Avec launches Friday brunch
Exhausted all the usual spots for brunch? Head to Media City on a Friday. Avec, in Al Thuraya Tower 2, (next to the Media One hotel) has launched its casual fusion take on the weekend meal. The selection is served buffet-style from eight stations and includes Avec’s five-metre salad bar. Items include bread and pastries, eggs any style, pancakes, crepes and “lazy quiche” and the ‘Big Mama’s Pot’ hot dishes. Dh95 per person; call 04-4303700.
Want a beach bbq? Head to Dubai Ladies Club
Who says barbecuing is about the men? Head to Dubai Ladies’ Club on Saturday evenings this winter for their weekly, women-only Barbeque Evenings, 5-9pm. Reserve one of five barbecue “circles”, (six or more ladies) and you’ll get a bonfire, grill and barbecue menu with beef and chicken, salads, corn on the cob, baked potatoes and roasted chestnuts. It’s Dh1,300 for six guests and Dh250 for every additional guest. The evening “offers ladies the ideal setting to bond with friends and sisters over a cosy beachside setting; thereby delivering on the Club’s vision and mission to be the first choice of women in the UAE for premium services, facilities and events — dedicated for ladies only in privacy and exclusivity,” says the clubs director Lamia Abdul Aziz Khan. Got the kids that night? There’s a children’s menu, face painting, crafts and group games with qualified supervisors; children pay Dh75. Call 04-3499922.
Preview chef Todd English’s Abu Dhabi restaurant
The top chef, who, despite his name, is American, will be cooking at The Forge at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal on February 16 as part of the capital’s new festival. He’ll be giving a sneak preview of his Olives restaurant, which will be opening at Venetian Village in the middle of the year serving house-made pastas, steaks, rotisserie dishes and brick oven pizzas (the original Olives, English’s first restaurant, opened in Massachusetts in 1989). English is also known for his TV series, Food Trip with Todd English, currently filming its third season. So what’s on the menu on the 16th? Two highlights are lobster and corn bisque with truffle foam; crab and citrus risotto with spinach and sage brown butter. “I have been eagerly looking forward to opening Olives at Venetian Village in Abu Dhabi, which is a burgeoning culinary destination, since we made the restaurant announcement last year. The hosted dinner... allows me to introduce our signature Mediterranean cuisine and interact with UAE diners before the restaurant even opens, which is something we do not have the opportunity to do very often.” Call 02-8188282 for reservations.
Unlimited chaat in the Mint Leaf lounge
The high-end Indian restaurant in DIFC has been inspired by the Chandini Chowk market in old Delhi for its unlimited chaat offering. The lounge is now serving unlimited chaat for Dh125, Saturday-Thursday 6-10pm (available for Dh150 with a beverage on Thursdays only); dishes on the chaat menu include sigri lahori murgh tikka (grilled chicken), grilled prawn skewers, aloo tikki (potato patties) or punjabi choley (chickpea stew with tomato flavoured roasted cumin and dry mango powder). Call 04-7060900.
Taste Emirati food at Abu Dhabi Food Festival
Running in locations across the emirate from February 5-21, a new addition to the festival is Emirati Kitchen. This weekend (4-10pm Thursday-Saturday) it’s at East Plaza, Abu Dhabi Corniche, with local chefs demonstrating how to make traditional Emirati dishes; there are also workshops for those who want to get hands-on. The nation’s most famous chef, Khulood Atiq, will be there throughout. “Join me in one of my master classes where we will be blending traditional and modern recipes which I’m sure will be a welcome addition to the menus of people long into the future,” she said. Emirati TV chef Ali Salem Al Badwawi (Mezlai restaurant at Emirates Palace Hotel) will also be cooking. There’s also a souq selling local food, ingredients and utensils. Dh10 for adults and free to children 12 and under (accompanied by an adult).