Italian soul food at the mall
PI.DUBAI has opened this week on the lower ground floor of Dubai Mall. From the founders of the Pizza Guys, Amber Haque and Rami Badawi, the restaurant describes itself as a contemporary Italian gourmet eatery, serving Neapolitan pizzas and other dishes, created using artisanal methods. In the kitchen is chef Joseph Truex, knocking out the likes of peekytoe crab and wild shrimp; pizza dough gnocchi; tagliatelle mac and cheese and hot caramel cake with mint and flaky sea salt for dessert. Pizzas include the Merguez PI (house-made merguez sausage, pickled peppers, cracked Palestinian olives, fior di latte and goat cheese and mint. There are 3,000 sq ft of indoor space as well as a terrace. It’s open 10am-1am.
Fume is opening in Downtown
The Al Manzil Hotel revamp continues with the imminent opening of Fume, the second outpost of the globally inspired restaurant (the first is at Pier 7 in Dubai Marina). We hear it’s opening its doors in mid-August seating 200 diners over two floors with views over Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Boulevard (there’s also an outdoor seating area). There will be new menu items in addition to Pier 7 favourites such as hot smoked salmon with teriyaki sauce and pickled cucumber; slow-cooked chuck ribs; pulled beef brisket bun with vinegar slaw; and mac and cheese. It’s also open for breakfast daily (hours are 7am-2am). Stay tuned for an opening date.
Darren Velvick is on the move
The chef, formerly of Table 9 at the Hilton Dubai Creek, is opening up The Croft, at the Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel & Suites. He’s the second recipient of Marriott’s Project Canvas initiative, which gives $50,000 to two entrepreneurs to open F&B concepts in their hotels. (The first was Tomas Vindasius, who opened Square at the JW Marriott Marquis.) The Croft will serve casual, modern British dishes, inspired by Velvick’s “childhood upbringing in a rural country English village”, Hampstead Norreys. The formal launch will be next month.
Novikov Restaurant & Bar opens today
Want to try a Mayfair-based, Russian-created, celebrity-loved Asian restaurant? Today is your lucky day: Novikov is opening at the Sheraton Grand hotel on Shaikh Zayed Road. The restaurant, a London favourite founded by Arkadiy Novikov, is brought to the UAE with Bulldozer Group — the folks behind Sass Cafe, Toko, Movida and VIP Room. Executive chef Shane Macneill serves up dishes from Japan, China and South-East Asia. A highlight to look out for is the Seafood Market, a create-your-own meal with whole fish flown in every second day from Portugal. We expect the 280-seat venue to book up fast; call 04-38888744. It’s open daily for dinner, 6-11.30pm, with a bar menu until midnight.
