Jones The Grocer opens 24/7 Dubai shop
Should you be in need of mac and four cheeses (with Shropshire blue, grana padano, mimolette and aged cheddar) served with garlic croutons at 4am, we’ve got the place for you. The Australian gourmet food shops are expanding in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with a new store in Etihad Airways Centre in Al Muneera in the capital and at Etihad Mall on Shaikh Zayed Road in Dubai, and a new menu from April 28 at all of its UAE outlets, including the new stores. The Dubai shop — which will be open 24/7 — opens on April 28 while Al Muneera is due a few weeks later. The stores will have all the gourmet coffee, food and baked goods you’d expect, plus the Abu Dhabi store will have a newly designed cheese and charcuterie area. Both will have outside seating. On the new menu, expect the likes of banana and pecan French toast with caramelised maple syrup and vanilla ricotta; vegetarian sandwiches such as grilled halloumi and roast pumpkin wrap with hummus, zaatar, mint, kalamata tapenade and toasted pumpkin seeds.
Shangri-La Dubai’s “not brunch”
The Shaikh Zayed hotel this month launches We Don’t Call It a Brunch — their take on Friday dining which brings together three of the hotel’s restaurants. Diners can travel between Vietnamese dishes at Hoi An (think black angus beef tenderloin pho bo soup), Cantonese at Shang Palace (dim sum and Peking duck) and international options at Dunes Cafe (steaks, chargrilled seafood, sashimi, as well as desserts. There are also cooking classes. It’s from 12.30-4pm every Friday, Dh299 per person (soft drinks); Dh399 (premium house beverages); Dh499 (bubbly); call 04-4052703.
Chilli Crab Festival returns
The annual celebration of Singapore’s national dish is back for its sixth year at Souk Madinat Jumeirah next weekend. Running at the Amphitheatre from April 24–26, you can expect much more than just chilli crab: there are also stands selling dim sum, wok-fried blue swimmer crab and tempura crispy crab. There are also cooking demonstrations, performances by Dubai-based musician Tim Hassell, children’s activities and a build-your-own burger stand. Entry is free. Open 6pm-midnight on April 24 and 1pm-midnight Friday and Saturday; call 04-3666730.
It’s DinnerTime in Abu Dhabi
The three Swedish entrepreneurs who launched home cooked meal service, DinnerTime in Dubai, are expanding to the capital on April 20. The concept is thus: they do the menu planning and shop for the ingredients, depositing the food and recipes (which can be prepared in 30 minutes) at your doorstep, with a focus on healthy family eating.
“These are very exciting times for us. We are very fortunate to have experienced an amazing growth of our customer portfolio in Dubai. Since the concept has become so popular in Dubai, we figured that we would give the good people of Abu Dhabi a chance to enjoy valuable family time over home cooked dinners — the easy way, of course”, says partner Cecilia Braidy. Each week’s food box includes one meat dish, one chicken dish, one fish dish and one vegetarian, pasta or soup dish. They email each week’s menu in advance so you can chose whether or not to have it. A family box of four meals for four people is Dh420 (Dh380 for a subscription); a couples’ box of four meals for two is Dh300 (Dh280 for a subscription). Visit www.dinnertime.me.
Rocking steak at St Tropez Bistro
The Mall of the Emirates outlet of the French bistro (there’s also the original at Century Village) has launched its steak ‘On the Rocks’ concept, where diners cook their steaks on a super-heated volcanic stone at the table, using no added fats; it works for steaks of all cuts. The stone is heated to 400 degrees Celsius during 12 hours in a special stone oven. Steaks are served with a side dish and sauce; call 04-3413415.
