ll be looking to
make the most of one of the most relaxing
environments in Europe, and there’s no
better way to do so than checking into the
Hotel Eden Roc. The five-star hotel excels
at understated, European style and luxury
(none of the extravagance found in the
UAE) with friendly and extremely helpful
staff led by manager Jens Wycisk, a variety
of large suites facing Lake Maggiore as
well as a number of cheaper rooms. There’s
also the lovely new Eden Roc Spa where a
masseuse soothed our aching muscles after
our long hike, several restaurants, including
chef Rolf Krapf’s Le Brezza where we ate
a multi-course gourmet meal, and the
hotel's own private marina and water sports
school. The hotel will also happily assist
with tours of the town, boat trips and hiking
expeditions.
Hotel Eden Roc, Ascona, Switzerland. Tel: +41
(0) 917857171. www.edenroc.ch
HOW TO GET THERE
Flight
LEmirates Airline flies direct from Dubai to
Milan with prices from Dhs4,185 return and
Qatar Airways goes via Doha with prices
from Dhs3,065 return
L Etihad Airways flies direct from Abu Dhabi
to Milan with prices from Dhs4,115 return
Train
Regular trains run from Milano Centrale
to Bellinzona and from Bellinzona on to
Locarno, just a short taxi ride from Ascona.
Ticket prices from Dhs150.
CURRENCY
CHF100 = Dhs380
 TRAVEL | TRAVELS WITH...
Travels with…
Tony Wheeler
Lonely Planet founder and
director Tony Wheeler was
born a traveller, growing
up in the UK, Pakistan, West
Indies and the USA. He
produced his first travel book
after a trip across Asia in
1972, and went on to create
a company that has more
than 500 travel titles in print
today
Gotta get out of this place?
Read on for top travel
bargains
ROME
Walk off those Christmas calories and take
in some spectacular sights with this reduced
priced mini-break. It’s time for a Roman
holiday. Until March 31 you can get return
flights, four nights in the elegant De La Ville
InterContinental Hotel Rome, daily
breakfast, one complimentary
dinner and taxes included from
Dhs4,985 per person based on
two people sharing.
www.dnataholidays.com
70 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011
What’s the best holiday you’ve ever had?
I joined a bunch of ‘been everywhere’ travellers
on a month-long trip up the west coast of Africa
in a chartered aircraft – a 50-year-old Convair
580. How often do you get to go from Capetown
to Casablanca via Namibia, Angola, Benin,
Gabon, Central African Republic, Mali and
other countries on the ‘seldom visited’ list? In
fact, a lot of my best trips have been in Africa
– a year ago I bicycled 1,000km through
Tanzania and Malawi, the year before I
climbed Mount Kilimanjaro,
the year before that I drove
from London to Banjul in Gambia.
What’s been your biggest travel disaster?
Touch wood, I’ve always got back and started
thinking about the next trip, so really nothing
could qualify as a disaster.
If you could advise people to visit one
destination, what would it be?
China. It’s heading rapidly towards becoming
the world’s number one tourist destination,
it’s big in every measure and going through
so many changes, so fast that if you just stand
still for ten minutes everything shifts. It’s also
getting easier and easier to travel around and
yet it can still spring surprises on you.
What are your three top tips for surviving
a long airport stopover?
A good novel, a laptop with Wi-Fi so you
can catch up on work or contacts and a good
KERALA
Forget the frantic
city of Delhi, verdant,
peaceful Kerala in Southern India couldn’t
be more different to the rest of the country.
This Air Arabia package will whisk you
to the backwaters where you’ll stay for
three nights in a premium resort. The
Dhs2,130 price tag includes return flights,
accommodation, boat trips, Ayurvedic
massage and full board, taxes, surcharges
and visa for India.
www.airarabia.com
TRAVEL
EXTRA
guidebook so you can escape the
airport and go look around the town or
somewhere else nearby.
What do you never travel without?
My GPS. I like to know where I am, where I’m
going and how fast I’m getting there.
What destination serves the best food?
Melbourne in Australia. So many different
cuisines, so much food culture (chefs are
celebrities) and Melbournians take coffee
seriously – how many cities have forced
Starbucks to pack their bags and go home?
www.lonelyplanet.com
“I like to know where I am,
where I’m going and how
fast I’m getting there”
ISTOCK
CAPE TOWN
The weather is amazing
at the moment in
cosmopolitan Cape Town, so
it’s the ideal time to explore
the beaches, vineyards,
mountains and fishing villages.
This special offer luxurious break includes
return flights accommodation at the
One&Only hotel with breakfast, and if you
buy three nights you’ll get the fourth free.
From Dhs8,910.
www.emirates-holidays.com
businessatone

Snack on cracking deals during business hours,

choose from three wonderful Business Meals.
AED29 for Business Breakfast at T-Garden
Choice of hot beverage plus viennoiserie or pastry.
AED58 for Lebanese Lunch at Sahriye
Includes an appetizer, main course & dessert.
AED99 for South East Fusion Lunch at Wokcano
Includes an appetizer, main course & dessert.
AED140 for a Steak - Lunch at 18oz
Includes an appetizer, main course & dessert.

Sahriye offers free home delivery within Abu Dhabi city.

Minimum order AED100.

Weekend room rates starting from AED345*

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For restaurant bookings or more information call : 02 4952000

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info.thevillage@onetoonehotels.com onetoonehotels.com GPS coordinates +24° 28' 31.11", +54° 23' 16.84"
THE HOT LIST
Key
New entry

Non-mover

Up

Down

p75 Bars
p79 Restaurants
p83 Brunches
p87 Spas
BICE

JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 73

 Available at all leading retail outlets
in the Gulf and at

Published with the support of

PO Box 2331 Dubai UAE Tel +971 4 282 4060 Fax +971 4 282 7898 books@motivate.ae
PO Box 43072 Abu Dhabi UAE Tel +971 2 677 2005 Fax +971 2 677 0124 motivate-adh@motivate.ae
 THE HOT LIST THE
FINEST FOR
BEVERAGES
BARS AND
BITES

Caramel Belgian Beer Cafe

ATMOSPHERE LOCATION BEST FOR PRICE WHAT’S ON INFO

SAYS...

1
Filled with pretty At the centre of Meet friends for a It’s far from cheap Building 3, DIFC,
Great Dubai, Sun to Thurs
girls and men with a DIFC, Caramel’s quick post-work – neighbourhood
atmosphere, the 11am to 2am.
pretty healthy bank leafy terrace offers drink, be tempted hazard – but ladies
chance of celeb- Tel: (04) 4256677.
balance, Caramel respite from the by the menu then get half price
spotting and www.carameldubai.
is packed with the concrete jungle, settle in until cocktails from
Caramel seriously good com
beautiful people. while inside you’ll midnight. Try the 6pm to 9pm on
food. We’re sold.
find a city-style bar. kobe sliders. Tuesdays.

2
Depends when you Slap bang in the Music and serious Ouch. The dirhams We’re willing Jumeirah Beach Hotel,
go. It’s chilled on Arabian Gulf, we posing. Dubai’s finest stack up if you Al Sufouh, Dubai, Sun
to overlook the
Friday and Saturday recommended break out their finery arrive early and to Thurs 5pm to late,
slow service for Fri and Sat 4pm to
afternoons but catching a golf come Friday for leave late. the tunes and 2am. Tel: (04) 4068769
once the sun sets, buggy up the jetty those all-important views.
360˚ the party goes off. to 360’s gangplank. photos ops.

3
Well slick. Glass, Zuma was the first Break out the Hugo You can go a Come along Building 6, DIFC,
dark wood, low big-hitter to set Boss, shine those bit wild on the Dubai, Fri to Wed noon
from 4pm on
slung sofas and a up shop in DIFC, shoes and get your wine and sakes, to 2am, Thurs noon to
January 29 3am. Tel: (04) 4255660.
terrace perfect for starting quite the best garb on. This but cocktails are to enjoy the www.zumarestaurant.
post-work drinks. trend. It’s still at lounge is anything reasonable. High new Saturday com
Zuma the heart of this but casual. prices at a high Sessions with
nightlife hub. quality bar. What's On.

4
Miami pool party. Media City. One Mingling. This Pretty decent, Try the evening Media One, Dubai
DJ under the stars. of the last places place is packed actually, with high Media City, Dubai, Tues
brunch on a
That constant you’d expect to find with revellers both rollers getting to Sat noon to 3am. Tel:
Friday then head (04) 4271000. www.
threat of being watery debauchery. post-brunch and poolside tables. out to the pool mediaonehotel.com
thrown in the deep mid-week. Go with to continue the
M Dek end. We love it. a group. party.

5
Varies wildly Right on the beach. Quiet sundowners What's going on The Marmite Le Méridien Mina
between laid-back Split between with the sand with the Dhs100 Seyahi Resort &
of the bar
cool on the beach, poolside and between your toes. entry cost? Not Spa, Dubai Marina,
scene, you can’t Dubai, 11am to 2am.
to mania at the bar – beachside, there’s When the hoards of impressed. deny Barasti’s Tel: (04) 3993333.
it’s a brave man that usually a quiet or sunburnt tourists popularity. www.lemeridien-
Barasti pushes to the front hot spot depending turn up it’s your cue minaseyahi.com
on a Friday night. on what you’re after. to leave.

NOVEMBER 2010 WHAT’S ON 75

JANUARY 2011
 HOT ON
THE HEELubSai Marinai
BARS 11 Blends,
e Address D
Th
12 The Gra
mercy, DIFC all
M
e Ad dress Dubai
13 Neos, Th , The Westin
14 Se nyar
lam
r, Mina A’Sa
15 Bahri Ba

The Terrace Barasti

ATMOSPHERE LOCATION BEST FOR PRICE WHAT’S ON INFO

SAYS...

6
The wooden pews Don't dismiss If you’re in the There’s a Monday Crowne Plaza Festival
Nab a table on City, Dubai, Sun to
are packed with Festival Centre mood for some night all you can eat the terrace and
friends having as the land of European charm, moules and beer Mon 6pm to 2am, Tue
watch the sun to Wed noon to 2am,
dinner, while IKEA, the BBC is this is the only pub affair for Dhs199. set over the Thurs and Fri noon to
outside on the king of a huge to go to. Bargain Belgian. skyline with a 3am. Tel: (04) 7012222.
Belgian Beer terrace it's a bit swathe of bars and beer in hand. www.ichotelsgroup.
Cafe more romantic. restaurants in this com
down part of town.

7
Civilised, with Right on the creek A few drinks, Reasonable given Don’t leave Park Hyatt Dubai,
outdoor tables at one of the most lovely canapés the stunning Deira, Dubai, Sun to Fri
without
overlooking the beautiful hotels in and picking out setting and quality from 6pm to 1am, Tel:
sampling the (04) 3172222. www.
yachts and killer the land. which boat you’d of fare. raw bar. dubai.park.hyatt.com
cocktails. have. The Pershing,
The Terrace please.

8
Fix up, look sharp In the tallest Money to burn? As steep as the Burj The bar is Armani Hotel, Burj
and bring your building in the This is the place for Khalifa. Order at Khalifa, Old Town,
beautiful but
A-game to this world. Dress to you. Also great for your peril. Dubai, Mon to Sat
definitely one 10pm to 3am. Tel:
tres swank Armani impress Giorgio. people watching for special (04) 8883888. www.
outpost. and wondering occasions. armanihotels.com
Armani/Prive how you’ll pay the
bill.

9
Pretty buzzing At the heart of Great BOGOF value Not bad at all, even We nicknamed Aquara, Dubai Marina,
most nights, but Dubai Marina, with and the weather outside of happy Dubai, daily from
it The Youth
out of control come the water literally a is perfect for hour. 6pm to midnight. Tel:
Club last winter (04) 3627900. www.
Thursday when the stone’s throw from this place at the – lots of young dubaimarinayachtclub.
world and his pal the vast deck. moment. pups. com
The Yacht turn up for happy
Club hour.

10
Calabar comes into Right at the centre Cocktails and chat. Above average, but Did we mention The Address
its own during the of Old Town, Don’t expect super this isn’t the kind Downtown Dubai,
the beanbags?
winter, when you affording you great speedy service, of place to chuck Emaar Boulevard,
can crash out on views of the Burj though. pints down your Downtown Dubai,
daily from 6pm to
the beanbags with Khalifa from said throat. 2am. Tel: (04) 436 8888.
Calabar some pals. beanbags. www.theaddress.com

76 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011 OCTOBER 2010 WHAT’S ON 76

 THE HOT LIST
THE
ELITE
OF THE
EATING OUT
RESTAURANTS SCENE

Rhodes Twenty10 MARCH 2010 WHAT’S ON 79 La Petite Maison

ATMOSPHERE INTERIOR FOOD LOCATION PRICE WHAT’S ON INFO

SAYS...

1
Like its White Simple and DIFC, where We went to DIFC, Gate
We voted it
neighbour panelled walls, intimate is the LPM and Zuma town and Village 8,
were relieved Best Newcomer Dubai, Sun
Zuma before contemporary name of the watch over
of Dhs930 at the What’s to Fri noon
it, LPM is never artworks, dark, game at LPM, proceedings
(without On Awards, to 2.30pm
lacking in loyal bare wood with sharing like two culinary
La Petite alcohol), but and with good and 7pm to
customers, so floors, a long bar, encouraged. colossuses. two could eat 11pm. Tel: (04)
Maison reason.
it’s always best crisp tablecloths Best cheesecake well for Dhs650. 4390505. www.
to book ahead. and romantic in Dubai. lpmdubai.ae
lighting.

2
Head down Serious dining Still going strong DIFC and Zuma Dhs1,000 for We’ll never Building 6, Gate
to our first in the bright despite the are synonymous two. Ebisu Village, DIFC, Sat to
tire of saying
Saturday downstairs recent departure with each other. Express lunch Thurs 12.30pm to
it. Zuma is the 3pm, Sat to Wed
Sessions on restaurant, or of chef Colin menu (miso best Japanese 7pm to midnight,
January 29 and casual nibbles Clague, the plus main) restaurant in Thurs and Fri 7pm
Zuma catch us on and drinks in kitchen is as Dhs62, Ebisu Dubai. to 1am. Tel: (04)
the decks, 4pm the upstairs inventive and (miso plus 4255660. www.
to 7pm. Win a lounge and bar consistent as three courses) zumarestaurant.
table, p14. area. ever. Dhs120. com

3
The team at A cosy If you haven’t Grosvenor Dhs900 Just go and eat Grosvenor
Indego is always restaurant with eaten chef House. When (without there and tell House, Dubai
welcoming and several statues John Sinjobi’s you’ve had your alcohol), which us it’s not the Marina,
the restaurant of golden gods renderings of fill skip out to is a bargain for best Indian in Dubai, Sun to
and a cabinet Bhatia. Dubai. Go on. Thurs 7pm to
comfortable Vineet Bhatia’s the terrace for a
Indego by of shoes on one We dare you. 11pm. Tel: (04)
and relaxed. wall to remind dishes, you coffee. 3176000. www.
Vineet haven’t eaten
you you’re grosvenorhouse-
eating Indian. contemporary dubai.com
Indian cuisine.

4
RG has come Open kitchen, Try the Dhs80 Book a table on Dhs400 for two. Table on the Souk Al Bahar,
into its own white walls and Dhs100 the terrace. Level 3, Old
terrace Saturday
now that winter and linen and, lunch menus. Town, Dubai,
at 6pm, please. noon to
is in full flow. of course, We’ll be having 11pm. Tel: (04)
Make sure you daily specials the roast beef 4230903. www.
Rivington book ahead. scribbled on and Yorkshire rivingtongrill.ae
Grill chalkboards. pudding.

5
Since Ramsay’s From the chef’s Scott Price and The wrong end Dhs395 for What have you Hilton Dubai Creek,
visit and chef table to the the team know of town, but three courses Sun to Fri, 7pm to
got in store for
Scott Price’s private dining exactly what it’s Dubai’s first and Dhs495 for 11.30pm. Tel: (04)
the six-course us this year then, 2277550. www.
What’s On Chef room, Verre is they’re doing. celebrity chef Scott?
menu. Chef’s gordonramsay.
Of The Year contemporary Order the beef restaurant and
Verre table Dhs695 com
award there’s fine dining 101. Wellington. its clientele (us per person.
been a renewed included) is
buzz at Verre. loyal.

JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 79

 HOT ON
RESTAURANTS THE11H EELS
Okku
Mezzanine
12 Rhodes
Arm ani Ristorante
13
14 Margaux
15 Asado

Okku West 14th Traiteur

PRICE
ATMOSPHERE WHAT’S
INTERIOR
ON INFO FOOD LOCATION PRICE WHAT’S ON INFO
SAYS... SAYS...

6
People visit Purple carpet, We ate a Hop in the Dhs1,000 and Go for lunch,
InterContinental
Pierre Gagnaire’s pink chandeliers bubblegum exclusive Reflets then some, but Dubai Festival
and mahogany lift and travel then save up, City, Dubai, 7pm
Dubai outpost flavoured sauce the three- and go back for
for a special balloon-back at Reflets last to the exclusive course lunch to 1am. Tel: (04)
chairs. It’s très, Reflets floor. dinner. 7011128. www.
occasion, so month. The menu, available
très French. ichotelsgroup.
Reflets there’s always man’s an artist. Monday to com
Par Pierre the tingle of Sit back and Friday, is a
Gagnaire’s excitement in let the kitchen bargain at just
the air. create. Dhs180.

7
If you have a Marvel at the Chef Franck Park Hyatt. Our Three courses for Start off 2011 Park Hyatt
date or it’s your high, vaulted Detrait and the favourite Dubai two for around in your other Dubai, Deira,
anniversary, book ceiling and lads specialise in hotel. Dhs615. Dhs280 Dubai, Sun
half’s good
a table at Traiteur. breath in the French brasserie per person for to Fri 7pm to
cooking like books and midnight. Tel:
Its that kind of smells wafting the three-course book a table at
Traiteur Jimmy Page (04) 3172222.
place. from the open specialises in set menu. Traiteur. www.dubai.
kitchen. guitar. park.hyatt.com

8
The West 14th New York, Order the 300g Beside the Dhs550 for It has some Oceana Beach
buzz has died New York. Low Australian rib beach at two without strong Club, The Palm
down but we’re lighting, a eye medium- Oceana Beach alcohol, making competition, Jumeirah,
still expecting cocktail bar and rare. Club, which it cheaper but West Dubai, noon to
than your 14th is still 3pm and 6pm
the Marina exposed brick is not an easy
West 14th average Dubai our favourite to midnight Tel:
hordes to make in the gents’ place to find steakhouse. (04) 4477601.
steakhouse.
it their Thursday toilet. How cool (print the map www.west14th.
post-work is that? on the website). ae
gathering spot.

9
The name Gary’s ‘gangster’ It’s a grill and you They’re thinking We spent Book a table Le Royal
Rhodes has paradise boasts have a choice of of renaming Dhs630 on a Méridien Beach
upstairs. It’s
them coming Jack Vettriano everything from Dubai Marina meal for two. Resort and Spa,
more intimate. Dubai, 7pm
from far (Abu prints and some sauces to sides. Gary’s Place. You could easily
to midnight.
Dhabi) and wide nice splashes of Order the lamb spend more, or if Tel: (04)
Rhodes (Garhoud) so purple. Velvet rack rare. you were careful,
Twenty10 3995555. www.
it’s best to book waistcoats. So a little less. garyrhodes.
ahead. on trend. com

10
Terra Firma Book a table The steaks at OK, so it’s the Buy two courses Thirsty? A bit Al Badia Golf
is not usually on the terrace Terra Firma wrong end of this month skint after Club, Dubai
busy, but we overlooking the mount a serious town and a little and for Dhs39 Christmas? Festival City,
have a feeling golf course. challenge to the out of the way, extra you’ll get Terra Firma is Dubai, Tue to
the place to be Sun 7pm to
that’s going best in Dubai. but it’s worth as much red or midnight. Tel:
Terra Firma to change this the trip. white wine as this month.
Steakhouse (04) 7011127.
month. you like. www.diningdfc.
com

80 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011

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 THE HOT LIST
OUR
PICK
OF THE
BRUNCH
BRUNCHES BUNCH

Traiteur Armani /Hashi

ATMOSPHERE FOOD LOCATION BEST FOR PRICE WHAT’S ON INFO

SAYS...

1
Dubai’s From a cheese There are three Impressing your It’s Dhs495, Madinat
Best brunch in Jumeirah,
favourite trolley and rooms full of parents, your which is a lot of the UAE and
brunch never made-to-order food and a friends, potential money. Dubai, 12.30pm
with a What’s to 4pm. Tel: (04)
lacks custom. steak to sushi terrace so you business On Award to 3666730. www.
Book ahead. and oxtail won’t be short partners or a prove it. jumeirah.com
Al Qasr burger, Al Qasr of space. significant other.
has everything Impressing
you’re likely to anyone, really.
desire.

2
A live jazz Classic French Go all out and Anyone with a Up to you – Don’t be stingy, Park Hyatt
band and a brasserie, just book the private sense of style, Dhs295 sans go for the limo
Dubai, Deira,
bustling open like a la carte dining room superb taste and alcohol, Dhs425 Dubai, noon to
kitchen drive or just nab a option. You 4pm. Tel: (04)
except you can a penchant for with house know you want
things along at conveniently 3172222. www.
help yourself to classic French beverages, to.
Traiteur Traiteur. located table dubai.park.
as much as you near the open food. Dhs550 with hyatt.com
like. kitchen. The Veuve Cliquot or
terrace is nice, Dhs1,500 with a
too. limo pick up.

3
Brunch is always Fresh sushi and While away the The best Kitsu (no If you like Building 6, DIFC,
fully subscribed sashimi and a afternoon post- Japanese food alcohol) Dhs315, Dubai, 12.30pm
Japanese food,
so make sure wide array of brunch in the in Dubai. Kowaku to 4pm. Tel: (04)
this is the only 4255660. www.
your name is in dishes from the upstairs lounge. Dhs425 (with brunch for you. zumarestaurant.
the book. exciting regular alcohol) and com
Zuma menu. Kyasha (with
champers) for
Dhs550.

4
Book a table We recommend Right on the A sedate winter Dhs225 with It really is a Park Hyatt
on the terrace the duck noodle water at the afternoon with alcohol. Cheap. bargain.
Dubai, Deira,
and chat with soup and the Park Hyatt, our friends. Extremely Dubai, noon to
your plans while papaya salad. favourite hotel cheap. 4pm. Tel: (04)
dreaming of 3172222. www.
It’s all brought in Dubai.
owning one of dubai.park.
Thai Kitchen the boats in the to the table. hyatt.com
Marina.

5
The recent Live cooking Step out onto There’s Dhs395 with Not many Anise,
addition of stations dolling the terrace for something for alcohol, Dhs295 InterContinental
brunches have
a live band out Peking a prime view of everyone. The without. Dubai Festival City,
live bands, now, Dubai, 12.30pm
has injected duck, pizzas, the always- band entertains do they? to 4pm. Tel: (04)
some life into barbecued cuts, impressive the party crowd, 7011111. www.
Anise proceedings. curries and Dubai skyline. but it’s not too ichotelsgroup.
more. rowdy. com

JANUARY 2011 WHAT’S ON 83

 BRUNCHES HOT ON
THehEouH EELSnch
se Malt Dru
11 War ious
12 Bubbalic Café
Be lgian Beer
13
14 Yalumba
ne
15 Media O

Spectrum On One Thai Kitchen

PRICE
ATMOSPHERE WHAT’S ON
FOOD INFOLOCATION BEST FOR PRICE WHAT’S ON INFO
SAYS... SAYS...

6
If you want Champagne, At this time of A group of your Dhs425. Madinat
We spent
luxury but steak, year it’s nice on closest friends Jumeirah,
can’t handle the terrace. Grab Christmas Day Dubai, 12.30pm
seafood, sushi. or some special
the crowds at a duck wrap at Mina A’Salam. to 4pm. Tel: (04)
Everything you visitors.
Al Qasr, visit its from one of the That’s how good 3668888. www.
would expect
Mina A'Salam quieter next- outdoor cooking it is. jumeirah.com
door neighbour. at a high-end stations and
brunch. ogle the turtles
swimming in the
water below.

7
The most Authentic Do you fancy If the sky is clear Dhs300 for We visited Le Royal
relaxed brunch Mexican from the beach? How and the sun is pool and beach Maya this
Méridien Beach
in Dubai. A Maya restaurant. about the pool? shining, right access from Resort & Spa,
spot of sartorial Platters of Neither? Then now. 10am to 6pm, month and Dubai Marina,
advice – wear grilled meat and go and check plus lunch we’ve never Dubai, 10am to
swimmers and fish between out the live and a 30 per left a brunch 6pm. Tel: (04)
Maya flip-flops. 1pm and 4pm mariachi band. cent beverage feeling so 3165550. www.
on the Maya discount relaxed. leroyalmeridien-
terrace. between 5pm dubai.com
and 7pm.

8
It’s the Armani Sushi buffet, The Burj Khalifa. An afternoon Dhs290 How many Armani Hotel,
Hotel. It’s pretty robati grills, Fancy enough of luxury (soft drinks), hotels are
Burj Khalifa,
swish, with a DJ platters of for you? with the little Dhs380 (house Old Town,
beverages), located at the Dubai, noon
and some lovely nibbles brought ones. There’s Burj Khalifa?
Dhs585 to 3.30pm. Tel:
views from the to the table and a supervised One, that’s how
Armani/Hashi (Bollinger) (04) 8883888.
terrace. a la carte mains play room. and Dhs145 many. www.dubai.
that are worth They think of (children aged armanihotels.
the brunch everything four to ten). Go com
price alone. these guys. for the Bolly.

9
It all depends “BBQ the South At this time Those who like A bargain at The South The Grand Grill
on your waiter. African way” is of year, take a to eat animal Dhs295 with Africans know Steakhouse,
Ours was a what The Grand table outside flesh in large alcohol or how to do BBQ. Habtoor Grand
hoot, offering Grill prom- for the real BBQ quantities. Dhs225 without. Resort & Spa,
excellent Dubai Marina,
ises. That means experience.
The Grand banter, filling Dubai, 12.30pm
our glasses and meat – a lot of to 4pm. Tel: (04)
Grill meat.
feeding us a lot 3994221. www.
of protein. thegrandgrill.
com

10
A long time Eight kitchens The first floor of Eating your Dhs550 for Go for the Fairmont
favourite serving cuisine Fairmont Dubai. way around the the full bubble Dubai, Sheikh
Hops and
with Dubai from Europe, Spectrum owns world. experience, Zayed Road,
Thailand, China, Vines option. Dubai, noon to
brunchers, it. Dhs395 for the Who needs
India, Japan and 3pm. Tel: (04)
Spectrum is Hops and Vines champagne
Spectrum the Middle East, 3325555. www.
never lacking plus a port and option or Dhs295 when you have fairmont.com/
On One custom. sans booze.
cheese room. eight kitchens? dubai

84 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011 OCTOBER 2010 WHAT’S ON 84

 THE
THE HOT LIST DADDIES
OF THE
HEALTH AND
SPAS LEISURE
SCENE

Amara Sensasia Urban Spa The Spa

THERAPISTS MENU THE SPA PRICE WHAT’S ON INFO

SAYS...

1
Knowledgeable There’s a lengthy One of the most There are monthly Park Hyatt Dubai,
Amara starts
and professional, and luxurious list beautiful spaces offers that take Deira, Dubai,
these relaxation of treatments on in Dubai, Amara another year 9am to 10pm.
the sting out of
experts will take offer. Grouped has a courtyard in the number Tel: (04) 6021234.
the steep prices –
you from stressed by theme, there’s with daybeds, a one spot. And www.dubai.park.
but the quality of
Amara out to blissed out. an emphasis stunning outdoor it deserves to hyatt.com
We recommended on rituals and pool and each products, spa and
be there.
Sue if knots are your packages that treatment room therapists more
main problem. include pool and has a private than justify them.
health club access. outdoor shower.

2
Quiet, kind and Innovative and Asian chic with Choose wisely and That ginger tea The Beach Club, Al
with a firm hand imaginative, you’ll splashes of jewel you’ll get an hour- alone makes Nafura, Shoreline
when necessary, find treatments tones; the cosy long massage for it worth the Apartments, The Palm
Sensasia’s staff you never knew rooms are a true Dhs310. trip, but the Jumeirah, Dubai,
treatments are 10am to 10pm.
are trained to the you needed. retreat. And the Tel: (04) 4227115.
Sensasia highest standards. We love specific dressing gowns are amazing too.
www.sensasiaspas.
Urban Spa massages like the best in town. com
the Hi Heeler for
aching feet.

3
There’s a mix Talise sets itself The treatment Various, but the The Optimal Al Qasr, Al Sufouh,
of nationalities apart with its rooms are linked 80-minute Royal Dubai,
Health
and specialities, naturopath, life by leafy outdoor Hammam is a fair 9am to 10pm.
Assessment Tel: (04) 3666818.
from massage coaching and pathways, with Dhs450. is superb. See www.jumeirah.com/
therapists to a GP. medical testing, an outdoor pool page 21 for its talise
Talise Spa This spa is packed in addition to the tucked away for Bab al Shams
with experts. large spa menu. those day-long spa detox retreat.
sessions.

4
Modern zen There are You’d never expect It’s pricey, but Quiet and The Address Dubai
awaits at this separate menus this shrine to worth it for luxurious, with Mall, Old Town, Dubai,
vast spa, with for ladies and de-stressing to the quality of quality added 9am to 9pm. Tel: (04)
experienced gents. Particularly be mere minutes treatments and extras, this 4388888.
spa is a true www.theaddress.com
therapists on recommended from the hectic snooze you’ll enjoy.
The Spa hand to guide you is the Jet Lag Dubai Mall. It’s the sanctuary.
from reception to treatment. perfect antidote
relaxation. to an afternoon of
shopping.

5
An international There’s no As stylish as you’d Not as bad as The unique Armani Hotel, Burj
mix of staff. treatment menu expect from you fear, with 90 Khalifa, Old Town,
'decide for you'
We had a as such, just book Giorgio. It’s a minutes costing Dubai,
approach is 9am to 9pm.
knot-busting a time slot (from sleek space with Dhs650, up to great for spa Tel: (04) 8883888.
South African. 90 minutes to a dark greys and Dhs2,500 for a newbies. www.dubai.
Armani/Spa Impressive. full day) and the clean lines. Very full day. armanihotels.com
therapist decides. masculine indeed.

2010 WHAT’S
JANUARY 2011
OCTOBER WHAT’S ON
ON 87
87
 HOT ON
LSOnly
THE HEa,EOne
SPAS &
y Sp
11 One&Onl Mirage
Royal l,
rContinenta City
12 Spa Inte ai Fe stival
enta l D ub
InterContin an Tree Al Wadi
13 Bany
nd Spa,
14 The Gra
tt Dubai
Grand Hya Al Maha
s Spa,
15 Timeles rt
Desert Reso

Banyan Tree Al Wadi Thai Privilege Spa

THERAPISTS MENU THE SPA PRICE WHAT’S ON INFO

SAYS...

6
Male and female The menu invites Shared steam and Mid-range, with a Desert Palm, Al
What could be
therapists are you to 'drop sauna facilities 60-minute Anne Awir Road, after
available with your robe, cares make it an ideal better than a International City,
Semonin massage
their extensive and guard'. destination for rub down then Dubai, 9am to 9pm.
for Dhs450 and an
knowledge. Cheeky. There are couples. We steak at Rare? Tel: (04) 3238888.
hour of reflexology
Lime Spa They’re happy to Anne Semonin especially like the Not a lot. www.desertpalm.ae
answer questions, treatments, plus clever two-way for Dhs395.
or just let you a choice ranging windows so you
nod off. from ear candling can look out over
to sculpting rituals. the polo fields.

7
The female Each month Hidden away in Well priced at Check out page 1074 Uttamah
therapists at this brings new an Al Wasl villa, around Dhs350 52 to find TPS's
Villas, Al Wasl Road,
ladies-only spa treatments and the spa is a cosy for an hour-long Jumeira, Dubai,
undergo two discounts. You’ll escape with a massage. Keep an special January 10am to 10pm. Tel:
years of training find everything lovely garden for eye out for special discount deal. (04) 3489679. www.
and the results from blow-dries to yoga. offers, too. thaiprivilegespadubai.
Thai Privilege are impressive. luxury rituals, all com
Spa with a Thai flavour.

8
The team at The extensive list It’s an impressive You’re on The Palm A spa that Atlantis The Palm,
Atlantis will greet covers gentlemen’s spa with a huge so expect to pay will have you Palm Jumeirah, Dubai,
you with ginger shaves, expert staircase, beautiful the big bucks, 10am to 10pm. Tel:
with two-hour wanting more (04) 4261020. www.
tea, treat you to pedicures, lengthy 'floating' walkway (and asking for
packages costing atlantisthepalm.com
some high quality rituals and more. and underwater- a pay rise).
Spa & Fitness Dhs1,000. They’ve
pampering then Particularly themed treatment priced it with
Centre bring more tea. recommended are rooms. tourists in mind,
the Clarins facials. but it’s worth
treating yourself.

9
Expert, Not a huge An unexpected Definitely on the ' Check out our Emirates Towers,
unassuming and selection, but sanctuary in the more expensive Dubai, 9am to 11pm.
His 'n' Hers
happy to talk you everything you depths of Emirates side, which is no Tel: (04) 3198181.
review on www.jumeirah.com
through what could want from Towers. Previously surprise given page 49.
they're doing and rituals to tanning. H2O male spa, it the hotel and
Talise Spa why. Excellent. has opened its neighbourhood
at Emirates doors to the ladies. it's in.
Towers

10
Super friendly Try the fourhand Seriously soft Slightly above Enjoy a The Monarch, Sheikh
and dedicated to Mandara dressing gowns, average at Dhs470 Zayed Road, Dubai,
massage
making your me- Massage. You’ll Elemis facials for the 65-minute 9am to 10pm. Tel:
and lunch at (04) 5018888. www.
time as enjoyable be pushed, pulled and the beautiful Muscle Ease Okku or Ruth’s themonarchdubai.
as possible. and pulverised steam room were massage. Chris for only com
Mandara Spa into a state of our highlights. Dhs299. Sweet.
somnolence.

88 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011 OCTOBER 2010 WHAT’S ON 88

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 Backchat
There’s method in our man
on the radio’s madness.
Although it’s still madness…
I guess I should warn you about the
obligatory new year column that you’re
about to read. As the cover for this edition
of What’s On proudly proclaims, it’s a New
Year, New You. No doubt, as you read this,
some of you are in the throes of your first,
painful sessions with personal trainers,
others will be miserably munching on a
fistful of leaves whilst, due to nicotine-
withdrawal, others will be biting-off the
heads of anyone who dares say hello.
Many of you will have already broken your
resolutions and then there are those who
refuse to make them and brand the whole
thing poppycock.
That used to be me. The whole shebang
seemed utterly pointless. Just another way
for gyms to sell memberships, supermarkets
to sell salad and lazy magazine columnists
to fill a page.
Don’t miss next month’s What’s On –
Dubai Jazz Festival, Gulf Bike Show and
the city’s best salads
90 WHAT’S ON JANUARY 2011
with Catboy
up and think, “must lose the equivalent of a
13-year-old child from the space between my
nipples and belly button”.
There are resolutions that aren’t actu-
ally resolutions at all, but actually just the
machinations of life. Each January I make a
resolution to be more frugal and not fritter
away as much money on things I don’t need.
By the end of January I’ve normally managed
to keep this resolution, though not through
choice. I’m just broke from squandering all
Well, now I’m a magazine columnist I can my money in December on chocolates, gifts,
tell you resolutions are a fine idea. Let me gadgets and wilting fir trees.
explain why over the next couple of hundred Each year I make the usual resolutions,
words… but I also try to throw in one or two that
First of all, it’s something to talk about will give me something to talk about on
when you go back to work, plus it can last Dubai 92’s breakfast show. In previous years
you pretty much the whole of January. So all I’ve resolved to take and publish one photo
those awkward stop ‘n’ chats first thing in the per day, I’ve committed myself to learning
morning when you’d normally be stood at to play the piano and one year I even went
the printer, slack-jawed and half-asleep, need so far as performing regular random act of
not be a worry anymore. Just throw in a “this kindness. None of these lasted past the first
diet is killing me”, roll your eyes, move on, week, so I figured if I’m going to fail, I might
then repeat daily until February. as well fail at something outrageous. And
Resolutions are also a great distraction. with that, I give you my new year’s resolu-
For me, they take my mind off the fact that tions for 2011…
my next holiday will be in six months. That’s I resolve to finish La Sagrada Família
roughly 120 4am alarm calls. I can cut that cathedral in Barcelona, make more money
down by a considerable amount by instead than JK Rowling, win Eurovision for the
concentrating on hating jogging, detesting United Kingdom with a song about how the
Weight Watchers milkshakes and biting back rest of Europe is rubbish and destroy every
profanities aimed at fellow road users. Black Eyed Peas CD in Dubai before this
Having a few targets in life is no bad thing, year’s Rugby Sevens.
either. Resolutions are basically to-do lists
on a grander scale. All you’ve got to do is Catboy hosts the Catboy & Geordiebird
program yourself so that rather than waking Breakfast Show, Sun to Thurs, 6am to
up and thinking, “must get milk”, you wake 10am, Dubai 92. www.dubai92.com
 ”relaxing spa
treatments,
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I feel reborn.“

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