DHS 10 MAY 2010 ISSUE 385

+ WIN!
• A Motorola
Milestone
smartphone
• A fitness
makeover
• A luxury Now with
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• A helicopter Catboy!
tour Che ck out o
new column ur
ist
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Your total
body tune
up
from fitness and facials
to the city’s best dentist
your guide to well-being in dubai
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 It’s Ladies Night in Stills Bar at Crowne Plaza
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midnight and we have no work on Friday!

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Contents
Features
20 38
Total body tune-up Harry Connick Jr
Your guide to staying The smooth talkin’
healthy in the UAE, crooner arrives in the
from blood tests to capital
baldness
42
30 Streetwise DIFC
The UAE’s top ten We explore Dubai’s
markets financial centre to
Shop your way around reveal the must-do
the Emirates with the shops, art, bars and
UAE's best markets more

35
Culture club
Break out your inner

p88
drama king or queen
at the region’s theatres
and performance
groups

p76

p30
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 11
The round-up
16 about clubland this
Salaam month
All you need to know
about the month of 93
May, plus fighter Travel
Marcos Oliveira This month is brought
answers five questions to you by the letter K,
with Kuwait and Kuala
46 Lumpur
Films
City Of Life, Nightmare 105
On Elm Street, Date Hot list
Night and more rated What’s on fire this
and slated month?

49
Eating Out
Culinary treats put
to the test, the best
European restaurants
and the new menu at
Thai Kitchen
114
Back chat
New What's On scribe
Catboy gets a few
things off his chest

63
Arts
It’s all change at
the B21 gallery, plus
May’s four must-see
exhibitions

71
Shopping
Fitness gear keeps up
our healthy theme,
plus diamonds and the
newest stores to open
p97 p63
in the region

79
Mind & Body
De-stressing at The
Address Dubai Mall
and dieting with
Health Factory

86
Sport & Outdoor
Our very own Mr
Fitness answers your
burning questions

88
Music
We meet The Subways
for a chinwag about
sandwiches

90
Nightlife
All you need to know
p46
12 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
 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

Editor
Mark Evans | marke@motivate.ae
Deputy Editor
Helen Spearman | helen@motivate.ae
Senior Designer
Sheila Lyn Carino | sheila@motivate.ae
Contributing Editor
Hugo Berger | hugo@motivate.ae Drinking milk, p58
Features Editor
Gareth Rees | gareth@motivate.ae
Editorial Assistant
Karen Sequeira | karen@motivate.ae
Chief Sub Editor
Iain Smith | iains@motivate.ae

Contributors
Victor Besa, James Brennan, Anthony
Broadhurst, Louise Browne, Jola Chudy,
Vikram Gawde, James Houghton, Catherine
Jarvie, Richard Luck, Joseph Maher, Conor
Purcell, Matt Ross, Farooq Salik, Simon Smedley Shopping at the UAE’s Testing our
markets, p30 health, p20
General Manager
Production and Circulation
S Sasidharan | sasidharan@motivate.ae
Production Manager
Sudhakar Chandran | sudhakar@motivate.ae
Production Supervisor
Contributors
Sunita Cordeiro | sunita@motivate.ae

Group Publisher
Jason Leavy | jason@motivate.ae
Publisher
Joe Marrit | joe@motivate.ae
Group Advertisement Manager
Saffron Goodyear | saffron@motivate.ae
Senior Advertisement Manager
Brian Cordeiro | brian@motivate.ae
Advertisement Manager
Varsha Bhatia | varsha@motivate.ae
Advertisement Manager, Abu Dhabi
Darryl Wiley | darryl@motivate.ae

Annual Subscription GCC Dhs120 other countries US$70

(including Airmail charges)

RICHARD LUCK CATBOY JAMES BRENNAN

Head Office: PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE
Tel: +971 4 282 4060, Fax: +971 4 282 4436,
E-mail: motivate@motivate.ae
Dubai Media City: Office 508, 5th Floor,
Building 8, Dubai, UAE,
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
34,432 copies
June 2009
Printed by Emirates Printing Press, Dubai
Lucko, as we lovingly refer
to him, is a man of many
hobbies. He’s an expert bird-
watcher, a devotee of UFC, a
rugby fanatic and a film buff.
But it’s his movie obsession
that pays the bills, with regu-
lar contributions for Empire
magazine and the
Rotten Tomatoes website.
More importantly, he also
writes for What’s On. This
month, Lucko casts his
discerning eye over Ridley
Scott’s Robin Hood, p46
The irrepressible Catboy – If there’s one thing bearded
Simon Smedley to his post- Brummie James knows
man – is one of the Emirates’ about, it’s food. Having
leading radio stars, with his written on everything from
Catboy & Geordie Bird show on bhajis to burgers for a string
Dubai 92 boasting an army of international publications,
of fans. It’s not just his fans James is also the Middle East
that love him – in his time the chairman of the World’s 50
sublime spinner has scooped Best Restaurants judging
a host of awards, including a panel. And this month, we
Sony Radio Award, New York twisted his arm into
Radio Award and, his crown- recommending just a few of
ing achievement, Dubai’s Best Abu Dhabi’s newest
Hair 2009. Check out his new restaurants for our Eating
column, p114 Out section, p49

14 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010

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Salaam!
The month of May in bite-size form
What’s hot
Hakkasan
We have it on good authority that London’s
amazing Cantonese restaurant
is set to open a branch at
Emirates Palace over the
summer. We can’t wait.
www.hakkasan.com
Arabian music
The ten-day Sounds Of Arabia music
festival in Abu Dhabi is worth checking out
if you want to learn more about Middle
Eastern culture.
May 6 to 16, Abu Dhabi Cultural Founda-
tion, Al Hosn Fort, Abu Dhabi. Tel: (02)
6215300. www.adach.ae
Hive
The chic Souk Al Bahar bar, which closed
its doors unexpectedly last month, has
reopened. We’re delighted – as we were
beginning to miss the Saturday roasts and
the cool cocktails.
What’s not
Snow Patrol
Once again rumours of an upcoming appear-
ance by the Northern Irish rockers sweep the
UAE – this time they were said to be playing Abu
Dhabi – and once again they turn out to be not
true. Seriously, lads, are you coming or what?
Petrol price increases
GETTY/GALLO IMAGES, ISTOCK AND NAVEED AHMED
OK, we know it’s only an increase of 11 per cent, Pure Fridays at Media One
and that we get a pretty sweet deal even then,
but still – it’s the Middle East for crying out loud!
What next – Eskimos paying for snow?
Hygiene standards
A recent investigation by Abu Dhabi Food
Control Authority found that only one in ten
restaurants it visited in capital’s Tourist Club wallet-friendly Dhs175. Bargain.
Area met their hygiene standards. One in ten! Media One, Dubai Media City, Dubai, noon
One restaurant apparently failed on 20 different to 3am, free for ladies, Dhs50 for men
accounts. Gross.
16 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
We're officially part of the Twitterati.
Follow us at WhatsOnMag for
exclusive updates on nightlife,
restaurants and more around
the UAE. Tweet yourself.
May in numbers
Do the math
6
24
The age Harry Connick Jr gave his
first public performance. Some 36
years later and there’s no stopping
Percentage of people living in the the crooner, who hits Abu Dhabi this
UAE who suffer from diabetes. month. Read our exclusive interview,
Discover more health facts and what
p38
to do about them with our body
88
tune-up, p20
Floors of the Petronas Twin Towers
in Kuala Lumpur. We climbed them
all on our visit to the Malaysian
capital, p95
4 58
km², the size of San Juan De Dios
Market in Mexico, the largest market
in the world. The UAE has its fair
Years the Agatha Christie play The
Mousetrap has been running in
London’s West End. Read about the
UAE’s thriving theatre scene, p35
share of markets, albeit somewhat
smaller ones, p30
This month we’re going to…
London College of Fashion
DJ Snezana from Miami’s Nikki Beach may LCF is bringing a selection of its popular
just be our new best friend. We’ll be joining short courses to the UAE, including classes
her on Fridays at the Media One for drinks, in personal styling, fashion marketing, visual
poolside dancing and general mayhem – merchandising and luxury brand management.
but next time the camera should stay at The courses range from one to five days, and
home. Get involved in the Mediterranean are taught by European experts in everything
evening brunch (7pm to 10pm) for a from journalism to image consulting. Expect
waiting lists, so sharpen those elbows if you
want join your fellow fashionistas at the
Kempinski, Mall of the Emirates.
after 8pm. Tel: (04) 4271000 www.fashion.arts.ac.uk
Five Questions… Marcos Oliveira Guess list
If last month’s Ultimate
Fighting Championship
(UFC) hasn’t satisfied your
bloodlust, there’s more to
come with the Abu Dhabi
Fighting Championship. The
event will see 20 rock hard
fighters slug it out for a Dhs1
million prize. UAE-based
Brazilian Marcos is the 2009
Western World Champion
and a firm favourite to win
the event
Are you the toughest man in the UAE?
Yeah, probably. I mean, I’ve had so much
experience fighting over the years and I was
Western World Champion in 2009. Maybe
there is a better MMA fighter in the UAE. But
I haven’t met him yet.
You versus Mike Tyson in his prime. Who’s
the winner?
If it were boxing rules, then he’d beat me
easily. He was better trained than me. But in
a straight fight, with all disciplines allowed?
Yes, I could beat him. I know so many
martial arts and he only knows boxing. I
could grapple him into submission.
How’s this different from last month’s
UFC event?
It’s exactly the same sport. The UFC and
ADFC are just different organisations. The
levels of the fighters are pretty much the
same. Three of the guys fighting this month
have fought in the UFC, and in my last fight
I beat a guy called Gary Jordan who used to
ROD STEWART
Last month Rod The Mod
told us that he’s “in it for
the love of music”, that he “watches five movies
a week” and that Britt Ekland (“God, she hates
me”) still holds a grudge. Aw, we love having
close, personal showbiz chums. Don’t miss the
man himself, if you can still get a ticket, at the
Sevens Stadium on, appropriately, the seventh.
May 7, The Sevens Stadium, Dubai, doors
open 4pm, show 7pm, Dhs350 to Dhs750. Tel:
(04) 4334911. www.rodstewartdubai.com
News from the celebrity
grapevine
60%
David Haye
The flamboyant British heavy-
weight WBA boxing champ has
claimed Abu Dhabi was his first choice of
venue to stage a unification bout against
either of the colossal Klitschko brothers. The
biggest heavyweight boxing match in years
right here on these shores? Yes please.
50%
Noel Gallagher
A little bird told us that
be in the UFC. I could compete in the UFC, ex-Oasis star Noel has been
but at the moment I don’t want to. invited to partake in some
It’s a rough game, this MMA lark. You ever five-star hospitality at October’s
take a serious beating? Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The welcome
Seriously no, nothing worse than a few cuts, mat is out, so it’s up to Noel now if he fan-
bruises and strains. We’re all such skilled cies a cushy trip.
fighters; we know how to take punches.
30%
There’s Dhs1 million up for grabs. Nice
new yacht if you win?
No, definitely not. I want to make money,
but it’s not everything for me. Having a new
yacht or a car will not make me happy. I’m Leona Lewis
just happy if I can spend every day in the The golden-voiced X Factor
gym, training hard and staying healthy. winner has just embarked on
May 14, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition a two–year long world tour. And,
Centre, Khaleej Al Arabi Street, 6.30pm, according to our insider, the UAE is vying to
Dhs180 to Dhs2,650. Tel: (02) 6810989. be one of her stop-offs.
www.abudhabifc.com
BEST OF BRITISH GALA
The Abu Dhabi Classic season concludes
with a recreation of the famous Last Night
Of The Proms concert. Get your Union Jack
flags ready for some waving as the BBC : May 7
Symphony Orchestra will be on hand to belt Rod Stewart
16
ick Jr: May
out some stirring classics like Land Of Hope
And Glory, Jerusalem and Rule Britannia. It’ll Harry Conn
0
ada: May 2
bring a tear to the eye of any true Brit.
May 15, Emirates Palace Auditorium, Abu Groove Arm
Dhabi, 8pm, Dhs250 to Dhs650. www.
abudhabiclassics.com
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 17
WIN! WIN! WIN!
We’re in a generous mood again, so take
a trip to www.motivatepublishing.com/
competitions for your chance to win
these goodies

WIN! A HELICOPTER TOUR FOR TWO WIN! A Motorola Milestone

OVER ABU DHABI
It’s the UAE’s newest, slimmest smartphone and we have one in
Abu Dhabi has its fair share of spectacular sights, but imagine how our hot little hands. Powered by Android 2.1, this QWERTY bad boy
much more impressive they’ll look from the air. Now it’s not just is hooked up to YouTube, Google Maps and Gmail so you’ll have
the mega-rich who can check out these bird’s eye views thanks to business and entertainment literally at your fingertips. Chuck in
Falcon Aviation’s new helicopter tours of the capital. And they’re a five megapixel camera with flash, Bluetooth, 8GB memory card,
offering one of our readers, plus a friend, GPS and a 3.7” widescreen display and we might have found a
a 20-minute flight over downtown contender to our beloved BlackBerry.
Abu Dhabi and its coastline. All you For your chance to win this bit of kit, tell us what does Gmail
have to do is answer this simple stand for?
question: a) Google Mail
Which of these TV b) Goonie Mail
programmes was about a c) Gooner Mail
helicopter?
a) Airwolf
b) Sex & The City
c) Teletubbies

WIN! A fitness MAKEOVER WIN! TWO NIGHTS STAY AT ALOFT

We have a body composition test, personal training session and
ABU DHABI
a month’s membership to Le Méridien Dubai’s state-of-the-art Aloft is Abu Dhabi’s coolest new hotel. And this month one
gym (worth Dhs2,450) to give away. The package includes various lucky reader can win a stay for two for a couple of nights, plus
classes at Natural Elements Fitness, plus access to tennis courts breakfast and a barbecue lunch at the poolside Mai café
and swimming pools so you can tailor a fitness regime to suit your thrown in. Just answer the following question to be in with a
needs. For your chance to win, tell us: chance of winning:
What does a power plate do? Which room in a house is also known as a loft?
a) Vibrate a) Kitchen
b) Levitate b) Cellar
c) Hydrate c) Attic

18 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010

 Is the UAE
making
you sick?
It seems UAE residents are
an unhealthy bunch, from
the odd weekly hangover,
to more serious concerns
linked with this part of the
world. Here are just some of
the common ailments and
what you need to tackle
them using both scientific
and natural remedies

.DIABETES.
The UAE has the second highest rate of
Type Two Diabetes in the world. Only the
native island of Narau, in the South Pacific,
is injecting more insulin. Amongst the adult
citizens of the UAE, 24 per cent of people
are affected, while 17.4 per cent of expats
suffer. Grim reading. What’s worse is that if
untreated, Type Two Diabetes can cause heart
attacks, blindness, strokes, loss of limbs, poor
circulation and death. So much so, that last
year Type Two Diabetes was the biggest killer
of people in the UAE.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
Constant thirst, passing large amounts of
urine, tiredness and weight loss. In some
people vision is affected. WHAT’S ON SAYS .STRESS.
TREATMENT Get yourself down to Boot Camp twice a Life in the 21st century UAE is fast-paced.
ILLUSTRATIONS: LOUISE BROWNE

Type Two Diabetes is associated with obesity
and an unhealthy lifestyle. In severe cases
medical help, in the form of monitoring and
managing glucose levels, may be required
but it can be controlled by maintaining a
healthy and balanced diet and by exercising
regularly.
week – it’s one of the easiest ways to get and
stay fit and combat an unhealthy lifestyle.
Supplement that with a healthy diet – www.
ediet.ae provide everything you need, and
deliver to your doorstep.
www.originalfitnessco.com
www.ediet.ae
As we try to fit in family, work, social life,
fitness and hobbies, stress can become an
increasingly prevalent danger. Add in the
type of daily commute that’s enough to
take anyone to the point of boiling, and
it’s not hard to see why many people in
the Emirates are affected by stress. Stress

20 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010

is actually a medical condition, caused cup of green tea after dinner will also help .HANGOVERS.
by wayward thought processes about the to ease digestion. Alcohol has diuretic effects which means
past, present and future. These thought WHAT’S ON SAYS that you expel more fluid than you take in,
processes cause a downward psychological SensAsia Urban Spa offers a combined leaving your body dehydrated. Drinking
spiral and can have a serious affect on your colon and cellulite two-week detox to excess leads your organs to take water
life and wellbeing. programme for Dhs2,850. Somewhat from wherever they can get it, including the
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR cheaper at Dhs285 (and perhaps less brain. The brain does not feel pain but, when
Withdrawal from social life and invasive) are Rodial’s Tummy Tuck Sticks, dehydrated, it shrinks and the pain sensitive
relationships, general unhappy demeanour, a soluble powder that claims to speed up filaments attaching it to the inside of the
insomnia, constant worrying. digestion and help fight bloating. skull are stretched giving the symptoms of a
TREATMENT www.sensasiaspas.com headache. You also lose vital salts and sugars
Severe stress can be treated with drugs and www.rodial.co.uk as the body tries to flush out the poison.
counselling but you can reduce the risk WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
of stress affecting you by taking time out .VITAMIN D. Headache, nausea, vomiting, tiredness,
to relax, away from work and the chaos dehydration.
of everyday life, and by meditating or .DEFICIENCY. TREATMENT
practising a form of relaxation such as tai chi Osteoporosis caused by Vitamin D If you happen to have a kidney dialysis
or yoga. deficiency can be a major problem among machine, a saline drip and a nurse to monitor
WHAT’S ON SAYS Muslim women. An essential vitamin for you overnight, you will wake up feeling like
Take up meditation and yoga at the same time strong bones and muscles, most of our you didn’t touch a drop the previous night
to help you with your stress-busting battle. Vitamin D intake comes from sunlight but let’s face it, that’s highly unlikely. More
www.sahajayoga.ae reacting with our bare skin, and as Muslim realistic treatments are: drink plenty of water
women cover up their skin this can throughout your drinking session, more
.STOMACH BLOATING. unfortunately cause problems. Vitamin water before you go to bed, drink a non-fizzy
With so many options for good food in D deficiency is also common in children, isotonic sports drink to replace those salts
the Emirates, it’s tempting to eat out every pregnant women and breast-feeding babies. and sugars and make sure you eat if you are
night of the week. As a result, stomach WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR going to drink. Eating is not cheating.
bloating is a common complaint for many Pain in the bones, muscle pain or weakness, WHAT’S ON SAYS
people in the region and, although not cramps, tiredness, aches. l A swim in The Gulf will make you feel
life-threatening, it can be thoroughly TREATMENT instantly more human, and it’s free.
uncomfortable and unpleasant. It is caused Vitamin D deficiency can easily be l Treat yourself to a croque-monsieur –
by the stomach or intestines pushing treated with dietary supplements. It carbs, salt and some crisps on the side. Dhs35,
against the skin, which is due to a build up is recommended that pregnant and Boulevard Café, Old Town. Tel: (04) 4285924
of wind or gas in the abdomen. breastfeeding women and breastfeeding
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR babies take a Vitamin D supplement. For .HAIRLOSS.
A distended or hardened stomach, those who don’t get much sunshine, which There is a strange and unwelcome phenomenon
uncomfortable ‘full’ feeling in your guts. is the best source of Vitamin D, it is also about the UAE: hair loss. No one knows why but
TREATMENT prevalent in liver, some fish, egg yolk and our scalps seem to be shedding quicker than a
Persistent stomach bloating may be caused cod liver oil – so eat plenty. Siamese in summer. In the UAE 47 per cent of
by a medical problem such as Irritable WHAT’S ON SAYS women have experienced hair loss with over 30
Bowel Syndrome (IBS), so seek a doctor’s A family daytrip to the sun-filled per cent of men noticing their hairline receding.
advice if you feel this is the case. Occasional Lu Lu Island will provide plenty of Many claim it’s due to the quality of the water and
bloating can be avoided by taking your time exposure to the sun, but, of course, the dry conditions, but nobody really knows for
over your dinner, not talking while chewing remember to apply sunscreen – too much sure. There is speculation that chlorine in shower
your food and by not eating too many dairy sun is never good. water and swimming pools may be to blame but,
products or food that contains starch. A www.visitabudhabi.ae in scientific tests, no correlation has ever been
found between chlorine and hair loss.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
Increased hair loss – check your pillow in
the morning.
TREATMENT
Filters for showers are reported to help
(available from Carrefour). Let your hair
dry naturally or use a hair dryer rather than
a towel. Don’t brush wet hair, use a wide-
toothed comb instead. Use a mild shampoo
and drink plenty of water to help keep your
hair nourished. In severe cases, men can look
at having a hair transplant, there are plenty of
clinics in the region that can do this.
WHAT’S ON SAYS
Men – put your vanity to one side and shave
it off. It hasn’t done Bruce Willis any harm.

MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 21

Testing Times
.The Diet Test.
Name? Food Intolerance Test
What? Blood tests to discover food
intolerance levels.
How? A sample of blood is taken and
examined against a range of foods to check
your intolerance levels. Now, intolerance
is the key word here. A lot of people will
have an instant reaction and feel ill with
some foods – which is an allergic reaction –
whereas with an intolerant reaction they may
not feel anything for days or even weeks later.
Food intolerance can bring with it a range
of symptoms, including tiredness, bloating,
headaches, cramps – the list is endless, and
because of the timescales most people will
have no idea what it is that’s caused it.
Results? Results are delivered in three lists:
a green, permitted and recommended list; a
blue, permitted once or twice weekly list; and
a red, strong reaction list, forbidden for three
to four months. Our results came back with,
thankfully, a long green list; a medium blue
list – codfish, goats’ milk and lentils, among
others; and a red list of three: crab, cane sugar
and cows’ milk. Ah. Just two of our daily
staples then. As results won’t show up for
three to four months, we’re now undergoing
cold turkey, with our morning cuppa well out
of the window.
How long? A quick jab in the arm with a
needle and you’re done. Results are sent the
next day, however, there’s a three to four
month wait until you discover just what it was
that pesky crab was doing to you.
How much? Dhs1,500.
Where? Medsol clinics throughout the UAE.
Tel: 800 MEDSOL. www.medsol-me.com
.The General.
.examination.
Name? Medical Check-Up
What? A full physical examination.
How? MediCentres’ Dr Dejan Jovanoic is
bemused. “Our cars, metal things we use to
get from A to B, we have checked up at least
once a year,” he says in his ever-so-slight East
European accent. “Sometimes more. But our
bodies? When do we have them checked?”
The good doctor is right, of course – a general
examination like the one he does at his clinic
in Barsha probably isn’t top of most people’s
to do lists, but it takes so little effort. His is
a series of tests much like those you had as a
child – shining a torch in the eye, hitting the
knee with a small hammer, stethoscope to
the chest – to determine any abnormalities
with your everyday well-being. While they
won’t reveal everything, they’re a pretty good
evaluation of how fit for the road you are.
Results? Thankfully, when the test results
landed a day or two later it’s a clean bill of
health; no problems with ears, eyes, heart,
lungs, BMI within recommended range,
everything looking as it should. As with all
check ups, the Doc recommends further
diagnostic evaluation, such as blood tests,
liver, glucose, which will paint an even more
accurate picture of health.
How long? 30 to 45 minutes, longer if blood
tests are taken.
How much? From Dhs450.
Where? MediCentres International, Iridium
Building, Umm Suqeim Road, Al Barsha,
Dubai. Tel: (04) 3233715.
www.medicentres.org
.The Well Woman.
.Test.
Name? Extended Female Medical Check-Up
What? A full body MOT to ensure a woman’s
total health, from blood work to breast
examination.
How? This extensive well woman test
includes: complete medical history
discussion, physical exam, immunisation
update, measurements, gynaecology
consultation, mammogram, pelvic and
organ ultrasound, bone density scan, fasting
blood sugar tests (for cholesterol, liver and
renal function, proteins and thyroid levels),
pulmonary function, 12-lead ECG resting
and treadmill ECG stress tests, plus follow-up
consultation. Phew.
Results? Many of the tests give instant results
– we were surprised to learn that our liver is
very good looking – but it takes up to four
days to get blood work back.
How long? Around two and half hours, but
you may need to come back for the treadmill
test and gynaecological appointments.
How much? The full test costs Dhs3,700, but
you can create your own package according
to specific concerns. Contact the clinic to
discuss options.
Where? Health Bay Clinic, Villa 977, Al
Wasl Road, Umm Suqeim, Dubai. Tel: (04)
3487140. www.healthbayclinic.com
.The Anti.
.Pollution.
.Treatment.
Name? Glow Facial by Kaya Skin Clinic
What? A deep cleansing facial to unblock
pores, clear skin of pollution build-up and
refresh a dull complexion.
How? Using a clever machine that exfoliates
and acts like a mini vacuum cleaner, a
therapist removes dead skin cells to improve
the texture of your skin. Focusing on one
half of the face first, you can see instant
results (and can even take a peek at the dirt
that was removed if you so desire – yuck).
After treating the whole face, individual
pores are unblocked without the use of
steam, which can stretch the skin, to leave it
softer and brighter. If a little pink and sore
around the nose.
Results? You can see and feel the difference
instantly, but to combat the UAE’s pollution
problems (plus heavy use of sunscreen), a
treatment once a month is recommended.
How long? One hour.
How much? Dhs350.
Where? Kaya Skin Clinic, throughout the
UAE. www.kayaclinic.com
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 23
 .The Colon. is wrong, or right, with your body. A fitness
instructor will give you advice on work out
Cleanser. regimes and diet tips. We were told to work
Name? Colonic Hydrotherapy out for longer, stock up on protein and give
What? There’s no delicate way to put this – it’s carbs the heave-ho. Simple.
a treatment that uses water (via a machine) How long? The scan takes no longer than
to flush waste out of your colon. Following a minute and the results are printed out
an in-depth consultation, Dr Heather Eade instantly and presented in an easy to read,
inserts a speculum, which then feeds warm colour-coded chart, which your instructor
water into your digestive tract to loosen any discusses with you. The results are useful
waste, undigested food, bile, mucus and in setting goals to get you in shape and it’s
more. Don’t fear – the high-tech machine can recommended that you come back after a
vary the pressure and temperature so you’re month of hard slog for a further test to see
comfortable, modesty is preserved at all times how you are getting on.
(thanks to some well-designed trousers) and How much? The test costs Dhs200 and
Dr Eade explains every step of the procedure. includes a consultation with a fitness
And yes, you can see what comes out if you instructor.
want to. Where? Natural Elements Fitness Centre, Le
Results? The outcome (so to speak) varies Méridien Dubai, Airport Road, Dubai. Tel:
vastly between patients. Many use colon (04) 2170000.
hydrotherapy to address issues such as IBS, www.lemeridien.com/dub
.The Teeth. candida, allergies, skin problems, migraines
and severe digestive problems, while others .The Acne buster.
.Treatment. may just feel sluggish. You could need up Name? Medical Acne Facial by Biolite Skin
Name? Office Teeth Whitening Treatment to ten sessions, but one will be sufficient to Clinic
What? A teeth whitening treatment to make reduce mild bloating. Immediately after a What? A tripartite of skin clearing treatments
those pearly whites brighter, whiter and stain- treatment you may be a bit wild-eyed and that helps reduce acne and improve skin
free. It’s particularly effective for those who giddy, your stomach will feel flat and you’ll quality.
have enjoyed a little too much caffeine and need a little nap. How? The facial joins the benefits of three
nicotine over the years. How long? The consultation will take treatments: a crystal peel, IPL photo facial
How? This treatment is performed in two about an hour and you’ll be attached to the and Rejuvi acne treatment. Before the crystal
sessions. The first part is a scale and polish hydrotherapy machine for 45 minutes, so peel, the therapist does a deep cleansing –
to irradiate all those annoying stains. The allow around two hours in total. unblocking pores and gently exfoliating.
second part is the whitening treatment where How much? Dhs550 plus Dhs500 for Then the skin undergoes the light microderm
hydrogen peroxide whitening gel is applied to consultation at first appointment. abrasion – a bit like having your face
your teeth and then an ultraviolet light is left Where? Dubai Mall Medical Centre, Fashion sand-blasted with sterile crystals. It sounds
to work its magic. Carpark, Level 7, Dubai Mall, Dubai. intense, but it’s not, and feels a bit like having
Results? You can see the difference Tel: (04) 4495111. your face licked by a cat.
immediately and your teeth should be at www.tdmmc.com When your skin’s at its cleanest and barest,
least two shades lighter. But be aware that for the therapist brings out the big guns – the
three to four days afterwards your teeth act .The Fit Or Fat Test. IPL wand. This treatment uses broad-
like sponges absorbing stains easier, so try Name? Body Composition Test spectrum light to sterilise acne-causing
to avoid smoking, caffeine, fizzy drinks and What? A quick and easy test to find out just bacteria in the skin, shrink the oil-producing
even red pasta sauces. Basically, anything how fit and healthy your body really is, inside glands, and lighten your dark spots and
with colour is a no-go area. Apart from and out. scars. The therapist coats your skin with
experiencing a little sensitivity afterwards, How? This simple check-up requires you to a protective layer of icy cold gel and then
this treatment should last a lifetime as long as do nothing more strenuous than stand on a methodically goes over your face, zapping it
you continue to look after your gnashers and shiny set of scales barefoot while gripping with light, which stings slightly – as if you
have regular check-ups. a sensor in each hand. Technology does the were flicked with a rubber band.
How long? The scale and polish takes around rest. Your body is scanned to give accurate After a week, you come back for the Rejuvi
15 minutes and the whitening treatment will details of your weight, muscle mass and treatment, which uses a mix of acids to
take approximately 30 minutes depending on percentage body fat. It’ll tell you how much further smooth and clean up the skin. For
the discolouration. Just sit back and relax to water you need to drink as well as your the next month, as your skin slowly clears
the sounds on your iPod. If that doesn’t seal protein intake and all-important BMI. Your up, make sure to slather on the sun block
the deal, the mood lighting, contemporary basel metabolic rate will figure out how many and follow their recommended daily care
artwork from Opera and valet parking calories your body needs to get you through guidelines.
definitely will. the day and the maximum you should have. How long? The basic three-part treatment
How much? Dhs2,500, which includes the The test also points out which of your wobbly takes place in two sessions of less than an
consultation, scale and polish, and teeth bits contain the most fat. Unsurprisingly, hour each.
whitening treatment. our belly, waist and hips came in for special How much? Dhs950.
Where? The Clinic, Building 7, DIFC. Tel: attention. Where? Biolite Skin Clinic, Dubai
(04) 3230900. Results? The information is pretty Healthcare City, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3752122.
www.theclinic.ae comprehensive; pointing out exactly what www.biolitedubai.com

24 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010


.The Eye test.

 mild asthma. With some helpful tips from
Name? Ophthalmology Test
What? Giving your eyes a complete
examination, looking for short or long
sightedness and diseases such as glaucoma
and conjunctivitis.
How? The UAE’s incessant sunshine causes
major harm to your eyes, so it’s essential to
have regular eye tests. First up, the intense
sunlight can, without top quality polarised
sunglasses, lead to eyestrain, which will
eventually reduce your vision. Also, air
conditioning is constantly drying your eyes.
This, combined with the dust and sand in the
atmosphere, can trigger eye infections such as
conjunctivitis. To help prevent this it’s best to
undergo regular eye tests. The New Medical
Centre Hospital’s ophthalmology department
offer such tests, consisting of the classic ‘read
the ever-decreasing letters on a board’, as well
a succession of other tests such as shining
bright lights into your eyeballs and eye drops
with yellow dye to check for glaucoma.
Results? Despite the long hours we spend
staring at computer monitors, we’ve been told
our eyes are in relatively good nick. We’re
slightly long sighted in our right eye, which
will deteriorate with age. But at present,
we’re hanging in there – we’re just short of
becoming a glasses wearer. However, our
ophthalmologist, Dr Philip Koshy, says our
eyes are a bit dry and we should blink more
and always wear sunglasses when driving to
stop the blast of A/C parching our peepers.
How long? Around 30 minutes.
How much? Dhs800.
Where? New Medical Centre Hospital,
corner of Electra Street and Airport Road,
Abu Dhabi. Tel: (02) 6332255.
www.nmc.ae
.The Lung check-up. .corrective eye.
Name? Respiratory Test
What? A complete examination of your surgery.
lungs, to find out lung capacity and
whether you have any lung conditions
or diseases.
How? After a brief check-up, you’re asked to
breath into a mouthpiece, which is hooked
up to a computer. With your nose blocked
off by nose plugs, you breathe normally
in and out through your mouth. When
asked by the nurse, you have to inhale and
then exhale as fast as you can. You then
take a puff of ventolin – a common asthma
inhaler – and repeat the test. The computer
then analyses whether your airways are
obstructed or inflamed, as well as what
affects the ventolin has had.
Results? Despite being an asthma sufferer
all our lives, we were pleased to know that
our lung capacity was normal. When we
repeated the test with ventolin, there was a
small improvement, which proves we have
the clinic’s respiratory expert, Dr Zouhair
Harb, this should be controllable.
How long? The test and consultation
takes about 30 minutes.
How much? The full test costs Dhs750.
Where? Cure Clinic, off 32nd Street, Al
Bateen, Abu Dhabi. Tel: (02) 6675050.
www.cure.ae
Tips to prevent lung
conditions
1. Wash your pillow covers and bed sheets
regularly, as mites in your bed often inflame
the lungs. Also, every three months or so, you
should wash the pillows in water hotter than
60°C to kill the mites.
2. Have your air conditioning units at home and
in your car cleaned regularly. Mould in the unit
will spark off asthma attacks.
3. Try to avoid building sites. Cement dust
and sand are inflammatory to asthmatics.
4. Take care when workers are using fertiliser
on plant beds. This is another major cause of
lung inflammation.
5. We all know tobacco is bad for us, but
smoking shisha is even worse. The molasses
used in the tobacco mix creates a smoke that
coats the lungs. Just say no to that double grape.
Name? Ultra Lasik Eye Surgery
What? A restorative procedure on one or both
eyes that will allow you to sling those specs and
consign your contact lenses to the bin for good
by correcting any of your sight problems with
a concentrated light beam. Long and short
sightedness, astigmatism; all can be sorted out
with the state-of-the-art Ultra Lasik facilities
available at the centre.
How? The procedure includes the eye test that
you’d normally have at your high street opticians,
with some additional tests included to make
sure your eyeball is healthy enough for surgery.
As soon as your requirements are assessed,
you’re scheduled in for the work to be done. The
procedure involves two cutting-edge machines.
One to prepare your eye for the laser beam to be
applied, and the other to do the correcting. After
surgery you’re advised to wear goggles to protect
yourself from rubbing your eyes while you sleep
for the first night, and then not to do anything
silly like poke yourself in the eye for a couple of
weeks. But there’s no eye-patch or hibernation in
a darkened room needed.
Results? Sensational. From squinting to
flagging down the right bus to pin-sharp
vision. Sincerely life-changing stuff.
How long? For such significant and life-
changing surgery, you’d assume you’d be in
the operating theatre for a respectable period.
But with the latest technology in harness, it
really is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it stuff.
You’re in a surgical gown and prone for around
eight minutes. That’s it. The consultations and
follow-ups obviously take a bit longer.
How much? The prices vary depending on
the amount of work your peepers need.
Both eyes will cost anything from Dhs8,000
to Dhs18,000 to be fixed.
Where? Sharaf Eye Centre, Healthcare City,
Dubai. Tel: (04) 4233664.
www.sharifeyecenter.com
the info gadget
If you have severe allergies, suffer from
seizures or need to carry medication, then
CareId from UniCare Medical Centre, could
be a lifesaver. The portable USB is designed
to carry patients’ history so doctors at the
scene of an accident or emergency will
have the essential information to treat you.
Diabetics can also use CareId to maintain
a log of their glucose readings. The devices
are available from 8.30am to 9.00pm from
UniCare. UniCare Medical Centre, ground
floor of BurJuman, next to Dome Café, Bur
Dubai, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3529292.
www.unicaredubai.com
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 25
Experience the art of chic,
urban, casual dining
Afyä – the new restaurant in Traders Hotel,
Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi.
Enjoy the unique ambience and no fuss, high quality cuisine
of Afyä’s extensive international menu, morning, noon or night.
Call Restaurant Reservations on +971 2 510 8818 or visit www.tradershotels.com
Between the Bridges, PO Box 128881, Abu Dhabi, UAE
The Science
Of Sleep
Insomnia is a major problem
in these increasingly stressful
times. If you’re in dire need of
a good night’s rest, we have
the keys to the land of nod
.Become A Fan-atic.
Just before you turn in, turn a fan or the
A/C on. That low drone mightn’t sound that
special but it’s a noise that helps plenty of
people who have trouble dropping off. If you
don’t have access to a fan, a hairdryer or silent
TV ‘white noise’ has much the same effect.
A remarkably successful sleeping aid, those
in need of celebrity endorsement might be
interested to hear that Wayne Rooney swears
by this technique with the same enthusiasm
he swears at referees.
.Pills, Schmills.
In the very excellent Fight Club, Edward
Norton’s insomnia-wracked narrator fantasises
about the medication that might help him rest.
“Red and blue tuinals, lipstick-red seconals...”
– to the sleepless man, they sound like manna
from heaven. The problem is, people are swift
to adapt to the effects of sleeping tablets – so
swift in fact that the pill that knocked you
out cold one night might only lay you out
for a couple of hours the following evening.
Useful only in the short-term, those who put
their trust in tablets would be far better off
listening to the advice of Norton’s world-weary
physician: “Chew some valerian root and get
more exercise.”
.The Eight Hour.
.Illusion.
Unless you’re a dolphin or Margaret Thatcher,
you probably think you need eight hours of
sleep to refresh your mind and body. In actual
fact, human beings can function perfectly
well on far less rest. The key to a relaxing
night isn’t how long you sleep, but the amount
of dream or REM sleep you enjoy. This is
another problem with sleeping tablets – while
they knock you out, they inhibit healthy
sleep. So, if you’ve only slept for five hours but
you’ve spent four of those rubbing coconut oil
over Angelina Jolie while a unicorn looks on,
the chances are you’re in fine fettle.
.The Sound Of.
.Silence.
When people can’t sleep it’s common practice
to turn on the TV. It can be pretty lonely when
you’re up at 3.30am so you could do worse
than watch a dreadful infomercial. Or so
you might think. In fact, in those moments
before you fall asleep your brain is incredibly
receptive to taking in information. So if you
have, say, a television blaring away, the brain
becomes so active the body can’t help but
ready itself for stress.
Next time you find yourself reaching for
the remote, you’d be better off turning on
that fan – if it’s good enough for a complex
individual like Wayne Rooney, it should
prove useful to you.
.Get Some.
.Therapy.
You might be the last person who’d think
they’d benefit from talking about their feelings
once a fortnight, but that doesn’t mean there
aren’t benefits to be had from talking to sleep
therapists. Whether it’s problems with your
daily routine, your bedroom layout or your
general health, a sleep specialist can save you
a lot of worry not to mention countless hours
staring at the ceiling (stop that!). As for a good
place to start, you could do a lot worse than
the Sleep Centre at the American Hospital
Dubai (www.ahdubai.com), whose talented
professionals can help you with everything
from somnambulism to sleep apnoea.
the detox
holiday
Name? The Ultimate Detox at Absolute
Sanctuary, Koh Samui, Thailand
What? An intensive programme of
fasting, nutritional supplements and
colon hydrotherapy under the supervision
of experts
How? A three, five or seven-day detox
devoted ‘holiday’ where you will consume
nothing but cocktails of fruit juice, psyllium
husks and bentonite clay, broth and a
barrage of herbal nutritional supplements;
indulge in daily colonic hydrotherapy and
take part in yoga sessions – if your energy
levels allow. Blood pressure, weight, body
fat and water levels are read and monitored
by a doctor
and detoxers have a team of medical
professionals to call on at any time. Not
for the faint hearted.
Results? An average weight loss of 3kg
to 5kgs on the seven-day programme,
removal of years of toxins and impacted
waste creating healthier long-term
digestion, improved energy levels, clearer
skin and a cold turkey kick-start for long-
term clean living.
How long? Three days is enough for
a beauty boost, five days is a serious
commitment to health. Seven days? Go
into that one with your game face on.
How much? An all-inclusive
Signature Detox Programme (excluding
accommodation) costs Dhs2,448 for three
days, Dhs3,244 for five days and Dhs3,927
for seven days.
Where? Absolute Sanctuary, Koh Samui,
Thailand. Tel: (+662) 2524400.
www.absolutesanctuary.com
Ship Out
& Shap e Up h
’t, but a weekend wit
ain
Relaxing getaway it e
kick start your exercis
Dunamis could be the at Al Jazira Golden
bre aks
regime needs. The
g together people for
Tulip in Ghantoot brin
nts, martial arts and
training, with team eve for meeting fellow
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MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 27

Terrifying
Takeaways
We asked Dubai London Clinic’s
nutritionist Stephanie Karl for her
advice on healthy eating when
ordering in
.Indian.
Chicken tikka masala is a popular choice, but it also has an average
of 700 calories per portion. Unfortunately, it’s Western influences
that have added the calories to Indian meals that were traditionally
quite low in fat. Avoid creamy curries, like korma and masala, and
go instead for the tandoori, which has 350 calories per portion.
This hardly makes it a healthy option, but it’s considerably better by
comparison. Stay away from deep fried bhajis and samosas. Keep it
simple with plain boiled rice and avoid naan bread, which is high in
fat and just one half contains 269 calories.
.Pizza.
All that cheese is not good news. Then many of us add any number of
toppings that are high in fat. Just eating half a plain margherita pizza
from Pizza Express gives you 263 calories. A single slice of Domino’s
Deluxe has 171 calories. If you can’t resist the occasional pizza, try
going for the lower fat toppings such as vegetables and prawns. Don’t
ask for extra cheese and avoid garlic dips or garlic bread. Contrary
to what you might think, the deep pan pizza is actually a healthier
option than the thin crust as it contains less fat.
.Chinese.
Chinese food is hugely popular, but not a wise choice for dieters. If
you can’t resist the temptation, at least try to avoid the deep fried
dishes. This includes starters like prawn crackers and spring rolls. Just
one serving of crispy duck contains over 30g of fat. Instead, try fish
and steamed vegetables. Other dishes that are higher in vegetables and
therefore lower in fat include beef in black bean sauce. Still, a typical
serving contains 432 calories, whereas chicken and cashew nuts has
311 calories. Stir-fries aren’t as bad as you might think, as the amount
of oil used is generally not high. Go for the plain (preferable brown)
rice rather than the egg fried which contains more fat. Better still,
order Thai food instead which is much lighter.
Smile like
you mean it
Dr Michael Apa can rightly claim to be
the facial aesthetic dentist to the stars,
having perfected the gnashers of
Matt Damon, Chloe Sevigny, not
to mention all manner of royalty.
Here’s his scoop on achieving a
gorgeous grin
After smoking and drinking coffee for 15 years my teeth aren’t
exactly sparkling. I’ve heard whitening can be damaging to the
enamel – what can I do?
That’s actually not true. Bleaching simply changes the structure of
enamel to reflect more light making teeth appear brighter. Done in
moderation, it’s completely harmless to the teeth. It is the simplest
way to attempt to gain a better smile. However, most people need
more than bleaching to really achieve that great smile.
I need a total mouth makeover but I’m concerned about how
long the veneers last. Are they really permanent and will I get
my money’s worth over a lifetime? How long does the process
take and what’s the recovery time like?
Nothing in dentistry, or that’s put in the human body, is permanent.
Veneers, however, are the longest lasting restoration in the mouth.
The average life span is about 15 to 20 years, but you have to take
care of them. Taking care of them means regular hygiene visits and
check ups with the dentist. I have two offices, one in New York and
one in Dubai. When I come to Dubai, I bring my ceramist, Jason
Kim, and we finish the entire process in less than a week – about five
days, actually. The process consists of two main visits and two check
visits. There is no recovery time, from the time the process starts you
will look great (even while in temporary phase, or trial smile) and
will be able to go to social events and work.
I’m 27 and my wisdom teeth have been threatening to come
through for a few years. What happens if they do and there’s no
room? Will my smile be ruined? I can’t face braces at my age.
It’s not true that wisdom teeth crowd your teeth if they grow in
impacted… however, it’s not good if they are impacted – they
should be removed. If not, they can ruin the second molar that
is in front of them and they can become infected causing severe
pain and swelling. Braces, however, in today’s dentistry aren’t like
they used to be. There are now clear braces called
invisalign or ceramic braces that are tooth
coloured that can actually be placed on
the backs of the teeth. Many actors and
actresses are using this option today to
obtain a better smile.
Dr Michael Apa, Villa 1016, Al Wasl Road,
Umm Suqiem, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3949433.
E-mail: doctorapa@yahoo.com
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 29
The UAE’s top
There’s an array of up-and- Dubai Flea
coming designers, artisans,
crafty people and hidden
Market,
gems out there at a stall Al Safa Park
near you
“By 11.30am, everything is usually gone,”
One man’s trash is another man’s second- warns the UAE’s flea market queen, Melanie
hand sofa. Here in the UAE, the market for Beese. “Everything you can imagine is sold
the used, the quaintly handcrafted and the here – electronics, clothes, shoes, antiques,
downright bargain but bizarre is thriving. books, ceramics and furniture. Vendors sell
While the Emirates might be full of top name the craziest stuff, and last time we had more
stores, there’s something quite magical – and than 6,000 visitors.” Sharpen your elbows
not to mention money-saving – about going and prepare to haggle for must-have bric-
off the beaten track and searching for hidden a-brac. A mere Dhs3 entry fee grants you
treasure, secret tat and undiscovered arts. unlimited access to the second-hand treasures
on display, while a stall of your own costs
Dhs230. Just be sure to get there early to get
one up on those ruthless bargain hunters.
WHEN: Oct to May, first Sat of the month
8am to 3pm
WHERE: Entrance Gate Five, Safa Park, Dubai
WHO: www.dubai-fleamarket.com
MUST BUY: Jewellery, handmade by Fatin Arya,
Dhs20
Dubai Flea Market
30 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
Dubai
Designer
Market
The posh edition of a flea market, where some
of Dubai’s up-and-coming designers meet
vintage products from established brands
including Gucci, Prada and Chanel. Karama
eat your heart out. The UAE’s answer to
Delboy, Melanie Beese, is also behind this little
endeavour that showcases high-end bargains for
label-conscious shoppers. Here, a young Polish
couple tout their new brand, Poca & Poca; add
one of Farrah Phillips’ vintage handbags and
a little something from Hermès and you’re
away… once you’ve bought one of the gorgeous
silver frames in which to put a photo of yourself,
resplendent in your cut-price designer wear, of
course.
WHEN: Every second Sat of the month, 1pm to 6pm
WHERE: Jumeirah Beach Park, Dubai
WHO: Melanie Beese. Tel: (050) 2960680
MUST BUY: Farrah Phillips’ gorgeous designer
handbags, Dhs120 to 400
Covent
Garden
Flea Market
Overlooking the sea on one side, and JBR on
the other, the Covent Garden Flea Market is the
perfect way to combine a day’s browsing with a
pleasant walk along the beach and a bite to eat
at one of the many cafés that line this stretch of
Dubai coastline. Sellers here include Jingerlily,
who sell gorgeous dyed seashell jewellery, silver
pendants, rings, bracelets and necklaces in a
range of bright colours, and Cairo Koshek’s
Marwa Moharem, whose quirky newspaper
and magazine collaged trays, plates and boxes
we just love. There are also a range of clothes
designers, vintage items, Indian silver and art on
show, and at bargain prices if you’re quick.
WHEN: Oct to Apr, Wed and Thurs 5pm to
midnight, Fri and Sat 10am to 9pm
WHERE: The Walk, JBR, Dubai
WHO: www.coventgardenmarket.ae
MUST BUY: Egyptian Trays from Marwa
Moharem, Dhs180 to 320
 UAE MARKETS

ten markets
ARTE
PHOTOS: Naveed Ahmed
Dubai Designer Market

“We’re not a flea market, but an arts and

crafts market,” explains Miriam Walsh, the
organiser of ARTE, one of the craftiest places
to pick up creative arts and crafts. “There’s
nothing second hand here, it’s all original
works.” ARTE pride itself on selling works
by artists passionate about their craft. Cutesy
knitted cupcake fridge magnets sit next
to stained glass bowls, original paintings
and handmade jewellery; just some of
the little treasures to be found here and
great for unusual gift ideas. Check out the
Waldorf dolls, pottery, silk and wool scarves,
photography and digital art – the market has
more than 100 members so there is always
something new to peruse and covet.
WHEN: First and second Fri of the month
WHERE: Times Square Mall and Dubai Festival
City, Dubai
WHO: www.arte.ae
MUST BUY: Cute as pie Abu Dhabi Community Market
knitted cupcakes, Dhs10

ARTE Abu Dhabi

Community
Market
A relative newcomer to the capital, this
ongoing event combines flea, art and
international markets at Khalifa Park. The
market will be closed over the summer but
will reopen in October. The park entrance fee
is Dhs5. Sellers can book tables online from
Dh180 to Dhs330 depending on the products
they’re selling.
WHEN: Sun to Wed, 4pm to noon, Thurs to Sat,
4pm to noon
WHERE: Khalifa Park, Dubai
WHO: www.abudhabicommunitymarket.com
Must Buy: Scented oils, Dhs40 each

MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 31

UAE MARKETS
Fruit &
Vegetable
Market &
Deira Fish
Market
Dubai’s answer to a farmer’s market, this is
the place to get fresh bargain fruit and veg
and eschew the overpriced, wilting nonsense
that passes for the fresh counter in most
supermarkets. There’s a lot of choice from
the various stalls competing to sell you their
produce, so a good-natured haggle is certainly
in order here. And, if your stomach can
handle the overpowering stench of seafood,
head next door where the catch of the day lies
on open slabs of melting ice. The trick is to
arrive early in the morning, haggle hard and
check the produce carefully – there’s a fine line
between bargains and bad, so make sure you
get fresh produce at the right price.
WHEN: Daily
WHERE: Next to Hyatt Regency, Deira, Dubai
MUST BUY: Haggle for those five a day
Old
Gold
Souk
Although the jewellery-filled alleyways of the
gold souk entice sunburned tourists on the hunt
for cut-price bling, the warrens of grubby little
stores in this old part of town are also worth a
punt. Indian fabrics, cheap electronics, pretty
cushion covers, spices and teas are just some of
the items sold in this somewhat unfashionable
part of town. This is one of the few parts of
Dubai where you can still see a glimpse of the
old-fashioned sea trading that was the city’s
bread and butter before oil was discovered.
It’s hard not to be impressed at the piles of
goods that line the Creek as dhows that look
barely seaworthy load and unload their goods,
dodging little abras that take people from one
side of the water to another. You may need to
do some digging to find what you’re looking for
but remember that the haggle is king here. The
words ‘is that your best price?’ will instantly see
calculator buttons being pressed furiously and
dirhams dropped.
WHEN: Daily, 9am to late
WHERE: Baniyas Road, Deira, Dubai
WHO: A collection of hundreds of stores and
stalls make up the souk
Must Buy: Topaz Brazilian ring, Dhs3,000,
from Nanjee Parshotam Jewellers
32 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
Deira Fish Market
Exotica
Furniture
& Antique
Museum
Not strictly ‘markets’ as such, these pile ‘em high
warehouses are filled with furniture treasure
for those looking to avoid the curse of identikit
superstore homeware the same as everyone else
in the UAE. Exotica offer a tantalising treasure
trove of beautiful Chinese treasures – think
brass Buddhas, antique wooden furniture
and delicate porcelain – while the altogether
brusquer Antique Museum is actually neither
antique-filled or a museum. Instead, it offers the
opportunity to go on a giant, dust-filled treasure
hunt for wooden furniture. Yes, it may also be
sold in furniture stores in the malls, but it ain’t
nearly as much fun if you find it yourself. And
you should end up saving a good few dirhams
into the bargain, too.
WHEN: Exotica Sat to Thurs, 10am to 7pm daily,
Fri 4pm to 7pm, Antique Warehouse, Sat to
Thurs 9.30am to 8.30pm, Fri, 9am to 11.30am
and 3.30pm to 8.30pm.
WHERE: Exotica is behind Times Square Mall.
Antique Warehouse is the first right before the
Kanoo building, Al Quoz 3, Dubai
WHO: Exotica. Tel: (04) 3402966; Antique
Warehouse. Tel: (04) 3479935
MUST BUY: Exotica’s Chinese photo frame,
Dhs110
Karama
Market
This dodgy little
bastion of fakery
is something of a
Dubai institution.
Before the era of
the download,
this was the place
to buy DVDs
that sometimes
worked, but mostly
didn’t. Now it’s
the place to go to get your visiting mates that
fake watch and handbag, my friend, as well
as picking up cheap versions of everything,
including shoes, T-shirts and trainers that
may or may not be the real thing (tip: they’re
not). Tourists love it though and it’s a fun
day out diving into illicit attics and secret
doorways, although we say it’s better to buy
the real thing and know that no children were
harmed during the making of your handbag.
Go, look, but spend your money in the
gorgeously fiery Karachi Darbar restaurant
nearby for a real bargain day out.
WHEN: Daily, most shops tend to close 1pm to
4pm
WHERE: Karama is between Lamcy Plaza and
Bur Dubai, Dubai
WHO: We’d tell you, but then we’d have to kill
you
Must Buy: Indian style slippers, Dhs25
Fujairah
Friday
Market
This odd little roadside market has become
something of a road trip destination,
although we’re not entirely sure that we can
put our finger on its elusive charm. But there’s
something about driving along the East Coast
Road that almost requires a stop-off here:
massive, slightly scary technicolour rugs,
ochre-coloured piles of clay tubs and plant
pots, plastic, colourful things that will attract
any backseat child at 200 metres and, of
course, locally grown fruit and vegetables.
WHEN: Daily 8am to10pm
WHERE: Follow the Dubai
Fujairah road to Masafi
WHO: Local traders and
farmers
MUST BUY: Earthenware
plant pot, Dhs15

Culture club
Two decades ago it was
practically non-existent. These
days the UAE’s theatre scene
is thriving, with new theatres
filled with ever-increasing
numbers of productions
by both professional and
community companies.
So how did we become a
nation of theatre lovers?
Ask Damian Calderbank about the history of
theatre in the UAE and he’ll take you back to a
time that, to current residents, sounds like another
world. “[Veteran British actor] Derek Nimmo
used to come over with his drama group and
they would play in the little theatre at the Crowne
Plaza on Sheikh Zayed Road,” recalls the theatre
consultant who has worked on such high-profile
Dubai-based ventures from DUCTAC to the
Palladium. “All the expat community would go
and see those shows – real ‘how’s
your father’ type of things, you
know, all the old farces.”
ISTOCK
Fast-forward a couple of decades and,
while it’s hardly a scene to rival the West End
or Broadway, the city now offers a regular
programme of theatre that caters to an ever
wider selection of tastes, be that all-singing,
all-dancing successes of the likes of High School
Musical (both 1 and 2) or ‘straight’ plays such as
thriller The Woman In Black and tragic-comedy
Stones In His Pocket. Better yet, however, is
that this interest is growing at all levels: for
every Blood Brothers – the hit West End show
brought to the Madinat Theatre by UK-based
production company Popular Productions that
enjoyed a two-week sell-out run in February
– there are several more staged by local, non-
profit community theatre troupes.
Which is not to say that there has never
been any other kind of middle ground –
neighbouring emirate Sharjah last month
celebrated the 19th edition of Sharjah Theatre
Week, while members of that very same
expat audience that was guffawing to Alan
Ayckbourn-style bedroom farces back in
the day went on to form Dubai Community
Theatre, better known now as DUCTAC.
Along the way, something that was once
considered slightly ‘other’, the province of an
imagined cultural elite, has become hugely
UAE THEATRE
popular across the board, with all areas of
the performing arts enjoying a keen boost in
interest and quality. Just look at the ongoing
success of the Abu Dhabi Festival, which in
March once again brought world-class opera,
ballet and classical music performances
– from highbrow Chopin recitals to chart-
topping populists Il Divo – to the capital.
Back in Dubai, venues such as DUCTAC,
the Madinat and the recently-opened
Palladium stage an increasingly sophisticated
selection of professional shows that are, says
Calderbank “raising the bar of what’s been
here before and by doing that it raises other
people’s aspirations – they’re encouraged to
go to theatre groups and get involved.
“There are more people willing to go and see
a wider variety of theatre,” he continues. “Dubai
Drama Group put on Guards! Guards! by Terry
Pratchett last year, which isn’t to everyone’s taste
but shows how things have changed.”
All well and good, but there’s no time to
rest on our collective laurels just yet. The
success of Blood Brothers may mean that
Popular Productions is bringing another
award-winning musical – Fame – to Dubai
in the coming months (marking its 20th
production in the UAE) and a “Hollywood
season” later in the year but, as co-founder
Lucy Blakeman explains, the high cost of
staging theatre in the limited number of
venues currently available in Dubai means
that “the UAE is not yet ready for open-ended
runs of big shows like those you will see in
London, New York or Las Vegas.”
Blakeman suggests that support is needed
“at governmental level” to help take things
on to the next stage. Visit London or New
York and one of the first things you see when
you land is “a presentation wall showing you
what’s on and how to get tickets for the West
End or Broadway. The authorities need to
help the entertainment companies, like us,
to develop bigger audiences by supporting
increased marketing and advertising
campaigns at the airport, hotels and
throughout the city,” she suggests. “That way,
we can take more of a chance on much longer
runs and bigger productions.”
And if the sky was the limit? Popular
Productions has “always wanted to stage
outdoor theatre in the colder months in the
UAE and it’s perhaps something that might
happen in the future. How about Treasure
Island on the tip of the Palm Jumeirah?”
How about it indeed.
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 35
UAE THEATRE
Treading the
Boards
It’s not just professional theatre that’s on the
increase, growing numbers of community
theatre groups offer a chance for UAE
residents to get involved at a grassroots level,
as Gautam Goenka of local troupe Backstage
reveals
How did Backstage get started?
We started up towards the end of 2009 by a
number of people who used to be part of a
student body theatre group at the American
University in Dubai (AUD). People who were
graduating were looking for more of an avenue,
an outlet, and we weren’t just finding the right
fit, so about 20 members stuck together and
that’s how we formed our group. We had our
first production, Art, in December last year at the
JamJar Gallery. Now we have about three plays
of our own coming up very shortly.
Describe a typical Backstage member
We’ve got members aged from ten up to 60
years old, so there’s a wide variety of ages
and a wide variety of nationalities – 15 to 20
nationalities within a membership of well
over 150 people. And they’re doing pretty
well in terms of the fact that most of them are
working professionals – they all have day jobs,
but we all seem to find time on weekends and
after work.
How do you see yourself within the local
theatre scene?
Dubai has an appetite for theatre.
Unfortunately, what we’ve seen is more
and more productions from professional
theatre companies that are just brought
here for a performance and then go away.
What Backstage is trying to do is cater to
other residents who want to get involved
themselves. We see ourselves as a melting
pot, a place to make new friends, a place to
Get involved
Abu Dhabi
Better known for its classical and musical
performing arts programme,
Abu Dhabi’s theatre
commission promises
workshops and a
performance in
2010.
www.adach.ae
36 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
showcase your creativity and a place to have
fun. People don’t get paid for this – whatever
money we make goes into future productions
or sometimes charity – but there’s a sense of
accomplishment.
Where do you go from here?
The biggest problem we face is that it’s largely
an expat population in Dubai, because people
come and go. I’ve seen it happen so many
times – you have a nice thing going on but the
core of it all move out and because of that the
group has to completely restart itself. We’re
hoping to broaden our net a little more so that
problem doesn’t affect us. The vision that the
current committee has for Backstage is to see it
grow into a body that puts up five to six plays
every year, develops some new talent in terms
of acting and directing, and offers a chance for
people to come and be part of something.
May 28 and 29, Backstage performs Strangers
On A Train, American University in Dubai
Auditorium, Sheikh Zayed Road, Exit 32, Dubai.
www.backstage.ae
Sharjah
Theatre Week
may be over for
another year,
but the Al Qasba
complex offers visitors
art and culture – including
a regular theatre programme and various
workshops and classes – throughout the year.
www.qaq.ae
Doing it
for the
kids
If you think theatre and
drama groups are all
about showing off on
stage, think again. As Kids
Theatre Works founder Emily
Madghachian tells What’s On,
there’s far, far more to it than that
“I’ve been in Dubai for 28 years so I’ve seen it
grow from one main community drama group
driven by Brian Wilkie, who had this brainchild
for DUCTAC, where I’m based. That theatre did
so much to the community in Dubai, not least
because lots of different classes are offered there
by lots of different artistic providers.
“I’m probably the longest-running provider of
drama for children in Dubai. The classes start at
the age of four. What they’re building isn’t acting
talent so much, it’s as basic as learning to listen to
one another and recognise people’s emotions.
What they’re learning along the way are life
skills. They’re also learning to take risks and if
things fail, absolutely fine – just find something
else; we’re all supporting you to give it a go. I get
wonderful phone calls from time to time saying
things like, ‘My child is suddenly excelling in
maths,’ or that they’ve started smiling at school
when before they’d been chronically shy.
“What’s really lovely is that for the older kids in
a place like Dubai, where a sense of community
is a very hard thing to create, these classes where
they produce something together, offers a
small community that they really belong to. For
expatriate kids, for whom so many areas of their
lives are uncertain, it really gives them a very safe,
comfortable place to be and they are so happy.”
www.kidstheatreworks.com
Dubai
DUCTAC remains the
emirate’s leading venue for
all manner of theatre-related
workshops and classes. If your passion
lies more directly with treading the boards,
Dubai Drama Group has been presenting plays
in the emirate for the past 25 years.
www.ductac.org
www.dubaidramagroup.com
 F R I D AY 1 6 5
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Order unlimited dishes from our exclusive Late menu, including a free flow of sundowner refreshments. AED 165

For reservations, call InterContinental Abu Dhabi at 800 423463.

Three Grammys, one Emmy and
more than 25 million albums sold.
Ladies and gentleman, it’s Mr…

Harry Con

Win!
HARRY CON
NIC
TICKETS K JR
If you’re a fan
jazz stylings en of Harry C’s
We have an am ter this compesmooth
of tickets to gi azingly genero tition now.
ve us five pa
CORBIS/GRAPHEAST

win a pair, log away to his Abu Dhabi sh irs

onto ww ow. To
com/competit w.motivatepublishing.
Where does Ha ions and tell us
rry Co ...
come from? nnick Jr
a) New Orlean
b) New Delh s
c) New-castlei

nick Jr
It’s fair to say Harry Connick Jr is what you’d
call naturally gifted. The iconic New Orleans-
born singer/pianist/arranger first learnt to
play keyboards at the tender age of three,
played publicly at six, and had recorded
with a local jazz band by the time he was
ten-years-old. He’s since gone on to enjoy a
career that has seen him ranked among the
Top 60 best-selling male artists in the USA
since 1952, selling more than 25 million
records worldwide, winning three Grammy
Awards, plus one Emmy Award just for good
measure.
Meanwhile, his simultaneously successful
career in acting has found him gracing the
big screen via roles in such significant films
as 1990’s Memphis Belle; 1996’s Independence
Day (with Will Smith); and, most recently,
2009’s New In Town, in which he stars
alongside Renee Zellweger. We caught up
with Harry before his upcoming Abu Dhabi
gig later this month.
HARRY ON...
HIS early background, with
his father being District Attorney
of New Orleans and his mother
(who sadly diEd when he was 13)
a judge
“I grew up in a predominantly white,
straight-up middle-class environment.
Yeah, the story that my parents did
also own a record store is true – but
that was ten years before I was born.
You know, they loved music, and that was
their source of income to put themselves
through law school. So they were constantly
playing music around the house. A lot of
Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, classical music…
Plus I have an older sister who loved
rock’n’roll and The Beatles. And,
of course, growing up in New Orleans
we had immediate access to all the
traditional jazz, which was an immense
influence on me. I basically started playing
just because we had a piano in the house.
And from there I just kept on going, using
all the opportunities I had around me
from just being in New Orleans.”
The famous story that, at just
six-years-old, Harry was
playing jazz to drug addicts
and prostitutes on New Orleans’
legendary Bourbon Street
“That’s sort of true. You know, The French
Quarter is the centre of New Orleans. There
is a lot of activity going on down there. There
are prostitutes, there are drug dealers, and
there are people involved in different activities.
So, when I was down there playing as a child
musician, a lot of that stuff was going on. But,
while there may have been drug dealers and
prostitutes around and they may have been in
the room, at that age I was totally unaware of
it. And even when I was old enough to know,
they were still just there as part of general
society. So, while it may sound dramatic and
wonderful to think of this little kid going into
these clubs with people using drugs all around
and turning tricks in the back room, in truth it
wasn’t anything like that extreme.”
What first attracted him to
playing jazz
“Jazz music is hard to play and you have to
know a lot to play it. And so it was the quest
for that knowledge and experience that first
attracted me to it. You know, it was a challenge. I do. And I can’t spend too much time thinking
Because, just like there are certain types of
music where you don’t need to know much and some backlash in terms of bad reviews and stuff.
you can play whatever you want, there are also
those where you do need to have knowledge.
And, with jazz being one of those, for me it was shows expecting a jazz crooner, and I’d show
a big mountain to climb. And I was interested in up playing this New Orleans funk – which was
doing that.”
The early history behind HIS
brief mid-1990s flirtation with
New Orleans funk, via his 1994 LP
She plus its 1996 follow-up
Star Turtle
“What we call New Orleans funk is that Allen
HARRY CONNICK JR
Toussaint and The Meters’ stuff that came
around in the late 1960s and 1970s. And so
with that coinciding with the time I myself was
coming around, I grew up hearing a lot of it and
it became a huge influence on me. You know,
James Booker, Professor Longhair, Dr John, The
Neville Brothers… A lot of that stuff was real big,
and it was just everywhere. And, with me being
in The Musicians Union as local piano player, I’d
end up playing every style that was happening in
the city at the time. For one gig they might say,
“Wear a suit and be at this place for eight o’clock
on Thursday night” – and I’d go and be playing
with a jazz trio. Then the next night I’d go, and
it would be a funk group with a guitarist, bass
player and drummer. Then another night I might
be playing classical music in a hotel lobby. So
yeah, I played funk along with everything else.
And to me, it was a lot more groove-based, and
harmonically much more contained, than jazz.
Which made it much easier to play, but at the
same time a lot of fun. You know, while one of
them is like going to Nobu, the other one is like
going to McDonald’s. But I like doing both.”
The backlash he suffered from
jazz purists after recording,
and touring, his funk albums
“I don’t know exactly who these ‘jazz purists’
are. There are some people out there who
absolutely cannot stand anything I do, and then
there are other people out there who love what
about either. With the funk albums there was
And also there was a lot of confusion amongst
the public in that people would come to my
unfortunate. That’s because when you’re around
25-years-old – which I was at the time – you
just don’t think about stuff like that. So while
I definitely would make another funk album,
next time I’d also make sure people do know
what to expect. Because you don’t want people
spending money on something they don’t want.
You don’t want to manipulate people like that.”
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 39
HARRY CONNICK JR

“People would come

to my shows expecting
a jazz crooner, and
I’d show up playing this
New Orleans funk”

How the concept behind his last

album, Your Songs, came about
“It started with me getting a call from [Sony
music impresario] Clive Davis. He was asking
if I’d be interested in meeting with him
because he had some ideas. So I went to his
office, and he was like, “What do you think
about singing a bunch of really, really famous
songs, presenting them in a very accessible,
easy way and really featuring your vocals as
opposed to some of the other things you do
like piano-playing or arranging?” And with
me having previously done some 20-odd
records in my own way, this looked like an
interesting road to go down that I hadn’t been
down before. So I said, “Yeah, let’s give it a
try.” Together we began a very collaborative
process, picking songs and deciding how they
were going to be presented. And it turned out
to be a great new experience for me.”

Duetting with France’s first lady

– one-time supermodel Carla
Bruni-SARKOZY – on A version of The
Beatles’ And I Love Her
“Carla was the idea of the record company,
because they were looking for a song that
could tie the album into the European market
– specifically France. But though my wife
[former supermodel Jill Goodacre] knew
Carla professionally from her modelling days,
I didn’t actually know much about her music.
But after I’d listened to it and thought And I
Love Her might be a nice tune for us to do, I
went to Paris – and we sang it live together in and it’s going to have both Internet access plus you have some insurance. But then the house
the studio. We were just ten feet away from performance-based teaching facilities. We’re gets flooded, and the insurance doesn’t cover
each other so it was a really cool, intimate really excited about getting it off the ground.” the flood. So what do you then do with this
recording session.” worthless piece of real estate that you also have
Whether the strong musical a mortgage on? It’s very complicated – and
HIS involvement in culture of New Orleans is now there are thousands of people still dealing with
post-Hurricane Katrina New getting back on track these situations even today. But, while it is a
Orleans, by helping set up a “With it being such a strong, multi- complex issue, the city and its music is getting
Musicians Village in the city generational society, the musical culture in back on track and it will, in due course, return
“We’ve already built 80 homes as part of the New Orleans is now getting back on its feet. to its past glory.”
village – and there’s also now a big centre After Hurricane Katrina, there was so much May 16, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre,
for music being constructed as we speak. It’s physical devastation that it’s going to take a 8.30pm, Dhs395 to Dhs595. Tel: (02) 4446900.
called The Ellis Marsalis Centre For Music, long time to fix. It’s like you have a house and www.adnec.ae/harryconnickjr

40 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010

 ILLUSTRATION: LOUISE BROWNE

42 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010


Think DIFC is all business
and bankers? Think again
One of What’s On’s favourite galleries,
Art Space is the place for the discerning
collector. Specialising in close client care,
it can source works by desirable artists
if there’s something or someone you
particularly want on your walls.
Tel: (04) 3230820. www.artspace-dubai.com
Not to be confused with the desert of the
same name, The Empty Quarter is far
from culturally barren. As the only gallery
in Dubai devoted exclusively to fine art
photography, you’ll find examples of work
from both young and established snappers
from all over the world. From May 18 the
gallery is bringing two photographers
together in Beyond Borders and Time
Regained to explore the boundaries between The ultimate bag lady and her little bow logo
East and West.
Tel: (04) 3231210. www.theemptyquarter.com eco-friendly ‘I’m Not A Plastic Bag’ tote, but
Showcasing a rotating collection of pieces
from the world-class Farjam Collection,
this two-storey gallery also hosts
educational events on the first Wednesday
of each month in line with its exhibitions.
Until June 15, you can visit Iran Inside
Out, featuring collected works from
contemporary Iranian artists.
Tel: (04) 2320303. www.farjamcollection.com
Art Space
DIFC
Dries Van Noten
For an injection of personality for your vast
villa or identikit apartment, pay Opera a visit.
Featuring bright, contemporary works, the
gallery takes a fresh look at the international
art scene. From May 1 to May 21, there will
be an exhibition by Johanne Corno and Wand
Ye-Han, displaying modern portraiture and
abstract pieces.
Tel: (04) 3230909. www.operagallery.com
Both film and furniture fanatics should
visit this British designer’s super-cool store.
Vintage movie posters of Bogart, Bergman
and co are made to order, and therefore not
on the cheap side at Dhs6,500 for canvas, but
that’s show business.
Tel: (04) 3231388
may have shot to mainstream fame with the
the DIFC store is full of butter-soft leather and
high-gleam patent, from coin purses to luggage.
Tel: (04) 3825190 The Gate, DIFC
While Belgium is better know for its food
than its fashion, sharp cutting Dries Van
Noten is surely the exception. Known for
his minimalist and attainable ready-to-wear
collections, the Belgian designs with city
slickers in mind, which explains why he’s so
darn popular in Dubai.
Tel: (04) 3825130
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 43
DIFC
Italian label Marni brings some colour to
the linear grey of the DIFC. With typical
Mediterranean flair, you’ll find offbeat prints,
feminine cuts and interesting textures within.
Tel: (04) 3825120
With a glass-cube store as stylish as the pieces
it sells, Villa Moda is a veritable emporium of
covetable clothing. DIFC has both men’s and
women’s stores, boasting labels from local
designers to international big hitters like Yves
Saint-Laurent, Proenza Schouler and Gucci.
Tel: (04) 3825150
The Empty Quarter
Zuma
44 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
The grand dame of British fashion has hit
our sandy shores with this modern store,
filled with her saucy signature dresses and
perilously high heels.
Tel: (04) 3825140
A good dentist is hard to find, so when we
heard whispers of Dr Karin Fekih being ‘the
most charming man in a white coat since
George Clooney’ we had to investigate. Not
only are Dr Fekih and his team thoroughly
nice people and excellent dentists, they
even have posters of JFK on the clinic walls.
And it’s open until 8pm and offers free valet
parking.
Tel: (04) 3230900. www.theclinic.ae
Homeless chic is not a welcome look in the
DIFC, so address that bushy beard. Get ahead
of the pack with Urban Male Lounge who,
until the end of May, are offering chaps one
free treatment when you buy five and 15 per
cent off their 60-minute Swedish massage.
You’ll be ready for the trading floor, or dance
floor, in no time.
Tel: (04) 4250350
Caramel
Fresh from Las Vegas and shooting to the
top of our bars Hot List this month (p104)
is Caramel. This new addition to Dubai’s
nightlife scene is filled with the beautiful
people who flock for the upmarket US-style
menu, outdoor patio and chic décor. Ideal for
pretending you’re in NYC for the night, we’ll
be found outside, mini lobster taco and glass
of bubbly in hand.
Tel: (04) 4256677 or 800 CARAMEL
At the heart of the post-work drinks action,
Zuma is a sophisticated spot packed with a
(usually) well-behaved crowd. It’s also the
prime place to bag a banker – if there are any
left. We, however, go there for the winning
Japanese food, Friday brunch and Asian-
inspired drinks. Try the three-course tasting
menu, 7pm to 8pm, (Dhs195 including carafe
of sake or glass of wine), which features the
signature miso marinated black cod.
Tel: (04) 4255660. www.zumarestaurant.com
Always packed with busy financial types getting
their five-a-day, Joga is also a good refuelling
point at the weekends before you get back to the
shops. With fresh soups and salads, it also has
the most extensive list of juices and smoothies
we’ve seen this side of California.
Tel: (04) 3700304
 Proud to be SAFARI LEADERS

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Programme Includes:
Dune Bashing
Sand Boarding & Camel Riding
BBQ Dinner - Arabic Tea & Coffee
Soft Drinks & Refreshments
Photograph in Local Dress
Henna Painting & Tattoos Dhs. 200/- Per Person
Enchanting Belly Dancing Show Timing: Pick up: 3:00 - 3:30pm - Drop off: 9:00 - 9:30pm
Pick-up & drop-back facility included
Sheesha (Hubbly-Bubbly)
& lots more entertainment throughout the evening

HATTA MOUNTAIN SAFARI

Programme Includes: Red Dunes Safari & Sand Boarding - Sight Seeing to various
scenic locations Visit to Carpet Market & Heritage Village - Hatta Mountain Safari -
Chance to Dip or Dive in fresh water pools - Lunch at 5 Star Hatta Fort Hotel
Transfers from all the hotels & residences in Dubai & Sharjah
Timing: 8:00am to 2:30pm
Dhs. 300/- Per Person

DHOW CRUISE DINNER

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cozy ambiance, Fully airconditioned lower deck, Open air upper deck
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E-mail: optdubai@emirates.net.ae Web: www.opdubai.com ISO 9001:2008 Certified

 FILM
Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Who? Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Mat-
thew Macfadyen, Danny Huston,
Mark Strong, Ridley Scott (director)
Tagline ‘From Ridley Scott, director of
Gladiator’
Once upon a time... Nottingham’s finest (Crowe) banded to-
gether with Little John (Kevin Durand),
Friar Tuck (The Full Monty’s Mark
Addy) and his better half Maid Marian
(Blanchett) to do battle with the city’s
villainous sheriff (Macfadyen).
Ideal if you’re in the Forget Ridley Scott and Russell
mood to... Crowe’s recent run of so-so films
and remember what happens when
they ‘unleash hell’.
Watch this if you Previous winning takes on the
like... legend such as The Adventures Of
Robin Hood and the peerless British
TV series Robin Of Sherwood.
Top trivia Bryan Singer (X-Men) and Sam
Raimi (Spider-Man) were both in
the running to direct Robin Hood.
What’s On ten word If Scott and Crowe rekindle Gladia-
review tor’s glory, this’ll be awesome.
Rate or slate? PREVIEW
46 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
A Nightmare On Elm Street
A Nightmare
On Elm Street
Jackie Earle Haley, Katie Cassidy,
Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara,Thomas
Deeker, Clancy Brown, Samuel
Bayer (director)
‘Welcome to your new Nightmare’
Freddy Kruger (Earle Haley), the
man with the deadly manicure, re-
turned to terminate the slumbering
teens of Elm Street.
Remember the cycle of films that
made Wes Craven a millionaire
while turning Robert Englund’s
on-screen alter-ego into a horror
phenomenon to rival Jason Voor-
hees and Michael Myers.
The earlier Freddy films, in par-
ticular episode one and the hugely
entertaining post-modern slash-fest
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.
Before they signed up Jackie Earle
Haley (Watchmen’s Rorschach), the
producers toyed with casting Billy
Bob Thornton as Freddy Krueger.
A so-so remake is elevated by Earle
Haley’s spirited performance.
★★★✩✩
City Of Life
Alexandra Maria Lara, Sonu
Sood, Jason Flemyng, Saoud
Al Kabbi, Susan George, Ali F
Mostafa (director)
‘Every day you can change another
person’s life without ever knowing it’
The lives of three complete stran-
gers collided in the midst of the
complex modern city that is Dubai.
See the city you live in from every
possible perspective.
The vast ensemble dramas of
the late, great Robert Altman
(M*A*S*H, Gosford Park) and the
perpetually underrated John Sayles
(Eight Men Out, Lone Star).
Jason Flemyng’s father, Gordon,
directed the big-screen Dr Who
adventures Dr Who And The
Daleks and Daleks’ Invasion Earth:
2150 AD.
Serious film fans will
be salivating over
City Of Life.
PREVIEW
 WIcNl!ass FILM | NEW RELEASES
gold ets!
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mas ar r either
Tooth Fairy CineStar cine of Gold Class tickets fo
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and answer llowing isn't included
th e fo ence?
Which of ass experi
the Gold Cl s
as part of a) Blank et
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b) Waiter se
c) Foot rubs

Wall Street: Money

Never Sleeps

Tooth Fairy Date Night Wall Street: Letters To Juliet

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson,
Ashley Judd, Ryan Sheckler, Ju-
lie Andrews, Stephen Merchant,
Michael Lembeck (director)
Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark
Wahlberg, Mark Ruffalo, James
Franco, Shawn Levy (director)
Money Never
Sleeps
Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Amanda Seyfried, Gael García
Carey Mulligan, Josh Brolin, Bernal, Christopher Egan, Va-
Susan Sarandon, Oliver Stone nessa Redgrave, Franco Nero,
(director) Gary Winick (director)

‘The tooth hurts’ ‘From the director of Night At The ‘An Oliver Stone film’ ‘What if you had a second
Museum’ chance to find love?’

Misbehavin’ ice hockey player
Derek Thompson (Johnson) was
sentenced to spend one week as
the tooth fairy. With hilarious
consequences.
Phil and Claire Foster (Carell and Reformed corporate raider Gordon Young Sophie
Fey) decided to spice things up a bit Gecko (Douglas) leaves jail and (Seyfried) found
by impersonating another couple teams up with rookie trader Jacob a letter that
– a couple who have fallen foul of Moore (LaBeouf) in order to alert took her on the
the Mob. the world to imminent financial romantic voyage of
catastrophe. a lifetime.

Watch Mr Johnson flex his comedy
muscles or erase memories of
the rotten Tooth, a British family
‘comedy’ featuring career-low per-
formances from Harry Enfield and
Richard E Grant.
Watch two people do the sort of See the moneymen get what they Watch the sort of film Sandra Bul-
thing you might try were you not deserve. And, no, we don’t mean a lock might have starred in when she
convinced it would end disas- great fat bonus. was i) younger, and ii) just as clueless
trously. about picking decent scripts.

See the erstwhile WWE superstar
make something very difficult (film
acting) look remarkably simple.
Second tier Steve Carell pictures
such as Get Smart and Evan
Almighty.
Superior Oliver Stone movies such
as Platoon, JFK, Nixon and the
cruelly underrated George Bush
biopic W.
Anything from Amanda Seyfried’s
CV, be it the bafflingly successful
Mamma Mia! or the thematically
similar and equally disappointing
Dear John.

This is the first time Dwayne
Johnson has been billed as The
Rock since he made 2007’s The
Game Plan.
Director Shawn Levy is a Yale
graduate. A Yale graduate who
thought it would be a good idea
to revive the Pink Panther series
without Peter Sellers.
Martin and Charlie Sheen, who
co-starred with Michael Douglas in
the original Wall Street, each make
a cameo appearance.
The supporting cast includes
Franco Nero and Vanessa Red-
grave who, when they’re not busy
being movie legends, live together
as man and wife.

The Rock’s solid, but elsewhere Even with Carell and Fey, this is Stone savours a steaming bowl of Hollywood’s convinced Seyfried’s
there are signs of decay. merely OK. credit crunch. the next big thing. We aren’t.

★★✩✩✩ ★★★✩✩ ★★★✩✩ ★★✩✩✩

MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 47
EATING OUT
p51 Rococo
p52 Essential... European
p55 Blue Grill
p57 Thai Kitchen
p58 Take Five
p59 Moonlight Sushi Nights
p60 Angar

blue grill

MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 49


Rococo
At Sofitel’s new
signature restaurant
chef de cuisine Enzo
Neri is determined
to broaden your
perception of Italian
food
Italian cuisine is all about
simplicity. Simple ingredients –
basil, garlic, tomatoes, etc. Simple
dishes – insalata caprese, spaghetti
vongole, minestrone. And, above
all, a simple rustic style. Making
the most of the freshest and best
ingredients available.
But simplicity doesn’t just mean
pizza with mozzarella and pasta
with tomato sauce (though, of
course, Italy excels at both). It
doesn’t mean there are limitations.
From Lombardi to Liguria, Sicily
to Sardinia, the cuisine of Italy is
as diverse as any in the world.
Rococo’s passionate chef de
cuisine Enzo Neri has created
a refined menu showcasing not
only the breadth of his country’s
cuisine, but a few of the tricks he
picked up working in Michelin-
starred kitchens in Europe. It’s
something a little bit different.
The décor is also unique. Rococo
interior design, prevalent in the
18th century, was characterised by
being a little over the top. Rococo’s
restaurant design is characterised by
combining purple and lime green
in a rather psychedelic fashion. It’s
all a little Alice In Wonderland, but it
works in an odd way.
The food, fortunately, is not
odd. And, again, it too works.
With the beef carpaccio, served
with rocket salad, mustard sauce
and a rich slice of pan-fried fois
gras (a UAE necessity, it seems),
Neri does justice to a classic
combination. But it’s the less
common sea bream carpaccio
that really impresses. Thick slices
of fish flesh boosted by a garnish
of cress, tomatoes, a salty mullet
roe and a burst of citrus and spice
provided by ‘orange and ginger
air’ (whatever that may be).
“The guinea fowl was
irresistible, and when it
arrived, succulent and stuffed
with fungi and fois gras, we
didn’t even put up a fight”
The guinea fowl was irresistible,
and when it arrived, succulent and
stuffed with fungi and fois gras,
we didn’t even put up a fight. Why
would we? The meat was adroitly
prepared with a dollop of buttery
mash and a dark, fruity Chianti
drizzle. It’s the kind of dish served
for Sunday lunch in chef Neri’s
native Umbria. Proof of what a
clear, yet unfussy, vision and a
skilled chef can achieve.
When it came to the fish, the
skate with capers and olives
tempted us, but the lure of the
wild sea bass was too great. It
didn’t disappoint. The fillet was
pan-fried to perfection, with
raisins and wilted spinach, toasted
almonds and mustard sauce
providing just enough flavour and
texture without overpowering
the fish.
Celery parfait with candied
fruit, lime and carrot coulis was as
fresh and zingy as the description
implies. Amaretto panacotta with
red orange compote and pistachio
ice cream was an adept play on a
classic Italian dessert.
Of course, no Italian meal
would be complete without an
espresso on the terrace. Bellisimo.
Need to know
Location: Sofitel Dubai
Jumeirah Beach
Tel: (04) 4484860
Web: www.sofitel.com
Open: 7pm to 11.30pm
Cuisine type: Italian
Must eat: guinea fowl
Bill for two: Dhs495
EATING OUT
A taste of
things to
come
This month tastes
good thanks to
some exciting new
restaurants
BOULEVARD CAFÉ
Old Town's café
quotient just
increased by one,
with the opening of
the Parisian-influenced
Boulevard Café. The charming
spot serves up breakfast classics
such as French toast, eggs
Benedict and granola, as well
as bistro favourites like croque
monsieur, onion soup and
chocolate mousse. We think an
alfresco breakfast here is the best
way to start the weekend.
Al Manzil Hotel, Downtown
Dubai, 7am to midnight.
Tel: (04) 4285923. www.
southernsunme.com
SILVER FALCON
SPUR
No, it’s not a John
Wayne western. Spur
is, in fact, a popular
South African restaurant
aimed at children – you know,
the kind of place that inspires
the little blighters to nag you
incessantly for a visit. The menu
is typified by buffalo wings,
burgers, enormous steaks and
calorific desserts. All guaranteed
to put a smile on little Billy’s face
and a smear of grease on his
chin. Remember, the family that
eats together, stays together.
Dubai Festival City, Dubai, 10am
to 11pm. Tel: (04) 2328866. www.
spurcorp.nl
SUCRÉ SALÉ
People have been
calling JLT home
for a while now,
but the area is not
exactly buzzing yet.
So hungry residents
will welcome news of
the opening of European café
Sucré Salé, offering croissants and
crêpes, pizza and pasta, sarnies
and wraps.
Ground Floor, SABA Tower 1,
Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai,
Sun to Thurs, 8.30am to 10pm, Fri
and Sat, 9.30am to 10pm. Tel: (04)
4484648
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 51
 Essential... To win
WIN!
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COOKING LESS

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Want cooking les
Abu Dhabi's best
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European
for you and a pa m/ competitions
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following quest
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Which of these
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popular Frenc
a) Newt’s legs
b) Toad’s legs
c) Frog’s legs

Ramsay, Rhodes, Locatelli and

Gagnaire – their presence is proof
of European cuisine’s standing
in the UAE. Verre executive head
chef Scott Price lets us in on the
secrets of European food, plus our
pick of the UAE’s best European
restaurants

SCOTT PRICE ON… cook simple, delicious food and

allows true, natural flavours to
…THE ESSENCE OF really come alive. For this reason,
EUROPEAN CUISINE it would have to be a simple,
Family oriented, traditional and fresh foie gras terrine, some
wholesome food. The essence of pickled wild mushrooms and lots
any cuisine stems from the roots of of freshly toasted brioche. And
the community that surrounds it. perhaps a few slices of chorizo
Iberico on the side, perfect.
…KEY INGREDIENTS
Salt, butter, root vegetables, fresh …CURRENT TRENDS
VERRE’S ULTIMATE
herbs, garlic. The current style focuses on very
light cooking, yet producing
EUROPEAN DESsERT
…THE CLASSICS incredibly intense flavours. The HONEY CRÈME BRÛLÉE
In Spain, it would have to be the introduction of the term ‘mo-
classic paella from Valencia. The lecular gastronomy’ to European Sweets for our sweet, sugar for our honey…
Scandinavian classic, gravaldlax cooking, and the work of chefs
of salmon. In France, it would such as Ferran Adrià, has had INGREDIENTS
be another beloved classic – the a huge impact on the develop- 125ml double cream, 600ml milk, 430g egg yolks, 60g fennel
cassoulet. I’ve been lucky enough ment of European cuisine over seeds, 70g honey, 150g sugar, 10 fresh raspberries, 5 mint tips,
to visit Carcassonne and sample the past 25 years. This idea of half a vanilla pod, 50g caster sugar, 50ml water, 2 tsp lemon juice
this classic dish in its hometown. combining scientific knowledge
As for the UK, fish and chips with with cookery skill to challenge PREPARATION
mushy peas and plenty of salt and our perceptions concerning what For the brûlée: bring cream and milk to the boil in a pan. Quickly
vinegar, when done well, is hard food ‘should’ taste or look like toast fennel seeds in a smoking hot pan and add straight to the
to beat. has been felt all over Europe. cream and milk. Beat egg yolk and sugar together. Pour on hot
milk, cream and fennel seeds, whisk together and add honey
…SEASONALITY …WHERE TO EAT IN to taste. Infuse for ten minutes. Cook slowly over a low heat
If an ingredient is at its seasonal EUROPE to achieve a coating consistency (so it will cling to the other
best very little has to be done to I’ve been lucky enough to eat in ingredients). Pour the mix in desired moulds and set in the
make it taste great, because it’s lots of great restaurants across refrigerator. To serve, sprinkle a little brown sugar on the top of
already bursting with natural Europe, but the ones I particu- the brûlée and caramelise quickly with a blowtorch or under
flavour. larly enjoyed were in San Sebas- the grill. Serve with freshly diced mango. For the mint salad: mix
tian in northern Spain. I would raspberries with mint tips. For the syrup: cut vanilla pod, scrape
…HIS FAVOURITE DISH honestly have to say France and seeds into a pan and mix with caster sugar, 50ml water and a
I passionately believe in the Spain, because they both have squeeze of lemon juice. Reduce to light syrup and allow cooling.
importance of using high quality deep rooted cultures that produce Mix with mint and raspberries. Plate and serve
ingredients, as this enables you to fantastic cuisine.

52 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010


EUROPEAN
Our pick of the UAE’s European eateries
TRAITEUR
ATMOSPHERE One word. Romantic.
The design is chic, the
lighting just right, the
food is French and
fabulous. Love is in the
air, mon cheri.
INTERIOR High ceilings and a
distinctive, modern
design. There isn’t
another restaurant like
it in the UAE.
FOOD Welcome to Chef
Franck Detrait’s
authentic French
brassiere menu. All the
classics are there, from
onion soup to steak
tartare. And it’s all of
the highest quality.
LOCATION Who isn’t a fan of Park
Hyatt Dubai? It offers
so much and demands
only that you eat,
drink and, well, pay
(naturally). Take a seat
outside with a view of
the creek.
PRICE Around Dhs615 for two.
WHAT'S ON Nous aimons le traiteur.
SAYS (That’s ‘we love Traiteur’,
by the way.)
INFO Park Hyatt Dubai, Deira,
Dubai, Sun to Fri 7pm
to midnight. Tel: (04)
3172222. www.dubai.
park.hyatt.com
EATING OUT
HOT
LIST
VERRE RHODES REFLETS BORD EAU
MEZZANINE PAR PIERRE
GAGNAIRE
Fine dining demands It’s extremely busy and Formal without being Refined,
stiff white tablecloths, extremely bright. With stuffy. Busy without elegant,
but Verre is very lots of helpful waiters being boisterous. sophisticated,
much alive. Mainly zipping about the thanks to an equally
thanks to eager and place. It’s the kind of refined, elegant and
knowledgeable place you should iron sophisticated clientele.
head sommelier and a shirt or pop on a nice
restaurant manager frock for.
Luca Gagliardi.
It's very 2010 after a There’s a lot of white – a Purple, pink, Parisian Compact, with an
recent refurb, with a lot. It gleams like an and, of course, stylish. authentically French
private dining room, A-lister’s gnashers, with look, including marble
chef’s table and mirrors. a splash of neon thrown walls, oil paintings and
in for good measure. linen tablecloths.
New chef Scott Price As Gary himself told us, Exactly what you’d Ingredients are flown
has upped Verre’s the food is, “British with expect from a kitchen in direct from Europe
game. Something a French influence”. It team trained by a for an authentic taste,
we didn’t think was is all superb, but the French chef of three- and it shows. The
possible from a kitchen white tomato soup is star Michelin calibre celeriac and fois gras
that never fails to legendary. with a reputation for soup is to die for.
impress. Order the experimentation. The
beef Wellington daily courses never stop.
special.
It’s at the old end of Grosvenor House is The InterContinental The Between The
town, but it’s a journey a primo hotel, in a DFC. A stylish hotel for Bridges area is a bit
you won't regret, no primo location. Perfect a stylish chef. out on a limb for
matter where you for a primo chef’s city-based folk, but
reside. restaurant. there’s plenty going
on to make your visit
worthwhile.
We paid Dhs925 for Dhs760 for two. Not Steep, but it’s a place You won’t see much
two but it was worth it. bad, Gary, not bad. for a special occasion. change from Dhs800.
Scott Price has given If Gary is in Dubai, he's Lunch for Dhs230 Head chef Jean Hurstel
Verre a new lease of in the kitchen. Thumbs on Wednesdays and was trained in France by
life. up, Mr Rhodes. Thursdays is a must. the three-Michelin Star-
owning Alain Passard.
Hilton Dubai Creek, Grosvenor House, InterContinental Dubai Shangri-La Qaryat
Deira, Dubai, Sun to Fri Dubai Marina, Dubai, Festival City, Dubai, Al Beri, Between The
7pm to 11.30pm. Tel: Sun to Thurs 7pm 7pm to 1am. Tel: Bridges, Abu Dhabi,
(04) 2277550. www. to 11pm. Tel: (04) (04) 7011128. www. 6.30pm to 11.30pm.
gordonramsay.com 3176000. www. ichotelsgroup.com Tel: (02) 5098888.
garyrhodes.com www.shangri-la.com
NEXT MONTH… SEAFOOD
Biryani Festival at Handi
for Aed 99/- per person*
*Subject to 20% service charge and municipality fees

P.O.Box 42211, Dubai – United Arab Emirates

Tel +971 4 2232222, Fax +971 4 2278222, www.tajhotels.com
 EATING OUT

Blue Grill
It’s prime cuts all the
way at Yas Island
Rotana’s steakhouse

Blue Grill is one of those

steakhouses that just works. As
cooking flames flash and flicker in
the display kitchen, equally flash
cars roll past the floor-to-ceiling
windows that peer out onto the Yas
Island streets. Medieval style single-
tier chandeliers hang over neat
blue velvet chairs and simply laid
tables, while relaxed jazz meanders
through the air. There’s a decidedly
urban buzz about the place, yet
things are never too frantic to
upset the sophisticated vibe.
Whether you’re here for socialising,
a romantic dinner or just for the
meat – and oh, what great meat –
you’ll never feel out of place.
The synergy in the dining
room continues on the menu
– refreshingly modern and
uncluttered, it confidently lists
the steaks under the banner
“The reason you came!” There’s
an underlying post-modern
quality here, but the food remains
unpretentious. Among the starters
you’ll find pan-seared foie gras
with balsamic apple tart, crab
cakes, Bradan Orach smoked
salmon from Loch Fyne and
steak tartar. But if you’re going
to indulge in a large slab of meat,
maybe all you need are the oysters,
beautifully fresh and plump,
accompanied by a zesty lemon
shallot vinaigrette and a spicy
chilli dressing. Porterhouse will capably step into sublime dulce de leche cheesecake
Among the steaks are prime the breach. All of the steaks are with guanaja chocolate ice cream, Need to know
cuts from America and Australia, served with a choice of creamy which spoils you with extra
including the wagyu from New whipped cheddar mashed potato, biscuit boulders to supplement the Location: Yas Island Rotana,
South Wales. Yet the 1824 grain- crisp fat fries or steamed new deliciously crumbly base. If you’re Abu Dhabi
fed variety still offers an excellent potatoes, but you’ll also find some close to critical mass, the chilled Tel: (02) 6564000
tenderloin, lean, juicy and cooked great side-dishes to round things fruits and berries with strawberry Website: www.rotana.com
to your exact specifications. off, from broccoli with stilton and granita will freshen up your Open: 7pm to midnight
Likewise, the ribeye is a boldly beef bacon cream, to tempura- palate without pushing you over Cuisine type: Steakhouse
flavoured slab of flesh, rich with style onion rings with horseradish. the edge. Whatever dessert you Must eat: 600g Porterhouse
marbling and impossibly tender. Assuming your appetite is choose, you’ll want to linger over it steak
And if you have a gap the size unfettered by such a large intake of and soak up the ambiance as Blue Bill for two: Dhs650
of a wardrobe to fill, the 600g meat, you really should opt for the Grill does its thing.

a gap th e size of a wardrob e to fill, the 600g

“If you have into the breach”
Porterhouse will capably step MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 55
 modern japanese restaurant and lounge

dubai marine beach resort & spa po box 5182, jumeirah dubai, u.a.e. tel: +9714 346111 fax: +9714 3541023 www.sho-cho.com
souk qaryat al beri (shangri la hotel) po box 95150 between the bridges abu dhabi, uae tel:+9712 5581117 fax: +9712 5581119

Thai Kitchen
The new menu at
Park Hyatt Dubai's
signature Thai boasts
some seriously
impressive dishes
from Thailand’s North
Eastern region
Sharing. Are you for it or against
it? For us, it depends on the
situation. Our last roast potato?
No. Our toothbrush? Not if you
were the last person on Earth, and
we really liked you.
But several bowls of Thai food?
“Well, of course. Indulge, let us
converse and weigh the abundant
lure of this feast of nibbles,” would
come our reply. Or something
like that.
You see, people have long loved
the sharing ‘Spanish tapas style’
concept - and it’s not just the
Spaniards who do it. Venetian
cicchetti is becoming popular
beyond the backstreet baccari
(bars) of its watery home and
Japanese izakaya, like all things
from the land of the rising Michelin
star count, is as big as ever in 2010.
Sharing is definitely in.
Thai Kitchen at Park Hyatt
Dubai has been wise to the appeal
of sharing; you order up seven or
eight small dishes for two people,
and enjoy. Wiser still, the recent
re-imagining of the menu has
added a welcome twist.
Clearly buoyed by a recent trip
to her homeland, chef Supattra
has sprinkled a handful of dishes
hailing from the province of Esarn
in North Eastern Thailand over
her menu like fairy dust – or, in
this case, chilli seeds – giving the
whole thing a kick in the pants.
If you’re going this month, we
advise that you book a table on the
terrace with a view of the creek
before the weather forces you
inside. Not that the restaurant’s
interior, resplendent with dark
wood floors and seats arranged
around several glass-enclosed
kitchens (specialising in wok,
steam, grill, etc) is any less inviting.
From the wok, nubile chunks
of lobster tail are given a touch of
crunch and punch by cashew nuts
and spring onion, while a light
prawn salad with white curcuma
(turmeric) and lime juice peps up
the palate.
Catfish, slowly barbecued to
avoid burning the skin, is a rare
and intriguing treat. Small lumps
of pleasantly chewy fish cling to
crisp shreds of oily skin, flavoured
with a subtle tamarind sauce.
Then the red curry with,
somewhat surprisingly, mussels
and pineapple. Yes, you read that
right. It’s a dish that sounds like a
disaster but tastes like a dream. The
mussels, surprisingly plump, soft
and retaining a slight saltiness, and
the sweet pineapple balance the
creamy red curry sauce perfectly.
Chicken curry rice noodles,
shrimp spring rolls, steamed tiger
prawn with garlic – menu staples
– are all awfully appetising, and
then comes the diver scallop
soufflé to top things off. Mighty,
meaty molluscs sitting in their
beautiful fan shaped shells
beneath a delicately spiced cream.
We'll take another round of those
babies, please.
In fact, we all should. Thai
Kitchen – great for you, even
better to share.
Need to know
Location: Park Hyatt Dubai,
Deira, Dubai
Tel: (04) 6021234
Web: www.dubai.park.hyatt.
com
Open: 7pm to midnight
Cuisine type: Thai
Must eat: lobster tail
Bill for two: Dhs440
EATING OUT
On the
menu
A month in the
wonderful world of
UAE food
CARRY ON GARY
After giving us the
skinny on his new
Dubai restaurant
during a flying visit
in March for Taste
Of Dubai, we have
now received confirmation
that Gary Rhodes’ new Dubai
restaurant will open in June.
Rhodes Twenty10, located at Le
Royal Méridien, will be a grillroom.
More on this magnificent occasion
in next month’s issue.
www.garyrhodes.com
AS IT IS
The introduction of a new menu
is always exciting, especially if it’s
at a first-rate restaurant. So time
to become excited, as the
strangely-monikered
AZ.U.R has done
just that. Executive
chef Chris Baker
promises a
more relaxed
experience and a
Mediterranean menu,
comprised of Spanish,
Moroccan, French and Italian
dishes. See you there.
AZ.U.R, Dubai Marriott Harbour
Hotel & Suites, Dubai Marina,
Dubai, Mon to Sat 5pm to
11pm. Tel: (04) 3194794. www.
dubaimarriottharbourhotel.com
BALI GOOD
Heinz meanz, erm, superior
Indonesian cuisine, apparently.
Heinz von Holzen is a top
chef specialising in
Balinese cuisine and
he’ll be visiting the
Burj Al Arab’s Junsui
restaurant this
month. All manner
of Indonesian-style
fun will be had, with
lunch and dinner buffets
(Dhs325 and Dhs375), cooking
classes between 4pm and 6pm
(Dhs395) and a Balinese spa
experience (Dhs725) all on the
menu.
May 11 to 15, Junsui, Burj Al Arab,
Al Sufouh, Dubai, 12.30pm to 3pm
and 6pm to 11.30pm. Tel: (04)
3017600. www.jumeirah.com
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 57
 EATING OUT
take five
What’s the best choice if you’re intolerant to cows' milk?
We tasted (and retched) in the name of research
Pure Harvest Oat
Milk
Dhs8.50
Taste Unsurprisingly, it’s pretty
oaty. A bit like milk after
you’ve dunked a few
HobNobs. 6/10
Tea It tastes like tea post-
biscuit dunk. No bad
thing in our book.
7/10
Coffee Doesn’t work so well
with coffee, and there
was a bit of curdling.
Never nice. 4/10
Cereal It slightly altered the
taste of our cornflakes,
but it wasn’t vile. 5/10
Milkshake The oaty taste slightly We like cheese. We
overpowered the like chocolate. Just not
chocolately goodness – together. Ever. 0/10
and we don’t mess with
the milkshake. 4/10
what's on says It is quite sweet but far
from unpleasant. The
slight curdling in tea
and coffee lost it a few
points, nevertheless, a
strong contender.
score 26/50
58 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
Delamere Dairy
UHT Goats' Milk
Dhs11.50
Good grief – get it away!
Absolutely rank, unless
you like drinking liquid
goat’s cheese. 0/10
The rural, farmy flavour
was far too strong in tea.
Earl Grey himself would
be quaking in his boots.
1/10
Not too bad, actually.
It is the colour of cows’
milk and pretty creamy
so works well. As long
as you like your coffee
seriously strong to
disguise the taste. 5/10
No. Just no. It tastes like
animals – and not in a
good way. 2/10
It loses points on a) poor
grammar on the carton
b) Anthony Worrall
Thompson’s saccharine
tale of his runny-nosed
daughter’s miracle cure,
again on the carton and
c) the vile aftertaste that
stayed with us for hours.
8/50
So Natural Rice Waitrose Organic Eden
Milk Unsweetened Soya Blend Rice & Soy
Dhs9.75 Dhs9.75 Dhs14
It looks like river water, We should have gone Darker than cows’ milk,
smells like cooked rice for the sweetened but was really rather
and should never be option – this was fairly good. We even had an
ingested on its own. 1/10 unpleasant. 2/10 extra sip. 7/10
The dark colour didn’t The soya worked really By far the best choice,
make the tea any less well in tea, resulting in with a normal colour
brown and it wasn’t a normal colour and and flavour. 8/10
creamy enough to make almost no difference in
a taste difference. 5/10 taste to cow’s milk. 8/10
Not bad at all, with the It wasn’t strong or As a creamier option,
coffee strong enough creamy enough to with a subtle tang, it
to overpower the rice compete with the was grand. 8/10
taste. 6/10 coffee. Weak effort.
4/10
It's too savoury for Far from pleasurable, Pretty ruddy good and
cereal, but we weren’t but we didn’t turn as inoffensive as it gets.
sick in our mouth. 3/10 green. 5/10 7/10
Worked pretty darn well Again, not creamy Great taste and suitably
with our chocolate milk enough to create a creamy. The best.
powder. 6/10 pleasing milky treat, but 8/10
the flavour had a nice
nutty aftertaste. 6/10
The dark colour is We’ll be giving the Thumbs up. We’ll be
pretty off-putting and sweetened option a drinking this with wild
we’re shallow, shallow try, which will probably abandon. It just needs
people. Make it prettier fare better with our to look a bit more
and we’d think about cornflakes. normal…
drinking it again.
WINNE
R
24/50 25/50 38/50
 7078 RM Hamam_WhatsOn_245x88 4/15/10 11:31 AM Page 1

all you
can eat

Moonlight Sushi
Nights

Oriental Hammam,
Health & Beauty Institute
Escape from the stresses of modern life by stepping back in time.
Where? One&Only Royal Mirage traditional Oriental Hammam offers an
Every Wednesday night Fazaris keeps the Japanese chefs busy oasis of retreat, a place where expert masseurs attend your
with a sushi buffet, in addition to its a la carte menu. Book a every need; rejuvenating your skin and invigorating tired muscles.
table under the stars and by the water for the full experience.
Located by the Residence & Spa at One&Only Royal Mirage,
What?
Dubai’s most stylish beach resort.
Unlimited sushi and free-flowing sake you say? Sign us up.
You’ll find a buffet with traditional and fusion sushi, freshly
made sashimi tornado rolls (they’re massive) and a live cooking Oriental Hammam is open daily 9.30am - 10pm
station for Okonomiyaki. These Japanese-style pancakes are (Ladies only 9.30am - 2pm, Gentlemen only 7pm - 10pm)
made from cabbage with toppings like squid and egg – much
tastier than it sounds – then smothered in a special Worcester- One&Only Royal Mirage, Telephone +971 4 399 99 99
shire sauce and mayonnaise. Finish with sweet fruit sushi and a oneandonlyroyalmirage.com
very lovely ginger crème brulee from the dessert table.
Why?
All you can eat sushi is one of the UAE’s greatest inventions, of-
fering the chance to try things you wouldn’t normally have the
bravado, or budget, to order. Expand your Japanese horizons,
The Palace
wash it all down with warm sake and enjoy dining alfresco *
Residence & Spa
before it’s so hot that the evening air cooks your sashimi.
Fazaris, The Address Downtown Burj Dubai, Old Town, Dubai, Wed, Arabian Court
6.30pm to midnight, Dhs210. Tel: (04) 4368888. www.theaddress.com
 EATING OUT

Angar
The Yas Hotel’s
Indian restaurant
mixes contemporary
style with traditional
flavours for an
out-of-this-world
experience

If they ever build accommoda-

tion for humans on the moon, it
might look something like The
Yas Hotel. With its undulating
curves and shimmering glass
panels, the otherworldly land-
mark is an imposing and magical
structure, which at night pulses
and throbs with coloured LED
lighting as though it were taking
long, deep breaths.
While it’s certainly exciting to
dine in a hotel that might have
been plucked from the imagi-
nation of Arthur C Clarke, the
concern is that such futuristic
hubris might not successfully
translate to its Indian restaurant,
and a cuisine that’s often resist-
ant to modernisation. Thanks
to head chef Satish Shenoy, the
contemporary flourishes at Angar
are beautifully grounded by the
gravitational pull of tradition.
It’s Shenoy’s respect for the rec-
ipes and flavours of the past that
keeps his undoubted ambition The contemporary flourishes at Angar are
tethered to planet Earth. Take his
salmon shigdi tikka, for exam-
beautifully grounded by the gravitational pull
ple. That the flame-grilled fish is of tradition
flavoured by a marinade of fresh
dill, honey and mustard might approval. Yet there are plenty of with the overall feel of the hotel.
set your Indo-European fusion modern touches to old favourites If anything, the place is a little Need to know
alarm bells ringing, but the chef ’s like the nalli gosht rogan josh to low-key, which is more than made
use of traditional Indian spices keep them fresh and relevant. up for by the friendly service, not Location: The Yas Hotel, Yas
prevents the flavours from getting The tandoori potatoes are richly to mention the dazzling desserts. Island, Abu Dhabi
lost in deep space. Elsewhere, the spiced without being overpower- The ras malai is a traditional Tel: (02) 6560000
tandoori ajwaini lobster presents ing, and the saag paneer remains Indian milk sweet speckled with Website: www.theyashotel.
beautifully tender and intense a gloriously smooth and creamy glimmering ‘vark’ or edible gold com
seafood in a vivid melange of preparation of spinach and In- leaf, while the saffron kulfi is an Open: 12.30pm to 3pm and
vibrant spice that reminds you dian cheese that’s simply timeless. irresistibly rich confection with 7pm to 11pm
what Indian food is all about. Like the food, the surround- an inviting yellow hue. It may be Cuisine type: Indian
Here at Angar, the bold and ings are contemporary without years before we see hotels on the Must eat: Tandoori ajwaini
full flavours of the subconti- being harsh or impersonal. Pastel moon, but who really cares when lobster
nent have not been sacrificed colours give the place warmth, yet we have restaurants this good here Bill for two: Dhs600
in an attempt to win universal the cool, clean lines are in keeping on Earth?

60 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010

ARTS

p64 All change!

Carbon 12 GALLERY

p67 Room with a view

p67 Project: MEGA
p68 Four to see

MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 63

 ARTS

All change!
Leading Dubai gallery B21
has undergone a major
transformation. With a new
name and a brand new
space in Al Quoz. We caught
up with the eponymous
owner of what will henceforth
be known as Gallery Isabelle
van den Eynde to get the
lowdown

You’ve recently moved into a new

space in Al Serkel Avenue, not far from
your old gallery – why did you decide
to move?
The new space is much, much bigger. The
gallery has progressed so much in recent
years in terms of our profile and the profile
of our artists that we felt it was time to
have a space that offered more freedom
for larger shows. We have also changed
the name from B21 to Gallery Isabelle
van den Eynde. In Europe, all the gal-
leries that I know bear the name of their
owner and director. I wanted to go by this
basic rule of an international gallery to
reflect the growing presence that the gallery
and Dubai has in the international art world.
With a new name and a new space are
you planning to take the gallery in a
new direction or continue with the
artists and vision you have become
well known for?
I want to develop the activities of the gallery
and do that under a strong identity. B21 is a
name that is now established and I will keep
that space dedicated to work that is more
experimental, more outside-the-box projects.
The new space will schedule shows by artists compound as a centre of the city’s scene, I’d ing market. So we have that advantage, I
that are already strong in our stable and need say that Al Serkal has the advantage for us of think that interest has compensated. I think
this sort of representation. We have now a people being able to wander between galleries. the second thing is that it’s a new market and
book that is coming out about Rokni Haeriza- Al Quoz is so sprawling and, while there is a our vision will pass the time of the recession.
deh, and this is a new initiative of the gallery. degree of centralisation, it’s not really the sort We have ideas and projects and are trying to
I wanted all these activities and projects to be of place people can explore on foot. At least make them happen in the long-term.
developed along a stronger identity. with Al Serkal, visitors can see five or six good What can visitors to the gallery look
There are a number of galleries in Al shows of contemporary art all in one place. forward to in the coming months?
Serkal Avenue now – it seems to be It’s been a difficult year or so for the art In May, we’ve got a fascinating solo show
becoming one of Dubai’s art hubs. market in Dubai and around the world. by Lebanese-Egyptian artist Lara Baladi.
I think that the galleries that have set up in How do you see things developing? She’s created a visual diary of the final
Al Serkal Avenue share a common sense of I think the recession hits everyone. However, months of her father’s life that takes the
the importance of contemporary work and the advantage here is that the Middle East medium of coffee-cup reading – a popular
Dubai as a platform for that. In terms of the art scene has been tipped as the next emerg- language, you could say, of the Middle East

64 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010

 THE NEW
Al Quoz BUSINESS AND
calling PLEASURE
LANDMARK IN
It’s fast becoming the heart
of the Al Quoz scene. Here’s RAS AL KHAIMAH
our pick of the best to see
in Al Serkal Avenue

Ayyam Gallery
The first big-name
gallery to move in,
Ayyam specialises
in contemporary
Syrian art (it is an
off-shoot of the
highly-respected
gallery of the same
name in Damascus). Combining its roster
of high-quality artist with a flexible,
multi-functional space that covers two
floors of a vast warehouse, where Ayyam
has led, others have followed.
www.ayyamgallery.com

Carbon 12 Gallery
Offering an overview
of the art scene
from Tehran to INTRODUCTORY AED 299
OFFER
Lisbon via New Single or
York, Carbon double room
including breakfast
12 is perhaps
one of the most
international
galleries in the UAE
today. Shifting to Al Quoz late last
year from its first space in the Marina
has proved to be a canny move, as its
growing reputation and increasing
presence on the scene will attest to. 214 Rooms | 56 Suites
www.carbon12dubai.com 103 Apartments | Al Nakhla Restaurant
Tides Pool Bar & Grill | Flamingo Bar
Mojo Gallery Beryozka Russian club | Oxygen Gym
A more commercial O-Zone Spa | Business Centre
approach from Meeting Rooms
– to explore notions of subjectivity and the a gallery that is
continuity of life in the face of death. After also a working
that we have a new Gallery IVDE artist, studio, Mojo gets
Zoulikha Bouabdellah, who was a winner the balance right
of the Abraaj Capital Art Prize in 2008. She with interesting
has created a whole collection of installa- exhibitions from
tion works that take the words of [Egyptian international artists
singer] Umm Kulthoum as their centre and working across all media, from painting
evoke the human body through Arabic let- to photography to sculpture. Added where business is pleasure
tering. We’re really excited about this new value comes in the form of its series of
addition to the gallery stable. fine art workshops ranging from graphics T: 971 7 243 4421
Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Al Serkel Ave, to photography. www.acaciahotelrak.com
Al Quoz 1, Dubai. Sat to Thurs, 10am to 7pm. www.themojogallery.com Managed by Al Hamra Hotels and Resorts Group
Tel: (04) 3403965. www.ivde.net
 ARTS

Room with a view

The Third Line is already one of Dubai’s most
innovative galleries, seeking out and showcasing
international artists with roots and inspiration
firmly embedded in the Middle East. So it’s hardly
surprising that when it comes time to take that
to the next level – by focusing on talent that
springs directly from the UAE – it is the gallery to
be leading the charge. From this month, the Third
Line is devoting its upstairs to a dedicated project
space (cannily titled Projects) that aims to offer an
outlet to the growing pool of talent in the region,
kicking off with Dubai Episodes.
Featuring work by three photographic artists –
Raja’a Khalid, Mona Ayyash and Sara Naim – this
group show draws on the notion that Dubai, as
a largely transient city from which many people
come and go, is but one incident in these people’s
lives – made more or less significant over time and
experience. What each of these photographers sets
out to capture is the surface of the city – its textures
and day-to-day life. Even so, it’s hard not to read
something into Ayyash’s portraits of Mirror Men,
in which members of the city’s working class sit
outside on plush sofas, reflecting their view back at
the viewer – quite literally with the aid of the mirror
propped at their feet, but surely metaphorically
too? We suspect that here, as in the city itself, there
is more to this than meets the eye. We wouldn’t
expect anything less from the Third Line.
Until July, The Third Line, behind Spinney’s
warehouse, Al Quoz 3, Dubai, free. Tel: (04) 3411367.
www.thethirdline.com

Mega Man
What is it about adult toys? No, nothing saucy – we’re talking about
the fashion for those knitted ones with crosses for eyes and a tale
to tell (if only teddies could talk) and designer dolls fashioned by
the likes of Christian Lacroix. Things have moved on a whole stage
further, however, with the launch of the Mega. Megans are time-
travellers, don’t you know, with “an affinity for metamorphosis”.
Handy, since local UAE artists have customised 100 of the cheeky
little critters, all of which are on display at DIFC from May 26 under
the banner of Project Mega.
The brainchild of young Emirati Mohammed Abedin, whose
peripatetic lifestyle saw him becoming hooked on comic books and
designer toys during a misspent youth in south-east Asia. It’s paid
off, with self-proclaimed ‘toy nerds’ (wouldn’t you want to keep that
to yourself?) whipping themselves into a pre-launch cyber frenzy,
apparently. What’s On is rather more intrigued by the serious artistic
collaboration that Project Mega affords our local urban artists.
Though now we’ve had the chance to spend some time with one,
the Mega is rather growing on us. OK, we want one. Now!
From May 26, DIFC, off Zabeel Road, Dubai, free. www.foo-dog.com

MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 67

 ARTS

Four to see
Calligraphy
Biennial
Sharjah Calligraphy
Museum – the only
museum in the Arab
world dedicated to this
craft – is a must-visit for
anyone interested in the
ancient script and never
more so than now, during
its biennial. What’s On’s
highlight is the selection of
beautifully spare paintings
by Iranian artist Golnaz
Fathi. Inspiring stuff.
Until Jun 7, Sharjah
Calligraphy Museum,
Heritage & Arts Area, Sharjah,
free. Tel: (06) 5694561. www.
sharjahmuseums.ae

De Con Re Struct

Three for the price of one this month at Carbon 12 where this
exhibition, showing works by a trio of international artists –
Annabel Emson, Suzanne Jonak and Martin Eiter – invites viewers to
get to grips with the “adventure of abstraction”.
May 16 to Jun 9, Carbon 12, Street 8, Al Serkal Avenue, warehouse D37,
Dubai. Tel: (050) 4644392. www.carbon12dubai.com

COnnecting Heavens
Lebanon has to be one of the most
interesting places for contemporary
art in the Middle East and this show,
which promises to showcase some
of the most exciting young artists
working in the country today, will
confirm that this is the case. From
Oussama Baalbaki’s images of war
A Story of Islamic Embroidery in to Tagreed Darghouth’s meditations
Nomadic and Urban Traditions on her fellow citizens’ passion for
The rather lengthy title may give you the nuts and bolts of what this plastic surgery, it offers a fascinating
exhibition’s about, but you have to see it for yourself to really get glimpse into this fascinatingly
a sense of the wonder and the levels of skill involved in this most complex society.
ancient of Islamic crafts. Get thee to the Emirates Palace forthwith. 8 May to 15 Jun. Green Art Gallery, Villa
Until Jul 28, Gallery One, Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, free. Tel: (02) 23, 51st Street, Jumeirah, Dubai, free. Tel:
6908207. www.artsabudhabi.ae (04) 3449888. www.gagallery.com

68 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010

SHOPPING
p72 Bring on the bling
p75 New openings
p76 Fit kit

MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 71

 SHOPPING
Bring on the
There are few places in the world as
associated with all things gold and glittering
than the Middle East – but where are the
best spots to buy gems and jewellery?
Glittering gifts
Want to get in your wife’s
good books? Then make her
next birthday present one to
remember and splash out on
some gemstones.
“Many people associate
particular gemstones with
specific calendar months of the
year,” explains Ivana Okereke, co-
owner of Dubai-based jewellers
Gemme Couture.
“In the West, people believe
that the stone that correlates
with the month of our birth is
symbolic in our lives. In India,
the tradition is even stronger.
“Often, an astrological chart
is made at birth when two to
four important gemstones are
identified as being beneficial for
the person’s health. They are
then encouraged to wear these
stones in such a way that they
are touching the person’s skin.”
A great place to buy these
stones at budget prices is Cara
Jewellers. They have a ready-
made selection of birthstone
pendants from Dhs300, and will
also make your own design to
order. If you decide to create
ISTOCK
your own, Ivana recommends
72 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
letting the gems themselves be
an inspiration for the design.
“Each stone has its own
character and feel,” says Ivana.
“Throughout history, gemstones
have been linked to moods
and have been thought to have
healing powers and energies
that can affect the wearer
in some way. They emanate
different vibes and have varied
effects on the individual.”
But how can you spot a
top-notch gem? “Assessing
the quality of a stone can be
a technical job,” explains Sara
Ashraf, of Bond Street Jewellers
in Dubai. “But a novice should
bear in mind that the clearer
the stone and the more light
passing through it, the better
the quality. If the stone is milky
or cloudy, the quality might not
be superior. In diamonds some
good standards to look out for
are GIA, HRD and IGI, which all
certify the stone’s quality.”
Cara Jewellers, Gold & Diamond
Park, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai.
Tel: (04) 3478089
Gemme Couture, S*uce, Dubai
Mall, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3116579
 SHOPPING

bling

The UAE’s not-so hidden gems

Damas GOING FOR GOLD?
The Middle East’s one-stop shop “Gold is available in both yellow
for all things glittering, including
or white, however, the majority
their own range of mega-watt of customers, esecially those
jewels and also international from India, prefer to wear
designers including Roberto yellow gold,” explains Ivana
Coin and Mikimoto. Tel: (02) Okereke.
5757371. www.damasjewel.com And recently this colour has
seen a re-emergence in fashion-
Joyalukkas able circles, says Sara Ashraf.
Founded in Kerala, India in 1956, “For many years it was
this brand now has more than seen as old fashioned
75 stores worldwide, stocking compared to
everything from wallet-busting white gold, but
gems to the sweet and sassy now people
Teens & Twenties collection. are turning
www.joyalukkas.com back to yel-
low gold.”
Khushi Jewellers explains Sara.
Launched in 1991, this Dubai- “There are
based jewellers has made a some things
name for itself with big, bold to bear in mind
pieces, sourced mainly from when buying
India. Tel: (04) 3511166. www. yellow gold. For
khushijewellers.com diamond jewellery it’s
best to use 18 carat gold as
Liali Jewellery it firmly secures the stones, but
Diamonds are the big sellers at when buying plain gold jewel-
this ten-year-old chain, which lery it’s better to buy 22 carat
boasts 25 stores in the Middle for purity and value as 24 carat
East and Europe. This is the place jewellery could bend and lose
to go if your girl likes her best shape quickly.”
friends in modern and stylish Bond Street Jewellers, Royal
settings. Tel: (04) 3688500. www. Diamond Building, Deira Gold
lialijewellery.com Souk, Dubai. Tel: (04) 2258253

MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 73

New
Openings
What new shopping
delights are in store
this month?

Labels at
Studio 8
Beach Road
boutique Studio
8 is adding
a dedicated
section of its
store exclusively for
Pakistani designers this month.
Expect bejewelled and embellished
pieces from the likes of Ayesha
Farook, Nickie Nina, Elan by Khadijah
Shah and Zahra Saeed in the new
section of the luxury designer store,
which stocks a range of clothing,
handbags and jewellery.
Lables at Studio 8, Beach Road,
Opposite Mercato, Dubai, Sat to
Thurs, 10am to 10pm. Tel: (04)
3443934

Papermoon
Wrapping presents can be pretty
annoying. What with all the hunting
for scissors, sticky tape and paper,
then wrestling the thing into some
sort of reasonable shape – no, it’s not
for us. Our advice is let the experts
at this new shop do it for you. They
have hundreds of different wrapping
papers to choose from and the staff
can wrap even the most awkwardly
shaped gift.
Abu Dhabi Mall, Tourist Club Area, Abu
Dhabi, Sat to Thurs, 10am to 11pm,
Fri, 3.30pm to 11pm. Tel: (02) 6454788.
www.abudhabi-mall.com

Furla
Mirdif City Centre just keeps on
adding the brands. Shoppers can
now pick up Italian leather goods
from long-time favourite Furla at
the new mall, opting for either
traditional handbags or trying
something from the Furla Talent Hub.
This design initiative encourages
up-and-coming designers to take
inspiration from unusual
sources to create
Soboho
fresh, contemporary This vintage-style boutique may have opened its Marina Mall doors a few months back, but May sees its official
collections. launch and the shelves are fully stocked. Boasting a mix of LA brands and local designers, this little pocket of cool
Furla, Mirdif City in mall mayhem is the answer to your gift-giving prayers. Check out the baby shower and bridal presents, fashion,
Centre, Mirdif, Dubai. accessories and hip homewares for the perfect antidotes to the faceless mega-brands that are oh so ubiquitous in
Tel: (04) 2843388
the Emirates.
Soboho, Marina Mall, Dubai Marina, Dubai, Sat to Wed, 10am to 10pm, Thurs and Fri, 10am to midnight. Tel: (04) 434 2535

MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 75

 SHOPPING

We don't expect you to get active

all by yourself. Throw money at
your fitness regime with our top
pick of the new gear

Garmin
Forerunner
310XT
Dhs1,765
www.garmin.com
This waterproof, GPS-
enabled fitness monitor
measures speed, heart
rate and calories burned.

Camelbak Classic
Dhs165
www.camelbak.com
Stay hydrated and boost performance
with this two-litre capacity Camelbak.

Predator X
Dhs895
www.adidas.com
Get football fit before
the World Cup kicks
off. These Adidas boots
mean business.

Speedo Biofuse
Power Paddle
Dhs110
www.speedo.com
Improve your training for a
bargain price. See you in the pool
at the 2012 Olympics.

Puma top
Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 Dhs259
Dhs1,499 www.puma.com
www.sony.com Ideal for after your
Capture aquatic action with Sony's cool down, we love
slimline waterproof camera. this colourful hoodie.

76 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010

MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 77
 THAI MASSAGE BY CERTIFIED * PROFESSIONALS
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HERBAL COMPRESSION MASSAGE
combines the Traditional Thai Massage with a hot
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and metabolism
AROMATHERAPY MASSAGE
is a full body oil massage for relaxation and
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SPECIFIC MASSAGE
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MIND & BODY
p81 His ‘n’ hers
p83 Slim with us!
p84 Face facts

The Spa, The Address Dubai Mall, Old Town

MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 79


His‘n’hers
What can The Address Dubai Mall do for two stressed out Dubai dwellers?
His
De-Stress – Focus
& Clarity
Talk us through it…
An hour in a hydro-pool (think
bathtub with bubbles), before
a relaxing all-over rub down,
followed by a soothing face
massage. Chilled with a capital C.
The best bit?
Having arrived still nursing the
morning after pains of a heavy
night out, the face and head
massage couldn’t have come at
a better time. Sure, the word
soothing is often bandied about
in these situations (look, I even
did it myself, just up there),
but soothed I was. Goodbye
headache.
Any awkward moments?
On jumping out of the hydro-
pool I was told to leave my
disposable pants on the side. So I
did. Erm, what about some more
to put on? Five minutes frantic of
searching, and I found a drawer
MIND & BODY
Hers
Jet Lag by
Aromatherapy
Associates
with new ones, saving a drafty
and embarrassing stroll down to Talk us through it…
the next room. You begin by inhaling eucalyptus
to clear the airways before some
How were the disposable rigorous body brushing to boost
pants? circulation. The therapist chooses
Black, nylon, and the briefest of one of 12 massage oils, based on
briefs. If I ever wanted to know a short questionnaire to suit on
what my bum would look like as a your mood, and you can then opt
bank robber, I now have the answer. for a reviving or relaxing rub-
down, depending on whether you
Sleep factor? want to spring into life or have a
Amazing – out like a light. little snooze.
Who should get involved? The best bit?
I wasn’t jet lagged but had a fairly
Tired and stressed executives. And
heavy weekend, so was chuffed
you won’t feel out of place if it’s the
morning after the night before. when the combination of a nap
and awakening scents meant I
How much and how long? left the spa relaxed, but ready for
Dhs1,050 for three hours – a action.
finer dirham you’ll never spend
in spa land. Any awkward moments?
The knots in my shoulders were
so bad that they made an audible
‘pop’ when therapist Grace got rid
of them. She tactfully pretended
not to hear. Bless.
Who should get
How were the disposable involved?
pants? If you’ve stepped off a long-haul
Black, stretchy and skimpy. flight or just missed some sleep,
Totally adequate, but nothing to then this is for you.
write home about.
How much and how
Sleep factor? long?
Despite opting for the reviving Dhs625 for 80 minutes of high
massage, the face stroking quality massage-induced slumber.
and super-soft massage table
conspired to create a few The Spa, The Address Dubai Mall,
moments of zzzzz. Old Town, Dubai. Tel: (04) 4388888
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 81
The Private Reserve

Slim with us!
Can daily food
deliveries help our
disillusioned dieter
this month?
Not a good month. Not a good
month at all. My initial enthusi-
asm waned and, when I would
previously be turning down
invitations where tempting
calories would be abundant, I
was RSVPing with glee. Cartier
polo for mini burgers and bub-
bly? Don’t mind if I do. Cosy
night in for a Come Dine With
Me marathon and Lemongrass
takeaway? Sounds lovely thanks.
Spot of brunch at Bice Mare?
Perfect, we haven’t had a proper
catch up in ages… And so it
went on.
Meanwhile, food from Health
Factory was being delivered to
my door at 7am every morning;
a smart green cooler bag packed
with breakfast, two snacks, lunch
and dinner. In short, everything
I was allowed to eat for the day
and, to be honest, every day was
a mixed bag.
Previously, I’d have some
Dorset muesli with low fat milk,
milled fax seed and some fruit
for breakfast. Now, I was getting
a zataar croissant. On a good day
it would be berry pancakes with
maple syrup. Calorie controlled
it was – nutritious? Not so much.
Snacks fared better, with tropi-
cal fruit and mini salads, while
lunch could be anything from
a roast beef sandwich to fish
with pasta. Frankly, by the time
dinner rolled around (and I’d
usually had the more desirable
meal for lunch), I’d be making
myself some scrambled eggs. My
other issue was the sheer waste,
with vast numbers of plastic
boxes being binned each day.
While Dubai is far from environ-
mentally aware (have you heard
those Masafi adverts boasting
that they don’t recycle?), this was
taking it too far…
I really wanted to enjoy a
month of convenience, but this
MIND & BODY
Follow my blog on….
http://dubaidietdiary.wordpress.com
just didn’t suit me. The main
problem was choosing meals
weeks in advance – how can you
know what you’ll fancy then?
What if I’m craving carbs and a
California salad is on the menu?
I also take weird pleasure from
supermarket shopping so missed
choosing ingredients and cook-
ing, but can imagine for many
that avoiding the wonky trolleys,
crowds and headaches would be
heaven. Health Factory would
also be useful for those who need
to get into a routine of eat-
ing regularly (not an is-
sue here) or want food
Total weight loss: -6kg
designed around Total body fat percentage
their needs, be it loss: -2.4 per cent
de-toxing, post- Total muscle mass increase:
+2.5 per cent
pregnancy or meals Total waist measurement:
for athletes (again, -13cm
not an issue here). I Overall BMI: -1.6
couldn’t fault the service
or efficiency and think this
could be a very handy service for
busy hoards across Dubai – but
sadly, not for me.
As a result of not doing Health
Factory properly, going out more
and not prioritising exercise,
results have been minimal this
month. I’d lose a kilo, gain a kilo,
stay the same and then lose about
a gram. Trust me, the plateau
is not a happy place to be. On
the bright side, I was shocked
at how my fitness levels have
improved, so next month I’m
tackling Bikram yoga, will be
running more and following a
strict 1,500 calorie (homemade)
plan designed by nutrition-
ist Stephanie at Dubai London
Clinic. I’m off to a wedding in
Spain at the end of June and want
to lose 5kg before then – because
I can guarantee it will be Cava
and barbecues all week long.
Health Factory, Full Miracle
Package, Dhs2,950 for one
month. Tel: (04) 3473808.
www.epicurecatering.ae
Stephanie Karl, Dubai
London Clinic, Festival City,
Dubai. Tel: (04) 3446663.
nutritiondubailondonclinic@
gmail.com
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 83
 MIND & BODY
Spa Deals
Scrub off the barnacles and get shipshape
this May with these bargain beauty
treatments
Amara Spa
Using the brilliant Anne
Semonin products, the
Regenerating Ruby Facial
Experience (one hour 45
minutes) promises to help
you defy both age and stress.
It includes an outdoor rain
shower in a private garden, a
firming eye treatment, active
plant serums, masques, expert
drainage massage and food
from the poolside menu, plus
full use of the pool, whirlpools,
steam room and gym.
Amara Spa, Park Hyatt Dubai,
Deira, Dubai, Dhs590. Tel: (04)
6021660. www.park.hyatt.
dubai.com
84 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
Mandara Spa
The Monarch’s spa has some
cracking deals this month.
First up is a 50-minute Balinese
massage followed by lunch at
Ruth’s Chris Steak house for
Dhs299 per person (Sunday
to Thursday only). If you want
to make a day of it then the
May deal of aroma foot ritual,
Balinese massage, refresher
facial, herbal teas and fruits,
complimentary product and
use of the pool and health club
for Dhs490 should do the trick.
Mandara Spa, The Monarch
Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road,
Dubai. Tel: (04) 5018270. www.
mandaraspa.com
Face facts
Harvey Nichols’ Profile
Men’s Grooming
Salon offers men the
chance to revive their
skin.That’s right, men
Men – you might not know it (or
want to admit you know it), but
your skin’s not what it used to be.
Living here in the Middle East
means your poor epidermis – and
beyond – suffers the slings and ar-
rows of outrageous climate condi-
tions every single day. Dirt, sweat,
UV rays, it sits there and takes a
beating from the whole gamut.
As a result, you skin can
become dry, greasy, wrinkly,
dirty and a breeding ground for
brutish blackheads. Mucky, in
other words.
This despite the use of that
expensive exfoliating wash and
a fluffy flannel you bought/had
thrust on you by your better half.
The answer, however, could
lie in that bastion of all things
stylish, Harvey Nics, and their
Profile Men’s Grooming Salon,
which offers a range of skin-sav-
ing services, including the oxygen
facial. One of several new Natura
Bisse treatments available at the
salon, the oxygen facial promises
to infuse your tired mug with
pure oxygen, eliminating those
dreaded toxins.
That’s the science.
The reality is that behind an
inconspicuous door at the back of
the third level men’s department
at the Mall of the Emirates store
there is a small salon, offering
haircuts, shaving, waxing, mas-
sages and a very fine facial.
There, your face will be smeared
with various lotions and potions
for a good 45 minutes, and then,
if you have blackheads, the steam
will come out, shortly followed by
a metal instrument that causes a
fair bit of eye watering pain. After
an hour, you’re done.
Sure, it’s probably not the sort
of thing you’ll brag about in the
locker room with the boys, but at
least you’ll be the one with good
skin.
Profile Men’s Grooming Salon,
Level 3, Harvey Nichols, Mall of the
Emirates, Dubai, Dhs450. Tel: (04)
4098989

SPORT & OUTDOOR
Mr Fitness
Each month James Houghton,
our exercise expert, will be
answering all your health and
fitness questions
If I want to gain muscle should I be eating
protein and drinking supplements on
days that I’m not exercising?
Joseph, Abu Dhabi
In a word, yes! Protein is the building
block of muscle, so if your aim is to
gain muscle then you need to ensure
that your protein requirement is being
fulfilled. As a starting point, aim to in-
gest a minimum of one gram of protein
per pound of body weight per day. For
example, if you weigh 180 pounds and
you were eating six meals a day then
you could spread the 180 grams over
the six meals and ingest 30 grams per
meal. On workout days you need to start
addressing your post workout nutri-
tion. This is where supplement drinks
really come into play. To aid in recovery
look to consume 0.8g of carbs per kg of
body weight and 0.4g protein per kg of
body weight, post workout, to rapidly
improve your recovery and muscle
building potential.
A fitter friend wants us to start
running together. Will having an
exercise buddy help me?
Eman, Old Town
Training with a partner or buddy is
definitely a good move and can tremen-
dously enhance your results. I currently
Proudly operates
www.rmalhospitality.com • info@rmalhospitality.ae
86 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
train with a friend of mine and it makes
a huge difference. We are both really
busy and would find it easy to ‘forget’ to
go train, but as we both know we are ac-
countable to each other, that never hap-
pens. You always have someone to pick
you up if you’re not totally up for it that
day. Also, working out with someone
who is a bit fitter than you will make
you raise your game and the results you
achieve will come about much faster.
When is the best time to exercise? I
can’t face getting up at 6am to work
out, but if I go to the gym late at night
sleeping can be a problem.
Charlotte, Dubai Marina
Based on circadian rhythms there are
actually two times that are best: three
hours and 11 hours after you wake up.
However, for most of us this isn’t realis-
tic and your body will adjust its cycle to
fit your pattern. So, if you always wake
up at 6am, and train at 7am, that doesn’t
Souk Madinat
Jumeirah, Dubai
04 366 5646
Got a fitness
question for
James?
E-mail
otivate.ae
editor-w @m
o
fit the circadian rhythms, however if
you’re consistent and you always train
at that time, your body will adjust. In
my experience, having a regular training
time is very important. So for the aver-
age girl or guy with a job, you’ll see bet-
ter results if you pick a training time and
stick with it. When you mess around
with your times, you mess around with
your results.
I’ve finally bought myself an iPod and
everyone seems to be an expert on the
best music to listen to when running.
Is there any science behind this, or is it
totally personal?
Grace, Discovery Gardens
Undoubtedly, there is probably some
behavioural science behind this, but in
my opinion I feel that this is a totally
personal decision. We are all moti-
vated by different types of music and
for different emotional reasons. I once
trained a tri-athlete who loved working
out to AC/DC – it enabled him to push
himself to his limits, so I made a playlist
of AC/DC songs for when he trained.
The results were outstanding. Generally,
for running go for some higher tempo
music, with some slower music for your
cool down. At the end of the day choose
something that motivates you and will
enable you to get through the workout.
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.
Al Fattan Towers
Dubai Marina
04 399 8993

Sports shorts
The month's sports in bitesize pieces
Icemen cometh
If you think you’re are downhill skiing master,
sign up for this ultra-tough challenge at Ski
Dubai. The Aprilia Ice Warrior Challenge
will see participants pushed to the limits
of physical endurance by a 2km obstacle
course at the indoor ski slope at Mall Of
The Emirates. As well as raising cash for
charity, the winner will take away an Aprilia
motorbike, worth Dhs20,000. But you need
to get your application in by May 21, so
better get your skates (or skis if you prefer)
on quick.
Jun 4, Aprilia Ice
Warrior Challenge,
Ski Dubai, Mall Of
The Emirates, Dubai.
Tel: (04) 4094000.
www.skidxb.com
Vertical limits
The UAE has its fair share
of tall buildings, but
thanks to those trusty
elevators, getting to
the upper floors isn’t
a major challenge.
Not so for the athletes
taking part in the Vertical
Challenge at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers.
They’ll be forsaking the elevator in favour of
their legs as they climb 265 metres, up 1,334
stairs from the ground to the 52nd floor. It
will be tough, but when it’s raising money
for the Red Crescent and Médecins Sans
Frontières charities, it’ll be worth the lung-
searing exhaustion.
May 28, Jumeirah Emirates Tower, Dubai. Tel:
(04) 3458177. www.msfuae.ae
SPORT & OUTDOOR
Swimming with
sharks
To mark the opening of Dubai Aquarium
in December 2008, a group of free divers
amazed onlookers by swimming amongst the
marine life without any oxygen tanks. And,
as they were holding their breath for up to
10 minutes and swimming amongst 50 giant
sharks, this was no mean feat. Don’t worry if
you missed them, because the divers – who
go by the hilarious name of NoTanx (it works
on so many levels) – are back this month for
another breathtaking (pun intended) display.
May 5 to 8, Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo,
Dubai Mall. www.notanx.com
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 87
 MUSIC
“We had to get over each
other. We loved music too
much to let it get in the way”
The Subways’ Billy
Lunn talks about
splitting up with
bassist Charlotte
Cooper, going up
the Burj Khalifa and
pigging out on
meatball marinaras
Hello Billy Lunn.
Hello What’s On magazine.
You had an amazing rise to
fame.
Tell me about it.
Actually, could you tell us
about it?

OK. I was about 12 and
remember hearing Oasis’
Supersonic on the radio and knew
I had to play guitar. I started by
looking at posters of guitarists,
checking out the shapes of their
fingers, and teaching myself
the chords. Meanwhile Josh
[Morgan, drummer and Billy’s
brother – despite the difference in
surname] taught himself to play
drums and I started going out
with Charlotte [Cooper – bassist]
when I was 15 and so she joined
us. Finally we started writing
our own songs and playing some
shows. We played our first gig
and were terrible, I felt like crying
during the first song – but shortly
after that we started thinking
about playing in London.
Eventually, after a couple of years
of doing that, we started getting
good. We started getting noticed.
Then Glastonbury?
Then Glastonbury. It was 2004.
I used to record local bands in
my parent’s front room because
The Subways
they couldn’t afford the £200
(Dhs1,130) fee for the local
recording studio. I asked one
band what they were going
to do with the CD I helped
them make and they told me
that [Glastonbury organiser]
Michael Eavis was running
a competition in which the
winner would play Glasto that
year. So we thought, we should
enter. We won! We went from
playing for 130 people to about
10,000 people at the drop of
a hat.
How nervous were you on
the day?
Not bad until I was walking on
stage and realised the gravity
of the situation. That thrashing
around won’t cut it anymore
and that the songs needed to
stand up. Thankfully, they did.
After that we organised our
first tour of the UK. It basically
just kicked off. In 2004, in
November, we signed a record
deal with Warner to record our
first album, Young For Eternity,
and released it in 2005.
And now you’re writing your
third album. When’s it out?
Fingers crossed, early next year.
Are you killing each other in
the studio?
All the time, but we’re so close
that we get over it. Josh and I are
brothers so we’ve always fought
and Charlotte and I went out for
eight years so we’ve had our share
of disagreements.
Is that eight year relationship
thing not, you know,
problematic?
Getty/Gallo Images
Erm... not really. The break up
was amicable and I think we both
love the music way too much to
let it get in the way.
We’re not in touch with any of
our exes.
Well, we were forced to stay
in touch. We broke up while
making the second record and
because we were forced into
that environment, forced into
the studio, we just focused on
writing great songs. And we
got over it.
You must hate all the
boyfriends that come in and
out of her life.
Oh no, not at all.
Lies.
No, honestly. She’s getting
married soon, he’s the funniest
guy I’ve ever met and totally cool.

88 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010

 The Subways
Getty/Gallo Images
You’re a stronger man than us.
Tell us what you make of the
UAE.
I was booked to do a DJ set in
Dubai a year or so ago, but did
some DJing and some acoustic.
It was brilliant. I thought
nobody would know the songs
but loads did and I was even
trying to tell a few jokes.
Usually, I’m quite reserved
at acoustics. I feel so naked
during them. I normally have
Josh thrashing about on drums
and Charlotte on bass to give
me support, but the acoustic
set offers none of that. But in
Dubai, oddly, it was fine.
Any plans to go up the Burj
Khalifa?
Definitely. But I fear heights.
Any plans to lob a TV out of a
seven-star hotel?
Why would you waste a perfectly
good TV?
Fair point. How did you come
up with the band name?
It’s not a great name is it? We
came up with worse before that.
We would hang out in a green
area between some subways –
that’s pretty much our reason. We
were called Mustardseed – the
fairy from Midsummer Night’s
Dream – and then we moved on
to Platypus, after the Green Day
song Platypus (I Hate You) before
settling on The Subways.
So what’s your all time
favourite band name?
Death Cab For Cutie. People’s
eyes cross when they hear it.
Do you have a favourite
Subway sandwich?
I used to love the meatball
marinara until I found out there’s
more salt in it than in 24 packs of
crisps. I’m never having another
one again.
They deliver Subway in the
UAE.
No! That makes it too easy! I
won’t leave the hotel room. Must.
Stay. Strong.
You supported AC/DC last
year, did you not?
We did. It was scary and
amazing. The audience didn’t
care who we were, they just
wanted DC on. We walked on
stage and one guy clapped...
probably because his mate
bought him a beer. So we
decided to strap in and look
at each other and go for it.
We even got them clapping. I
worked out that as soon as you
mention AC/DC the whole
placed roared. So I just said
that lots. “AC/DC!”
And you were in the Guy
Ritchie movie RocknRolla.
That was really cool. We were
making the second record and
I woke up one morning in LA,
in my pants, stumbling into the
kitchen to make some cereal and
the phone rings. “Hi, it’s Guy
Ritchie.” He said he’d love us to
play in the movie. We didn’t have
to think twice.
Can you act?
I think I’m brilliant.
Finally, who’s the most famous
person on your mobile?
Zane Lowe. Who’s yours?
You.
Ha!
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 89

CLUB DIARY
All the goings-on in clubland this month
6
WHAT’S ON PICK
Bill Patrick @ Ill Communications
The New York tech house master has filled
floors at London’s Fabric and Ibiza’s Space.
Expect him to do the same at Dubai’s best
alfresco club.
The Rooftop, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai,
10pm to 3am, Dhs100, ladies and Face Card
free until 100pm. Tel: (050) 7258277
David Craig @ Relax@12
Funky house and electro beats at the cool
rooftop bar.
Relax@12, Aloft, Abu Dhabi, 8pm to late, free.
Tel: (02) 6545138. www.aloftabudhabi.com
7
Acos Coolkas @ Audio Tonic
The Russian deep house and nu disco ace
leads the line at the ever-popular Dubai
hangout.
360˚, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, 4pm
to 2am, free. Tel: (04) 4068769. www.
platinumlist.ae
20 Prok 'N Fitch @ Sanctuary
UK-based duo Ben Prokopowicz and
James Fitchett first teamed up three
years ago to produce their own brand
of upfront house, and it’s been all go
ever since. They’ve since gone on to
remix for such house heavyweights as
Laidback Luke and Gregor Salto, as well
90 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
Superstar DJs Andy Cato and Tom Findlay
hit Chi on May 20. To get your hands on
one of five pairs of tickets log onto www.
motivatepublishing.com/competitions and
answer this simple question.
Name the hit song by Groove Armada?
b) I See You Teenager
c) I See You Pensioner
WEEKLY
Step On @ Home
Dubai’s only weekly indie night serves up
a dose of guitar-based fun.
Chi @ The Lodge, Al Nasr Leisureland,
Dubai, 8pm to 3am, Dhs100, free before
11pm, ladies free before midnight. Tel: (04)
3379470
WEEKLY
Native @ Sanctuary
Sanctuary residents Rod Lee Winters and
Aaron Bryan drop commercial house.
Atlantis, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, 9pm
to 3am, free. Tel: (04) 4260561. www.
sanctuarydubai.com
11
WEEKLY
Simon B @ Bewitched
Chart R&B and house from the Radio 1
regular.
Relax@12, Aloft, Abu Dhabi, 8pm to late,
free. Tel: (02) 6545138. www.aloftabudhabi.
com
as running their own Floorplay Music
record label. They make a welcome return
to Sanctuary this month
Prok ‘N Fitch. Sum it up in one
sentence.
Two laid-back guys who produce good
Win!
TICKETS TO
GROOVE ARMADA
a) I See You Baby
20
Groove Armada @ Chi
music and who like a drink. That pretty
much says it all.
It does. How did you first meet?
I was working in a record shop in
Brighton and Ben used to come in
a lot. We kind of got on, decided to
make a record together and the rest
is history.
So who does what?
Well, Ben’s a lot more laid-back than
me. I tend to stress about things a lot
more, while he just tends to be a bit
more chilled. You know, we have the
odd disagreement about music, but
considering we spend so much time
together, it’s a surprisingly amicable
partnership.
OK, so exactly what kind of name is
Prok ‘N Fitch?
Ha! Well, they’ve just been our
nicknames since we were kids. People
often think we’re German though,
because Ben has a Polish surname.
They’re surprised when we tell them
we’re from England.
Tell us something about Prok 'N
Fitch that we wouldn’t know.
We’re both keen golfers. Ben’s played
for ages, but I’ve only recently taken
up the sport but I’ve been told I’m a
natural. But you’d be surprised, there
are more DJs and producers who are
into golf than you would think.
Oh. We did not know that. Plenty
of great golf courses in the UAE – is
that why you wanted to come?
We’ve actually been to the UAE a
couple of times – we love it. We
played Sanctuary last year and it was
amazing. The crowd were really up for
it and totally responsive. You know,
we didn’t have to play the commercial
stuff as they were familiar with our
more underground tunes.
Atlantis, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, 9pm
to 3am, Dhs150. Tel: (04) 4260561. www.
sanctuarydubai.com
14
Mr Mr @ Audio Tonic
It’s four years since the electro fest that is
Audio Tonic first hit 360˚. Join regulars Mr
Mr, Vas Floyd, Raxon and Julian Jinx for a
party to remember.
360˚, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, 4pm
to 2am, free. Tel: (04) 4068769. www.
platinumlist.ae
Smirnoff Black Party @ Cubes
A winning combo of house music and
cocktails at the small but perfectly formed
club.
Cubes, One To One Hotel, Abu Dhabi, 9pm
to 2am, free. Tel: (055) 6560801
19
DJ Ravin @ Yacht Club
The founder of the Buddha Bar pays Abu
Dhabi’s marina-side haunt a flying visit for
a set of deep house.
InterContinental Abu Dhabi, Al Bateen, 8pm
to 2am, free entry. Tel: (02) 6666888
20
WHAT’S ON PICK
Groove Armada @ Chi
This one will be HUGE. The inordinately
tall Andy Cato (he’s pushing 7ft) and
partner Tom Findlay (he’s not so tall) were
the darlings of the UK’s big beat scene
before going on to win even more fans
with their synth-pop directions. Their DJs
sets are wildly eclectic, but we’re sure
they’ll find room for mega-hits Superstylin’
and I See You Baby.
Chi @ The Lodge, Al Nasr Leisureland, Dubai,
8pm to 3am, Dhs150. Tel: (04) 3379470
 CLUB DIARY

21
Moonlight Dance Party @ Escape
Lounge

The Subways @ See You Next Friday

The English indie trio join resident spinner
Da:Funct to celebrate SYNF’s second
birthday. See p88 for an interview with
Subways’ lead singer Billy Lunn.
Alpha, Le Méridien Dubai, Garhoud, 9pm
to 3am, Dhs100. Tel: (02) 3379479. www.
thesubways.net
Spin Science @ Audio Tonic
Funky house and then some from the
Estonian DJ and producer.
360˚, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, 4pm
to 2am, free. Tel: (04) 4068769. www.
platinumlist.ae
The capital’s chilled beachside club hosts
a night of house vibes, courtesy of DJs
Nathalie B and Shaft Raisi.
Hiltonia Beach Club, Hilton Abu Dhabi, 8pm
to late, Dhs100, free before midnight. Tel:
(055) 6560801
27
Michael Canitrot @ Yacht Club
The man behind the phenomenally
successful So Happy In Paris club nights
touches down for a set of deep house and
electro.
InterContinental Abu Dhabi, Al Bateen, 8pm
to 2am, free entry. Tel: (02) 6666888
27 Alex Dolby @
Audio Tonic
Italian tech house don Alex Dolby
is considered one of the industry’s
shining stars, remixing for the likes of
Timo Maas and Jon Digweed. His debut
album, Psiko Garden, was released on
the Global Underground Recordings
label, while his track Long Beach was
featured on a recent compilation by
Nick Warren
Italian house music seems to be
undergoing a renaissance at the
moment. Why?
The club scene in Rome used to be
really bad, and so all the good DJs had
my friend and teacher, DJ Santos, gave
me the name after the surround sound
system because he said my real name
didn’t sound very memorable.
Describe the Alex Dolby sound.
I made my name DJing and producing
progressive house music, but now I’m
more into the tech house. But a DJ has
to be a psychologist and see what the
crowd wants.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever played?
Without doubt it was Pacha Buenos
Aires. There’s a big Italian influence in
Argentina and so, whereas I’m relatively
unknown in some parts of the world,

21 Tinie Tempah @ Chi to move away. But now there are a

lot of great clubs in Rome and all the
DJs are moving back, bringing foreign
influences with them. Rome has an
exciting musical scene at the moment.
Alex Dolby. Doesn’t sound that Italian
to us…
My real name’s Alessandro Salvatori. But
everyone knew me there and treated
me like a star.
Will your gig in the UAE match this?
My DJ friends who've played there said
the crowds were amazing, so I hope so.
360˚, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, 4pm
to 2am, free. Tel: (04) 4068769. www.
platinumlist.ae

Win!
VIP TABLE FOR FOUR
AT MOONLIGHT DANCE PARTY
On May 21, you and three of your
friends could be enjoying one of Abu Dhabi’s
best club nights from the comfort of a VIP
table. Log onto www.motivatepublishing.com/
competitions and answer this question
for a chance to win.
Which of these was a famous rock

Win!
drummer?
a) Keith Moon
b) Keith Spaceship
TICKETS TO c) Keith Asteroid
TINIE TEMPAH
We have a whopping ten pairs of tickets
to see the grime superstar perform live at
Chi. All you have to do is log onto www.
motivatepublishing.com/competitions
and tell us…
Which of these artists is not associated
with the grime scene?
a) Dizzee Rascal
b) Lady Sovereign
c) Frank Sinatra

Patrick Junior C Okogwu’s better made a scapegoat for a lot of bad

known to the world as Tinie Tempah,
one of the hottest artists on the UK’s
grime scene. The London-born star,
whose recent single Pass Out hit
number one in the UK charts, makes his
Middle East debut at Chi this month
Hey Patrick. Or should we call you
Tinie?
Tinie, of course. My real name’s gone
out the window, apart from if I have
to go to the dentist or the doctor.
Everyone calls me Tinie, even my mum.
OK, Tinie – what’s the deal with
grime? It’s huge in the UK.
The grimy base lines and big beats
are just a good sound. But, you know,
I don’t see myself as just a grime
artist. The underground grime scene
is the avenue I went through to be
discovered. But ultimately, I’ve always
been an experimental and eclectic
artist.
Are you trying to distance yourself
from grime because it gets such a
rough time from the UK’s media?
No, not at all. I think grime was just
things that were going on. But I grew
up on a council estate in London, there
was a lot of crime around and this is
reflected in my music. But now artists
like Dizzee Rascal are crossing over to
the mainstream, I think some of the
media realise it’s just good music and
are laying off a bit.
Some have labelled you the new
Dizzee Rascal. Do you mind?
No, it’s really flattering. I’ve been
Dizzee’s biggest fan since I was 13-
years-old. In fact, he’s the only famous
person that I’ve ever been star struck
by. We played together at a gig in
Dublin and I was so nervous when I
met him.
From Dublin to Dubai. You’re
getting around a bit.
Yeah, I’m going everywhere. The
world’s finally catching on to grime. I
mean, my lyrics are about London but I
think anyone can relate to a heavy bass
line, whether you speak English or not.
Chi @ The Lodge, Al Nasr Leisureland,
Dubai, 8pm to 3am, Dhs100. Tel: (04)
3379470. www.tinietempah.com

MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 91

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MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 93

 TRAVEL
Kuala Lumpur
Juxtaposition
and adventure in
Malaysia’s capital
Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur
is something of an anomaly.
While a resolutely Muslim
state, with some of the harshest
capital punishment in the world,
it also lays claim to some of Asia’s
best nightlife parties, not to men-
tion a thriving cultural scene. It
mixes Chinese, Malay and Indian
influences and yet retains a very
particular Malaysian sensibility. It
has all the trappings of a modern
Asian capital yet has the prices –
food and hotels particularly – of a
third world country.
The long drive from Kuala
Lumpur International Airport
ISTOCK
gives some hint of the city’s past.
WORLD
TRAVEL
Rubber plantations dominate the
countryside and until 157 years
ago, Kuala Lumpur was nothing
more than a tin mine, chopped
out of the jungle by Chinese
prospectors. That the city known
as KL by almost everyone has
undergone something of a trans-
formation is clear as the spec-
tacular Petronas Towers emerge
from the horizon. As you drive
further towards the city centre,
KL’s British influence becomes
obvious – the tree-lined avenues,
the crumbling town houses, even
the white-gloved old women on
their way to afternoon tea.
Yet the centre of KL is typi-
cally Asian: modern, and with a
chaotic charm only Asia’s biggest
Urban scene: cities can pull off. For evidence
Downtown KL of this make your first stop Little
India, a slice of Mumbai that is
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 95

Local speciality:
Malaysian-style
barbecued fish
full of restaurants, street vendors,
teashops and suit salesman. Grab
a roti and make the short journey
to Chinatown, which is equally
enthralling. The streets here are
even narrower, and the smell
of incense and frying food can
be overwhelming – if so, duck
into the 145-year-old Sin Sze Si
Ya Temple, where you can find
solitude among the mystics.
The intriguing thing about
Kuala Lumpur is that all these
districts are right in the centre
of the city, and nowhere is more
central than the Golden Triangle.
This is the district that is home to
the Petronas Twin Towers, that
symbol of Malaysia’s rise from re-
gional backwater to global player.
Truly breathtaking – particularly
at night – the towers host a range
of restaurants and cafes around
their base, which are the perfect
place to watch the hordes of visi-
tors shuffling past.
Given KL’s year-round humid-
ity it is no surprise that the city
is dotted with shopping malls
– they provide a respite from the
heat as much as a spot of retail
therapy. Be warned though, the
malls are packed all day, every
day and make the UAE’s look
empty by comparison. There are
more than 70 malls in the capital
alone, and many mainland Chi-
nese make the trip to Malaysia a
few times a year just to shop. The
Bukit Bintang area of the Golden
Triangle has the most malls, and
the highest prices. Starhill Plaza,
Pavillion Kuala Lumpur and
SOGO Kuala Lumpur are three
of the best. All the usual brand
names are present, but if you are
ISTOCK
looking for something with a bit
TRAVEL | KUALA LUMPUR
more of a traditional feel, you are
better sticking to Little India and
China Town.
While KL is not noted as a
book lover’s city, it does house
one of the best bookshops in
Asia. SKOOB books in Menara
Mutiara Majestic (ask your
concierge for directions) is huge
and well-stocked, with new and
second hand books, as well as
imported books from around
the world. If the madness of
KL seems too much, this is the
perfect place to take a respite
from it all.
Once rested, you’ll need to
refuel. Luckily, Malaysians are
obsessed with food. There seems
to be street-side stalls on every
corner and Indian, Chinese, Ma-
lay, Thai and Indonesian cuisine
dominates, often all in the one
place. Jalan Alor in the Golden
Triangle is filled with more than
100 restaurants, spilling out onto
the streets with touts trying to
attract customers and sweating
chefs frying, boiling and chop-
ping in front of diners. With the
temperature routinely topping
100˚C, be prepared to sweat, but
the results are usually worth it.
If you are looking for some-
thing more sedate – and tradi-
Looking up: tionally Malay – try Enak KL in
Petronas Twin Towers the Starhill Gallery. One of the
finest Malay restaurants in the
city, it mixes traditional Malay
“The Petronas Twin Towers are the décor with subtle service and
surprisingly cheap prices. If you
symbol of Malaysia’s rise from want a view to match the food,
regional backwater to global player” make the short trip to the SkyBar,
which serves up cocktails and
Hindu Shrine: jaw-dropping views of the Petro-
Batu Caves nas Towers as they blink against
the night sky.
If you wish to extend your
evening head to Changkat Bukit
Bintang (CBB to the locals), a
long street filled with lounge bars,
dingy clubs and restaurants that
see most patrons hop from bar
to bar. Most of the restaurants
stop serving at 10pm, but there
are plenty of street stalls in the
adjacent alleyways.
Kuala Lumpur is not all about
conspicuous consumption, how-
ever, and the city is dotted with
parks, which provide a respite
from the traffic-choked streets.
One of the most interesting places
to get in touch with nature is the
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 97
 TRAVEL | KUALA LUMPUR

Things To See
and Do
l Climb up the Petronas Twin Towers for
spectacular city views.
l Check out mystical Chinatown, and then stuff
your face with authentic Chinese food.
l Visit the spectacular Batu Caves in northern
Kuala Lumpur.
l Mix with the city’s beautiful people and enjoy
the amazing views from the Sky Bar KL.
l Get one of the best foot massages in Asia in
Bukit Bintang.

Serene spot:
Amazing views:
Sin Sze Si Ya Temple
Sky Bar

Exotic species:
KL Bird Park
Need to
know
How to Get There
Qatar Airways flies via Qatar starting at
Dhs1,800.

Getting Around
Traffic is a nightmare in Kuala Lumpur,
so where possible use the three light
transit lines that cross the city. There
are numerous tour buses that can be
arranged from your hotel, but again,
the traffic can make that option rather
frustrating. Luckily KL is a great walking
city, well signposted and for many visitors
it’s the easiest way to get around.

Accommodation
KL has the full range of accommodation
from Dhs35 a night youth hostels
Street food:
to surprisingly cheap five-star
ISTOCK

KL Bird Park, which houses
more than 200 species of bird.
The noise can be deafening,
but the birds, which are as
unpronounceable as they are
beautiful, are tame and can
be fed by visitors – the perfect
photo opportunity.
Even more spectacular are
the Batu Caves at the north of
the city. The caves are stun-
ning, dropping hundreds of
feet below ground, and the
atmosphere at the bottom is
almost monastic, albeit some-
what ruined by the concrete
steps and the metal banisters.
And watch out for the ag-
gressive monkeys who line
the steps of the caves looking
for food.
There is plenty to do fur-
ther from KL, but not too far
to make a day trip unworka-
ble. Forty minutes east of the
city is the Genting Highlands,
a blueprint for how not to
build a theme park. Cheap,
tacky and filled with low-
grade attractions, the only
Jalan Alor
plus is that the temperatures
are considerably lower than
in KL. Far more interesting
is Kuala Selangor, a former
Dutch town that retains all
the charm Genting seems to
have lost. There are hiking
and trekking options outside
the town and at night the sur-
rounding forests are lit up by
fireflies – a truly spectacular
experience. The town itself
is beautiful and has been
well preserved, although one
night here should be enough.
accommodation. The Ritz-Carlton is
central, great value for money and will
organise a complimentary airport pick up.
Currency
Malaysia’s official currency is the Malaysia
Ringgit (MYR). 1MYR is equal to Dhs1.13
so calculating the exchange rate is pretty
simple.
Visas
Malaysia has one of the most open visa
systems in the world and tourist visas
are available on arrival for virtually all
nationalities for 100MYR valid for one to
three months.

98 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010

 TRAVEL | kuwait

Kuwait
For a relaxing
weekend with a hint
of the surreal, Kuwait
is one of the Middle
East’s hidden, if
occasionally ignored,
treasures. Bring an
open mind (and a
large wallet) and
you will be rewarded
with a break with a
difference

Kuwait has something of an im-

age problem. Ignored by many
travellers, this oil-rich state is
perceived to be a cultural black
hole, filled with identikit shop-
ping malls, rich locals and acres
of oil fields. While this may be
partly true, Kuwait City has
enough charm for a long week-
end and its heritage, architecture
and – believe it or not – vibrant
art scene, is enough to keep most
visitors occupied.
The oil boom hit Kuwait in the
1970s and this is reflected in the
downtown architecture, which,
while sometimes garish, is never
boring. The most celebrated
example of this is the Kuwait
Towers, three kitsch monu-
ments to retro design. The centre
of the city is a case in point, a
snapshot of dated architecture
that gives the business district a
charm missing from the Gulf ’s
other cities. Right next to these
gleaming towers is the Old Souq,
a mishmash of shops and hole-
in-the-wall restaurants cater-
ing to the city’s large expatriate Retro charm:
community. Prices are cheap and
istock

Kuwait Liberation Tower

with everything from Yemeni to
Ethiopian fare on offer, you won’t
go hungry. The Souq – unlike,
say, the refurbished market in
Doha – is rough and ready, with
stores selling everything from
glow-in-the-dark wallpaper to
snakes. While you might not find
the perfect souvenir in amongst
all that tat, simply wandering
around the narrow alleyways is a
fascinating experience.
Looming over the market is
the Liberation Tower, one of the
tallest telecommunication towers
in the world and its futuristic
outline dominates downtown
Kuwait City.
One of Kuwait’s most famous
exports is Villa Moda, a luxury de-
partment store that houses brands
such as Gucci, Prada and Evisu.
Another homegrown shop (albeit
on a much smaller scale) is LBo
J’zazz, a bead shop run by two lo-
cal women who design their own
creations. The results are beautiful
and for a local souvenir, drop by
their store in Shaab Al Bahary on
Ibn Al Khatib Street.

MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 101

 TRAVEL | kuwait
Kuwait can’t match the UAE in north towards the Iraqi border.
the shopping stakes, but The Av-
enues is sure to satisfy any shop-
per, with more than 100 luxury
outlets, a massive food court and an interesting – if rather macabre and is one of the most important
a multi-screen cinema.
For Kuwaitis, the most defining
moment in their history was the
1991 invasion by Iraq. The oc-
cupation may have been relatively one of the largest collections of
short, but the scars are still in
evidence. The oil fields that were
set on fire by the retreating Iraqi
forces created blankets of soot
thousands of kilometres wide.
Even today, the deserts around
Kuwait City are blackened, a
legacy that will last for gen-
erations. Elsewhere there are re-
minders of the war, most notably settled in the Bronze Age, and was home of the British ‘political agent’
the ‘tank graveyards’ comprised
of hundreds of burnt-out Iraqi
tanks that were destroyed by
US and British warplanes as the
Iraqis retreated back across the
border. The ‘graveyards’ are dot-
ted around Highway 80 that runs
Things To See
and Do
l Go back in time with a trip to the
fascinating Fallaka Island
l Take in the galleries, coffee shops to the Movenpick Al Bida’a is
and refurbished houses on Arabian
Gulf Street
l Watch (and smell) commerce in
action in the huge Fish Market
l Head to the Al Manshar
entertainment complex in Fahaheel,
which offers spectacular views of
the oil fields to the south
l Wander around the wonderfully
chaotic old souq in the centre of town otypical of young Gulf Arabs, then fish auctions are well
102 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
who express themselves rather dif-
ferently. A growing creative com-
munity has emerged in the past
few years and there are a number
of galleries and creative spaces
that showcase young Kuwait. Dar
Al Funoon is one of the most
exciting spaces, hosting monthly
exhibitions that showcase contem-
porary art, calligraphy and custom
furniture. Located between the
Sheraton Hotel and Arabian Gulf
Street, the whole area is filled with
Bargain hunt: refurbished Kuwaiti town houses,
The Old Souq galleries and boutique coffee
shops. Another gallery worth
checking out is the Sultan Gallery,
a large industrial space in South
The Kuwaiti authorities don’t Saban. Eclectic in its exhibitions,
take too kindly to tourists visiting the gallery showcases modern
these sites, but they do make for Arabic art from around the region
– photo opportunity. galleries in the Gulf.
Kuwait’s history extends long For something more intrinsi-
past 1991, however. The Tareq cally Kuwaiti, pay a visit to Sadu
Rajab Museum in Jabrieh contains House, which sells Bedouin arts
and crafts, made on the premises
Islamic artefacts in the world, with by local Bedouin women. Even if
more than 10,000 items housed you don’t want to buy anything, the
there. The collection is wonder- place gives an intriguing glimpse
fully eclectic with everything into local culture. The adjacent Abu
from ceramics, jewellery and Adnan Café is the perfect place to
ancient manuscripts on display. experience Bedouin hospitality
Somewhere even more ancient while resting those weary feet.
lies 17km off the coast of Kuwait: Another glimpse into the past
Fallaka Island, which was first is on offer at Dickson House, the
once occupied by Alexander the in the country, Colonel Dickson,
Great and his troops as they made who represented British interests
their way to India. A ferry leaves (and oil) in the nascent Kingdom.
Kuwait City every morning and it The house is beautifully kept and
is worth a trip, if only to sample the bedrooms and kitchen have
the island’s unique wildlife. been preserved as they were before
Kuwait is a dry country – which Dickson died in 1959. Try and
is another reason it is off the radar avoid the official guide whose ill
of many tourists – but the locals temper at having to show tourists
are Mediterranean in their time- around is matched only by his
keeping. Late nights are common- never-ending monologues.
place and the coffee shop or shisha
café is where most congregate
Another must-see – and across
the road from the Dickson House
well past midnight. The row of – is the Fish Market, which is
coffee shops outside the entrance right beside the Sharq Mall and a
marina. Every conceivable type of
worth a visit just for the legion of underwater creature is on sale
custom cars that roll past. While here, all freshly caught.
the Emirates has its fair share of Octopus, grouper, shark
exotic motors, Kuwait takes things and squid are just
to extremes: gold-plated Hum- some of the hundreds
mers, pink Lamborghinis, chrome of options available.
Maybachs; the locals know how to Even if you are not
put on a show. interested in buying
If this seems all too stere- your dinner here, the
there is another group of people worth a visit.
Need to
know
How to Get There
Kuwait Airways flies daily
from Dh650, while Wataniya
Airways flies daily from Dubai
from Dh450.
Getting Around
Kuwait has a pretty good local
bus network, but most visitors
use taxis which are easy to
find and not too expensive.
Most taxis have meters
although it is often cheaper
to negotiate with the driver
in advance. Ask your hotel
concierge the standard local
rates to your destination.
Accommodation
Kuwait doesn’t do budget
hotels, so be prepared
to splash out. We like the
Movenpick Al Bida’a, which
has its own private beach.
The Sheraton Hotel & Towers
is closer to the action in the
centre of the city.
Currency
Kuwait’s official currency is
the Kuwaiti Dinar (KD). 1KD is
equal to US$3.46 making it the
strongest currency in the world.
Visas
The citizens of most western
countries can get a visa on arrival
at Kuwait’s airport and land
borders. This tourist visa lasts
three months and costs US $20.
Other nationalities need
advance visas and an
invitation from a sponsor in
Kuwait. Your local Kuwaiti
embassy or consulate can
provide more details.
Deep sea
treats:
Fish Market
THE HOT LIST
the ten best BRUNCHES, Bars, RESTAURANTS and spas this month

Key
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p106 Brunches
p108 Bars
p110 Restaurants
p112 Spas

MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 105

 THE HOT LIST BRUNCHES
OUR PICK OF THE BRUNCH BUNCH
Belgian Beer Cafe
1 Maya –
At the Playa Buena Vista
brunch you can spend the day
ATMOSPHERE
chilling out poolside or on the
beach. You’ll be so relaxed you’ll
struggle to stay perpendicular.
And why would you want to
with so many sunbeds around?
Lunch is served between 1pm
and 4pm on the terrace of
FOOD
Maya, celebrity chef Richard
Sandoval’s Mexican restaurant.
Expect platters of grilled meat
and fish and jugs of sangria.
With access to Le Royal Méri-
dien Beach Resort’s pool and
LOCATION
beach, a live DJ and Mariachi
band, it’s like a luxury mini-
break in the city.
BEST FOR
Anyone and everyone looking
for relaxation and quality food in
a true resort environment.
Dhs300 for pool and beach
access from 10am to 6pm, plus
PRICE
lunch and a 30 per cent bever-
age discount between 5pm and
7pm, this is a bonafide bargain.
A brunch on the beach? With
WHAT’S ON
the temperature creeping up?
We think you’ve found your
new favourite Friday hangout.
SAYS...
Le Royal Méridien Beach
Resort & Spa, Dubai Marina
10am to 6pm
Tel: (04) 3165550
www.leroyalmeridien-dubai.com
106 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
Zuma
2 Belgian Beer
Cafe –
Buzzing. Expect the clatter and
bustle of a chatty pub lunch.
Exactly the kind of hearty grub
you’d expect from the BBC.
Belgian classics, both a la carte
and buffet.
The terrace overlooking Dubai
Creek offers splendid views for
alfresco diners, while inside
is one of the finest and most
popular traditional pubs in
the city.
It can be whatever you want it
to be – a relaxed bite to eat with
a beer or a full on knees up.
This is the best bit. Wait for
it, wait for it... it’s a piffling
Dhs199. Simply unbeatable.
The best value for money
brunch in town. Your credit
card will love you.
Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival
City
1pm to 4pm
Tel: (04) 7011128
www.ichotelsgroup.com
3 Thai
Kitchen 
This isn’t a rowdy affair but
there’s a healthy amount of
chatter and cooing over the
menu. Just what every civilised
bruncher requires.
Pick from tapas-size portions
of delicious Thai cuisine. Sticky
rice, duck curry, exotic desserts.
All of it first-rate.
There’s a terrace with a cracking
view over the yachts, or opt to
brunch inside where you’ll find
sophisticated Asian décor.
Couples and small groups who
are into their food but don’t want
to break the bank to eat well.
It’s a mere Dhs225 with alcohol.
Another reason to love it.
The BBC has undercut Thai
Kitchen, but it’s still the second
best value for money brunch
in Dubai.
Park Hyatt Dubai, Deira,
Dubai
noon to 4pm
Tel: (04) 3172222
www. dubai.park.hyatt.com
4 Zuma 
Zuma attracts an upmarket and
well-behaved crowd, who taste
their way around the buffet and
al a carte menu with ease.
A pleasing selection of the
choice treats available through-
out the week. And you can
watch the sushi chefs in action.
People visit DIFC to go to
Zuma. It’s put the financial
district on the map for those
who prefer to crunch tempura
rather than numbers.
Those looking for a stylish
lunch or eager to sample the
Zuma menu.
It’s a pricey Dhs385 with
alcohol. Verging on steep, but it
is Zuma, after all.
It’s Zuma. And we’ll say it again.
The. Best. Japanese. Restaurant.
In. Town. Full stop.
DIFC, Dubai
12.30pm to 4pm
Tel: (04) 4255660
www.zumarestaurant.com
HOT ON
S
THE H, YaEchEt LClub
11Aquara
, Le Méridie
n
12 Yalumba
Dubai
lam,
13 Mina A’Sa rah
inat Jum ei
Mad Bahar
ee, Souk Al
14 Mango Tr The Address
15 Maz ina,
a
Dubai Marin
5 Traiteur –
We can’t stay away. This
really is one of the most
pleasant brunches in town. A
live band, open kitchen and
lashings of sophistication.
French, and just as good as
you’ll find on what is one of
Dubai’s best a la carte menus
during the rest of the week.
The most attractive restaurant
in the city. A high ceilinged
room full of light. And there’s
outdoor seating for those who
like their lunch alfresco.
Romance and eating with fellow
foodies.
Up to you. Dhs295 sans alcohol,
Dhs425 with house beverages,
Dhs550 with Veuve Cliquot or
Dhs1,500 with a limo pick up.
When in comes to long,
languid lunches (or in this
case brunches), the French are
numéro un.
Park Hyatt Dubai, Deira,
Dubai
12.30pm to 4pm
Tel: (04) 3172222
www.dubai.park.hyatt.com

Thai Kitchen
6 Al Qasr 
Al Qasr has quite a rep, and as one
of the most popular brunches in
the city, is pretty busy. Fortu-
nately the brunch is spread over
several rooms so you won’t be
overwhelmed.
A vast selection, from tapas to
sushi to fresh pasta, steak, seafood,
pick’n’mix and sweets… We could
go on.
The best tables are outside so with
mercury rising, Al Qasr slips down
the Hot List. It’s just not the same
inside...
Special occasions and wowing
guests. We’d bet this is one of the
best brunches in the world.
Steep at Dhs495, but the food is
of the highest standard, and we
believe you sometimes have to pay
for quality.
We’re all about the good value and
poolside action this month. Time to
lower the price, Al Qasr.
Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai
12.30pm to 4pm
Tel: (04) 3666730
www.jumeirah.com
7 Media One 
Fast-becoming a seriously popular
brunch, with post-food cocktails
by the pool and an evening offering
(7pm to 10pm) if you just can’t get
enough.
A superb array of seafood and salad
appetisers, lovely roast beef, pizza
to order and a delightful dessert
counter.
Indoor and outdoor dining and
Media City is a prime location for
anyone wanting to enjoy a couple
of afternoon beverages in Dubai
Marina.
Everyone. It’s peaceful enough for
families and lively enough for a
party with pals.
One of the cheapest brunches on
our Hot List at Dhs240. Thumbs up
from bank managers across Dubai.
Take advantage of 50 per cent off
hotel rooms if you book ahead. We
have and we will again.
Media One Hotel, Media City,
Dubai
noon to 4pm
Tel: (04) 4271000
www.mediaonehotel.com
8 Spectrum On
One 
It’s a very popular brunch so be
sure to book ahead, especially as
summer kicks off and everyone
wants to get involved in some
inside dining action.
Wear stretchy clothes. Eight manic
kitchens produce food from
Europe, Thailand, China, India,
Japan and the Middle East.
Spectrum has its very own floor in
one of Dubai’s first SZR hotels. This
place is a bruncher’s Narnia.
Take some close friends or visitors
on a whirlwind tour of fine food
and free-flowing bubbles.
A painful Dhs550. On the plus side,
the food is excellent and plentiful.
The days of charging Dhs550 are
surely over?
Fairmont Dubai, Sheikh Zayed
Road, Dubai
noon to 3pm
Tel: (04) 3325555
www.fairmont.com/dubai
THE HOT LIST BRUNCHES
Al Qasr
9 Bubbalicious
* 10 Bice Mare
A live band, acrobatics and a
veritable feast mean this one a
serious party venue for all ages. We
were entranced by a cocktail made
with candy floss and the enormous
choice of food.
With ten live cooking stations across
three restaurants (Spice Emporium,
Hunters and Blue Orange) you may
want to skip breakfast and buckle
up for the ride.
With tables inside and out, and
a lively buzz everywhere, we
recommend hitting the poolside
patio while it’s cool enough, but this
is a great brunch for summer, too.
Families will love the petting zoo
and cinema – it will keep the chil-
dren busy while you enjoy brunch.
It’s Dhs450 for free-flowing Laurent
Perrier, cocktails, beer and wine, or
Dhs299 excluding alcohol. Splash
out – the cocktails are impressive.
Who doesn’t love a good petting
zoo after some steak and a few
glasses of bubbly?
The Westin Mina Seyahi, Dubai
1pm to 4pm
Tel: (04) 5117136
www.starwoodhotels.com
*
One of the newest additions to
the brunch bunch, this is more
of a family lunch option than
raucous party. And it’s all a la
carte so you can sit back and be
looked aftet by manager Kafka
and his team.
Expect the best of the seafood-
infused Italian menu. Fresh
focaccia, huge prawns, plump
raviolli, delicate fish and sublime
crème brûlée.
It’s prime Old Town real estate,
so enjoy the terrace and the
staggering Burj Khalifa view
while you can. Inside, you’ll find
a cool, elegant dining space.
Ideal for a birthday lunch or
catching up with friends over
excellent food and a few Peronis.
It’s a sharing concept for Dhs190
per person based on a minimum
of four people. Alcohol is an
extra Dhs100 each.
We love Bice Mare. We love a
good brunch. Expect this one
to become an essential dining
experience.
Souk Al Bahar, Old Town,
Dubai
noon to 4pm
Tel: (04) 4230982
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 107
 THE HOT LIST BARS
The finest for beverages and bites
1 Belgian Beer
Cafe –
Atmosphere
BBC remains our number one
this months, thanks to the busy
bar, chilled terrace and huge
drinks list. Those waffles don’t
hurt either.
There’s valet parking and a
Location
cracking view of the skyline.
Add an icy brewski and we don’t
think you need anything else on
a balmy Dubai night.
European-style early evening
BEST FOR
drinks that turn into dinner and
exploring the world of Belgian
beers. And those frites.
Some of the beers will set you
Price
back over Dhs50 each, but there
are bargains to be had and the
food is reasonable.
Who doesn’t love great food,
cold drinks and good chat at a
WHAT’S ON
decent price?
SAYS...
Crowne Plaza, DFC, Dubai
Sun to Mon, 6pm to 2am,
Tue to Wed, noon to 2am,
Thurs to Fri, noon to 3am
Tel: (04) 7012222
www.ichotelsgroup.com
WHAT’SON
108 WHAT’S ON MAY
MAY2010
2010
2 Caramel
* 3 The Terrace –
It may be from Vegas, but you’ll
be transported to London or
NYC at this slick city-style bar.
A top choice for after-work
chat, dinner or late drinks.
At the centre of the DIFC action,
so those banker boys and lawyer
lasses are loving the alresco
patio while the weather allows.
People-watching paradise.
We went for steak but it
turned into a very late night.
Trust us, Caramel is ideal for
mid-week mischief.
Given the neighbourhood it’s
far from cheap, but ladies get
half price Cosmos on Tuesdays
from 6pm to 9pm.
We’re a tough crowd to please,
but have been three times in two
weeks. Definitely worth a visit
but remember that this is no
place for your board shorts or
sandy feet. Fix up and look sharp.
Building 3, DIFC, Dubai
Sun to Thurs, 11am to 2am,
Fri, 5pm to 2am, closed Sat
Tel: (04) 4256677
www.carameldubai.com
Caramel
Pretty chilled but DJ Sticky
Fingers spins Brazilian/Latin
on Wednesdays, acid jazz and
funk on Thursdays and chill out
on Fridays.
Take a seat outside and watch
the sun set over the boats sway-
ing in the Marina. Preferably
with a glass of bubbles.
The ideal spot for a terribly
sophisticated evening tipple.
Also lovely for when guests are
in town.
There are promotions galore
at The Terrace. Half price
drinks between 6pm and 9pm
Saturday, Monday Martinis for
Dhs35 and much more.
Make sure there’s room in your
stomach for the delights of the
Raw Bar’s seafood platter. It’s
some of the best ocean fodder
we’ve ever had.
Park Hyatt Dubai, Deira,
Dubai
noon to 2am
Tel: (04) 6021234
www.dubai.park.hyatt.com
4 Cabana –
Cabana is designed for
springtime in Dubai poolside,
with inventive drinks, a DJ and
staggering views of the world’s
tallest building.
Thanks to its downright amaz-
ing Downtown location, you
can go from Bloomingdale’s to
the bar in minutes.
Find us at Outback Fridays for
BBQ food, cocktails and pool
access. An essential weekend
activity as it hots up.
The rustic rectangular pizzas
are great value for sharing, but
drinks are on the pricey side.
Grab a private cabana and order
the jazz iced tea with cucumber
and raspberry jam. It’s a taste
sensation.
The Address Dubai Mall,
Dubai
9am to 2am
Tel: (04) 4388888
www.theaddress.com
360˚
5 Calabar 
It’s dropped a few places due to
sluggish service last weekend,
but we still love the beanbags
and cocktails.
Check out the Burj Khalifa
upclose, Calabar is at the heart
of Old Town.
Mingling, catching up over a
few drinks and kicking off a
quality night on the town.
Not the cheapest bar on the
block, but this isn’t the kind
of place to down your drinks
anyway.
On Wednesdays check out the
sushi buffet (Dhs210 with sake)
next door at Fazaris before
rounding off the evening at
Calabar. The weekend starts here.
The Address Downtown Burj
Dubai, Dubai
6.30pm to 2am
Tel: (04) 4368888
www.theaddress.com

6 Zuma
A long-time What’s On favourite
for dinner, Zuma is just as popular
for some upmarket mingling at the
bar. What recession?
We’re all about discovering DIFC
this month, which led us to revisit
Zuma for drinks. And it’s ace.
It’s all multi-levels, glass and
trendy folks, so head here if you
want to feel grown-up for a few
hours. Then ruin it with Sake.
A round can be a little eye-
watering. We’ve paid over Dhs90
for a glass of house white. Best to
stick to beers and cocktails.
Hot bar staff, a smart interna-
tional crowd and one of the slickest
brunches in town make Zuma a
welcome addition to the Hot List.
Be warned that they stop serving
alcohol at midnight now. Boo.
Building 6, DIFC, Dubai
Fri to Wed, 12pm to 2am, Thurs,
12pm to 3am
Tel: (04) 4255660
www.zumarestaurant.com
7 Barasti –
Enjoy Barasti before it gets so hot
you have to banish that grey T-shirt
to the back of the wardrobe for
a few months. It will be packed
throughout May.
Live music (let’s overlook Vanilla
Ice...), split-level and right on the
beach, this is place is bang on
brand.
Like frozen drinks and sand
between your toes? This is the place
for you.
It’s not the cheapest (and those little
plastic cups make us feel like tod-
dlers) but it’s fine for the weekend.
The poolside brunch (Dhs295)
makes Barasti a top daytime spot
with barbecue bites, mini pizzas, ice
cream and unlimited drinks in the
sun from 11.30am to 3pm.
Le Méridien Mina Seyahi Beach
Resort and Marina, Dubai
11am to 2am
Tel: (04) 3993333
www.lemeridien-minaseyahi.com
THE HOT LIST BARS
HOT ON
THE H EELSs Warehouse
, The Addres
11 Shades a
Dubai Marin owntown
Neo s, The Address D
12
Burj Dubai
ssi Grill, Al
13 Nezesau el
Manzil Hot
ge, Garhoud
14 Irish Villa , Madinat
15 Left Bank h
Jumeira
Cabana
8 Amatista  9 Warehouse – 10 360˚ 
High ceilings, illuminated tables, a This super-sized space has a beer The night kicks off with chill out
huge bar and lots of velvet. This is bar downstairs and a Japanese tunes and shisha smoking, then
one high class cigar lounge. restaurant, bar, VIP rooms and club turns into an off-shore dance
space upstairs. party. Be warned: the bar queues
are killer and rage is rife.
Despite being part of The Address Slap bang in the middle of Le Slap-bang in the crystal waters of
Dubai Mall, Amatista has its own Méridien Village so ideal for a post- the Arabian Gulf. You can even
entrance so doesn’t feel too much brunch drink or taking things up a take a golf cart there – What’s
like a hotel bar. Well played. level after drinks at the Irish Village. On’s favourite form of transport.
Gossiping with the girls at the bar This people pleaser has everything A bit of a pose on Fridays or
or smoking cigars with the boys from quiet drinks to jazz nights on having a lounge and a laugh on
upstairs. Don’t miss the signature the menu. Saturdays.
drink with tobacco smoke.
The cocktails aren’t cheap but this is We love the Dhs99 deal that includes Best to save this one for payday.
a sophisticated spot so you’ll prob- mussels and three draught drinks It’s not cheap.
ably only have one or two drinks on Monday nights and Friday
anyway. afternoons.
Grab a few friends, order some If you want it, Warehouse has it, It’s getting a little sweaty to enjoy
mandarin mojitos, share the baked from great food to an even better these afternoon parties, so head
goat’s cheese and tomato dip, settle stocked bar. A multi-tasker’s para- along after sunset. Top tip: it’s less
back and enjoy. dise. Bring back the movie nights! packed on a Saturday when the
tunes alone warrant a trip.
The Address Dubai Mall, Old Le Méridien Dubai, Garhoud, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai
Town, Dubai Dubai Sun to Thurs, 5pm to late, Fri
6pm to 2am noon to midnight and Sat, 4pm to 2am
Tel: (04) 4388888 Tel: (04) 7022500 Tel: (04) 4068769
www.theaddress.com www.lemeridien-dubai.com www.jumeirah.com
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 109
 THE HOT LIST RESTAURANTS
The elite of the eating out scene
Traiteur
1 Rivington
Grill –
Rivington Grill, or The Riv as
we have come to know it, has
ATMOSPHERE
achieved something special,
managing to remain an ‘it’
restaurant for more than a year
in one of the most fickle cities
on the planet.
Still fresh, simple and stylish,
INTERIOR
just like the food. White walls
and linen, dark wood floors
and furniture, and chalkboards
carrying the day’s specials.
The menu is uncluttered, with
every dish screaming, “Eat me!
Eat me, now!” We challenge
FOOD
you to visit without trying a
dessert. It can’t be done.
LOCATION
Souk Al Bahar is Dubai’s culi-
nary epicentre, boasting a glut
of popular restaurants.
Around Dhs400 buys two hun-
PRICE
gry people a three-course meal,
while it’s a piffling Dhs100 for
the lunch menu. Bargain.
We love The Riv. And it’s going
WHAT’S ON
to take something extremely
special to knock it off the top
spot.
SAYS...
Souk Al Bahar, Level 3, Old
Town, Dubai
noon to 11pm
Tel: (04) 4230903
www.rivingtongrill.ae
WHAT’SON
110 WHAT’S ON MAY
MAY2010
2010
2 Traiteur –
The open kitchen brings the
restaurant to life, and with its
St Germain-infused playlist,
Traiteur is always cool, calm
and romantic.
One of the grandest, most awe
inspiring interiors in the city, its
unique, contemporary design is
more than a little impressive.
Chef Franck Detrait’s brasserie
menu is full of faultless French
classics. We’re particularly
partial to the classic onion soup
and the lemon tarte.
Park Hyatt is one of Dubai’s
classiest hotels, and Traiteur’s
creekside location is prime for
alfresco dining.
We ordered three courses for
two for Dhs615 on our last visit,
but it’s Dhs280 per person for
the three-course set menu.
If you want to eat at the best
French brasserie in town, look
no further.
Park Hyatt Dubai, Deira,
Dubai
Sun to Fri, 7pm to midnight
Tel: (04) 3172222
www.dubai.park.hyatt.com
3 RefletsPar 4 Zuma –
PierreGagnaire–
It’s a temple of high gastronomy,
with every diner – and there are
many – glad to be there.
Think Paris, think glamour,
think ever so slightly camp.
Ostentatious, extraordinary and
seemingly endless. It’s not just
dinner – it’s a culinary holiday.
The InterCon at DFC – does
everything right as far as we’re
concerned.
Dinner at Reflets is a rare and
expensive treat, but the Dhs230
lunch allows everyone a taste of
culinary heaven.
The best fine dining restaurant
in town. Need we say more?
InterContinental Dubai
Festival City, Dubai
7pm to 1am
Tel: (04) 7011128
www.ichotelsgroup.com
Still our favourite Japanese
restaurant. Still always busy and
buzzing.
Sleek and trendy with sexy low
lighting.
The kitchen knows exactly what
it’s doing and is one of the most
consistent and inventive in the
UAE, never failing to impress.
With a spattering of designer
stores, DIFC is the ideal locaton
for one of the city’s hippest
restaurants.
Worth every dirham of the
Dhs1,000 you’ll pay for two.
An international chain, Zuma
is a celebrity of the catering
world. The words “I went to
Zuma last night” are sure to
have your pals turn wasabi
green with envy.
Building 6, Gate Village, DIFC
noon to 3pm and 7pm to
midnight
Tel: (04) 4255660
www.zumarestaurant.com
HOT ON
THE H EELSa
rma, Al Badi
11 Terra Fi
Golf Club
Grill,
12 Exchange t
The Fairmon ce
e Pala
13 Asado, Th Al Bahar
, Souk
14 Margaux hen,
15 Thai Kitc ai
Dub
Park Hyatt
Okku
5Verre –
The all new Verre is alive like
no other restaurant in the city,
thanks to one man. Head som-
melier and restaurant manager
Luca Gagliardi hops from table
to table, chatting to guests
and ensuring a truly unique
experience.
The updated design is slick,
modern and monotone, with
a new chef’s table and private
dining room.
New chef Scott Price, fresh from
working with Gordon Ramsay
in London, knows exactly what
he’s doing. Try the daily special
of beef Wellington.
Deira is not the most desirable
location, but Hilton Dubai
Creek is the ideal home for
Ramsay’s Dubai outpost.
Dhs925 for two, but that’s why
they call it fine dining, isn’t it?
Gagliardi’s polite chat and
superb wine pairings, Price’s
improved menu and Ramsay’s
style are a winning formula.
Welcome back, Verre.
Hilton Dubai Creek
7pm to 11.30pm (closed
Saturdays)
Tel: (04) 2277550
www.gordonramsay.com

Ember
6 Rare –
Busy, but not too busy. Relaxed,
but alive with loyal patrons. Take
a table on the terrace, order up a
bottle of something pleasant and
kick back with views of the Dubai
skyline over the lush polo fields.
There’s a pretty nifty guitarist on
Thursday nights, too.
The interior is chic, but it’s the
terrace that will really blow your
socks off.
Just the kind of food we like –
unique and meaty. Elk, anyone? Or
maybe a slither of bison carpaccio?
A little out of the way, but that’s
Rare’s charm.
Approaching the Dhs800 mark for
two, so far from cheap, but money
well spent in our book.
Where in the UAE serves meat as
unique as this? Nowhere, but Rare,
that’s where.
Desert Palm, Al Awir Road,
after International City, Dubai
Mon to Sat 7pm to 10.30pm
Tel: (04) 3238888.
www.desertpalm.peraquum.com
7 Indego –
Vineet Bhatia’s Dubai outpost is
always popular, with friendly staff
and a cosy environment in which
to savour the fine food on offer.
Warm lighting, modern design and
comfortable furniture. A fine mix
of Michelin and Mumbai.
The words delicate and refined
are seldom used to describe
Indian food, but Indego’s plates are
decorated with the most innovative
in the UAE.
Grosvenor House likes its celeb
chefs and its Marina location is a
winner.
The price reflects the standard of
the food, but a visit won’t break the
bank. Dhs800 for two.
Indego. The best Indian food in the
UAE. Nowhere else comes close.
Grosvenor House, Dubai
Marina, Dubai
Sun to Thurs, 7pm to 11pm
Tel: (04) 3176000
www.grosvenorhouse-dubai.com
8 Okku 
Make sure you book ahead,
because Okku is as popular as a
Tokyo fish market (well, almost)
and just as busy.
It’s quite a small place with dark
decor and dim yellow lighting. It’s
cool and a tad sexy.
Try the spicy tuna and crispy rice,
the mango lobster ceviche and, of
course, the citrus miso black cod.
Number One Sheikh Zayed Road.
You can’t ask for a better location
than that.
Three courses, sushi and sashimi
is Dhs680 for two. Not at all bad,
and you could do it for less.
Dubai boasts many Japanese
restaurants, but Okku is second
only to the mighty Zuma. It’s also
considerably kinder to the wallet.
The Monarch Dubai, SZR
7pm to midnight, Sun to Thurs,
noon to 3pm and 7pm to midnight
Tel: (04) 5018777
www.okkudubai.com
THE HOT LIST RESTAURANTS
9 Rhodes
Mezzanine –
Still welcoming devoted Rhodes
acolytes in their droves, it’s always a
busy and happy place.
White with the odd touch of neon
and a tiny, tantalising glimpse of the
busy kitchen.
Faultless. The white tomato soup
will treat your tongue to the time
of its life and Gary is sure to have
tinkered with the menu during his
recent visit.
You can’t go wrong with Dubai
Marina.
One of the cheaper fine dining
restaurants, but still a fair whack at
around Dhs760 for two.
Gary Rhodes’ place is still one of
the best fine dining restaurants in
the city.
Grosvenor House Hotel, Dubai
Marina, Dubai
Mon to Sat, 7pm to midnight
Tel: (04) 3998888
www.grosvenorhouse-dubai.com
Indego
10 Ember
*
Lovers of fine food and wine can
take refuge from Dubai Mall in
Ember, where there’s a low, gentle
buzz. Rather than screaming
chaos in the food court.
High ceilings, a discreet bar and
cosy banquettes conspire to create
a chic space.
An intriguing mix of Japanese
robata and prime cuts. Whatever
you go for, the black truffle risotto
side dish is a must. We could
eat a vat.
Literally attached to
Bloomingdale’s. Winner.
Around Dhs700 for two includ-
ing a lovely bottle of red.
Knowledgeble staff, lashings of
vino and a donut dessert? We’ll
be back.
The Address Dubai Mall,
Dubai
6.30pm to 11.30pm
Tel: (04) 4238888
www.theaddress.com
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 111
 THE HOT LIST SPAS
The daddies of the health and leisure scene
The Spa
1 Amara –
Amara have some of the best
Therapists
therapists in town. No doubt.
If you have knots the size of
pineapples then book a mas-
sage with Sue.
Gigantic. Treatments are
Menu
grouped by theme and there’s
an emphasis on pampering
packages for all-day deca-
dence. The food menu is great,
too. Try the barbecue chicken.
Seriously stunning. The private
The Spa
treatment rooms have their own
garden with outdoor shower.
They even have a music menu.
Not cheap, but there are
Price
monthly deals, and this is a re-
treat worth every fil, especially
when you use the pool.
Book a treatment costing more
WHAT’S ON
than Dhs460 at the weekends
(or longer than an hour during
SAYS...
the week) and you can use the
pool, steam room and gym
all day.
Park Hyatt Dubai, Deira,
Dubai
9am to 10pm
Tel: (04) 6021234
www. dubai.park.hyatt.com
WHAT’SON
112 WHAT’S ON MAY
MAY2010
2010
SensAsia Urban Spa
2 SensAsia
Urban Spa –
Quiet and charming, they get
the job done without causing
a fuss.
Loads of choices for men and
women and the innovative team
behind the brand are always
coming up with new treat-
ments. Thumbs up.
Small and intimate, it’s the ideal
place for a cheeky Thursday
afternoon rubdown. And the
dressing gowns are amazing.
Treatments are reasonably
priced with an hour-long
Balinese massage for Dhs310.
Allow some time afterwards to
enjoy the amazing ginger tea
and vegetable crudités in the
turquoise relaxation room.
Seriously, that ginger tea is
like nectar.
The Palm Jumeirah Beach
Club, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Dubai
10am to 10pm
Tel: (04) 4227115
www.sensasiaspas.com
3 The Spa
* 4 The Spa 
Modern zen awaits you at this
vast spa, with experienced
therapists on hand to guide you
from reception to relaxation. into a cocoon of comfort.
With separate menus for ladies
and gents you’ll be spoilt for
choice. The Aromatherapy Asso-
ciates treatments are particularly
recommended.
You’d never expect this shrine
to relaxation to be within five
minutes of the manic Dubai
Mall. A welcome surprise.
It’s far from cheap, but the
quality of treatments, therapists
and post-massage snooze justify
the bill.
Make time to nibble on the
juicy dates and sip tea in the
relaxation room. They nearly
had to ask us to leave...
The Address Dubai Mall,
9am to 9pm
Tel: (04) 4388888
www.theaddress.com
THE HEOldEToLwSn
11 Lilypond s Spa,
Well-trained and elegant, the
therapists will whisk you away
from your daily life and strife
There isn’t a huge choice, but
the well-chosen selection of
indulgent treatments and rituals
are all you need
The chill-out room looks over
the lakes surrounding the Burj
Khalifa. This is prime pamper-
ing property.
Average for a five-star spa, but
they have offers like the Aro-
Massage with Clay Mask and
pool access for Dhs675.
We adore the palm-lined pool
and tiled spa areas. Just be sure
to leave enough time to enjoy
the facilities.
The Palace, Old Town, Dubai
9am to 8pm
Tel: (04) 4287888
www.theaddress.com
HOT ON
,
12 Timeles
Al Maha
a, Al Qasr
13Talise Sp , JBR
14 Man/Age ,
15 Assawan
Burj Al Arab
5 Thai Privilege
Spa 
The female therapists at this
ladies-only spa undergo two
years of training and the results
are impressive.
Extensive with everything
from waxing and blow-dries
to luxurious packages. They
are pretty hot on discounts so
give them a call to see what the
monthly deal is.
In a villa on Al Wasl Road, it’s
a decadent escape with a lovely
garden for yoga.
Surprisingly reasonable at
around Dhs350 for an hour-long
massage.
The pick-up service (in a
Porsche Cayenne or Mercedes
no less) and knowledgeable staff
make for a truly relaxing spa.
1047 Uttamah Villas, Al Wasl
Road, Jumeira Dubai
10am to 10pm
Tel: (04) 3489679
www.thaiprivilegespadubai.
com

Willow Stream Spa
6 Willow Stream
Spa 
You’re in safe hands with the ladies
of Willow Stream.
Packed with rituals, experiences
and packages, the menu will spoil
you for choice. And men are looked
after, too.
Hide away from the bustle of SZR
at this huge Romanesque spa,
complete with pool, steam rooms
and relaxation areas.
They pack a lot into a couple of
hours so a two-hour spa package
for Dhs720 is good value.
We’ve spent many a gossipy
afternoon on the outdoor terrace,
post-massage. It’s ideal for girly
groups, just book ahead.
The Fairmont, Sheikh Zayed
Road, Dubai
9am to 9pm
Tel: (04) 3118800
www.fairmont.com
7 Mandara Spa – 8 The Spa –
Super friendly and guaranteed to
make your spa experience as enjoy-
able as possible.
Try the four-handed Mandara
Massage. You’ll be pushed, pulled
and pulverised into a state of som-
nolence by two therapists.
The softest dressing gowns in town,
Elemis facials and a beautiful steam
room are our highlights.
We’d say it was mid-range. The
excellent Muscle Ease is Dhs470 for
65 minutes.
Mandara has hooked up with
neighour Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
to offer a 95-minute Balinese Mas-
sage, followed by lunch for Dhs299.
Loving their work.
The Monarch Dubai, Sheikh
Zayed Road, Dubai
9am to 10pm
Tel: (04) 5018888
www.themonarchdubai.com
The staff are among the best in Du-
bai, happy to explain what they’re
doing and what it does.
From deep tissue to aromatherapy,
it’s the perfect mix of the medical
and the spiritual.
Contemporary and located in one
of the best neighbourhoods.
Reasonable, plus there always
seems to be a special offer on the
go. Who doesn’t like a special
offer?
You’ll love the attitude of the staff
who will not just prod you, but tell
you why.
The Address, Downtown Burj
Dubai, Dubai
9am to 9pm
Tel: (04) 4368888
www.theaddress.com
THE HOT LIST SPAS
9 One&Only
Spa –
Knowledgeable but unobtrusive,
they are consummate pros with a
genuine desire to provide you with
the service you desire.
With spa, hammam, fitness centre
and hair salon it is extensive, to say
the least.
Silent but for the sound of your slip-
pered feet, with cosy treatment rooms
and a truly tranquil relaxation room,
whilst the hammam offers a unique
Arabian experience.
Various, but the royal hammam
treatment is a fair Dhs450 for 80
minutes.
A ladies-only spa that’s great a girls’
day out. The hammam is an essen-
tial Arabian experience that will get
your skin ready for the sun.
One&Only Royal Mirage, Dubai
Marina, Dubai
9am to 9pm
Tel: (04) 3999999
www.oneandonlyresorts.com
10 Lime Spa 
The all-female staff will talk you
through your treatment or leave
you to snooze, depending on
your preference.
Lime Spa has clearly done its
research. From massage and
body polish to reflexology and
ear candling, plus manis, pedis
and haircuts, it’s all here.
Clever one-way windows in the
treatment rooms allow you to
gaze onto lush green polo fields
as you are indulged.
Sixty minutes of reflexology is a
quite reasonable Dhs400.
Enjoy a sauna, steam room,
Jacuzzi and heated recliners
before and after your treat-
ment. Then head to Epicure or
Rare for a top feed.
Desert Palm, Al Awir Road,
Dubai
9am to 9pm
Tel: (04) 3238888
www.desertpalm.ae
MAY 2010 WHAT’S ON 113
 Back chat
I have been looking forward to writing this
column. I’ve been given carte blanche to wax
lyrical about any old twaddle I like, as long as
it fits roughly within the parameters of what
is being covered this month in What’s On. My
mind raced... Will I be backstage with ageing
rockers? Will I be indoor-skydiving at Dubai’s
newest mall? Maybe even reporting from
overseas about South Africa’s preparation for
the up-and-coming World Cup.
No such luck. They have me in for the
health issue.
I was 76kg when I arrived in Dubai back in
August 2005. I was barely excess baggage.
Leathery-faced, bleary-eyed, balding men
in combat shorts, propping up some bar in
Bur Dubai would corral me and warn me of
the ‘Dubai Stone’ – a mythical unit of weight
that every expat mysteriously adds within
their first year in the Emirates.
I laughed it off. I was athletic, I was
motivated and I was excited to be in a place
with so many possibilities... Beaches where
I could jog barefoot without fear of getting
spiked by a rogue syringe, seas that I could
In next month’s What’s On: Your guide to the
seven emirates, plus a World Cup special
114 WHAT’S ON MAY 2010
with Catboy
I’ve even tried more extreme methods of
shape-shifting, such as Laser Lipo, where
I was made to undress down to my Calvin
Kleins every couple of days whilst two
ladies covered me in jelly, placed red-hot,
metal plates on me and fired what felt like
thousands of electric shocks right into
my wobbling gut and lovehandles for the
best part of 90 minutes. I’d then have to
be photographed from all angles to see
swim in without developing hypothermia if there was any change. Uncomfortable
or botulism, sports clubs full of young, doesn’t even begin to describe it.
vibrant, beautiful people all wanting to play And here’s the kicker. After months
Ultimate Frisbee and hang out for smoothies of dieting and running and laxatives
afterwards. This was my kind of town. I was and electrocution, I asked to see the
going to thrive here. I was going to hit my before-and-after photos. The two jelly-
mid-30s looking like Michelangelo’s David ladies exchanged a guilty glance before
and feeling like legendary UK sportsman explaining to me that due to a problem
Daley Thompson without the ‘tache. with their computer, the photos had been
Fast-forward four and a half years and lost and were, sadly, irretrievable.
I’m tipping the scales at 99.9kg. I know that Now, I can imagine your disappointment
because every time I hit triple figures the that one of these photos is not
depression kicks in and I crash-diet. I’ve accompanying this column, so let me
tried them all. Atkins (my brain can’t accept paint a picture for you. Think heavily
that amount of fry-ups isn’t doing me any pregnant Demi Moore’s Vanity Fair
harm – FAIL), soup and laxatives (I can covershot, circa 1991, with the face of
never be more than 30 seconds from the Gerard Depardieu and the body hair of
smallest room in the house – FAIL), Body a newborn chimpanzee.
For Life (bored for life, more like – FAIL). And on that note, I’m off to stare through
I’ve deleted takeaway numbers from my the window of Fitness First while eating a
iPhone, only to have my favourite Indian sausage and egg McMuffin meal.
delivery service in Mirdif (Open House – try
the Banjara Kebab – it’s to die for) call me Catboy presents The Catboy & Geordiebird
to see if I was OK, which was very touching, Breakfast Show, weekdays on Dubai 92.
but also extremely disturbing. www.dubai92.com
s
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