Helene Darroze takes over At.mopshere
The French two-Michelin-starred chef will be cooking at the world’s highest restaurant from April 28-30, with executive chef, Jitin Joshi. Darroze — who has restaurants in Paris, London and Moscow — will cook degustation menus for lunch and dinner.
“For Dubai diners my emphasis will, as always, be on presenting exceptional quality ingredients with a native southwestern French influence. The region’s cuisine and geography are incredibly diverse, extending from Charentes to the Spanish Basque country, and I am looking forward to bringing a taste of my tradition to the Middle East, but delivered from a thoroughly modern perspective,” she said in a statement. Three-course lunch menu, from Dh500 per person; six-courses for dinner from Dh1,200 per person; call 04-8883828.
Markette Restaurant & Creperie now open
The people behind the reliable Social House at The Dubai Mall have opened a new spot opposite the mall’s aquarium, serving coffee and comfort food. Markette aims to recreate a cozy family kitchen for dining from brunch to dinner. On the menu: savoury buckwheat pancakes called galettes, crepes, and salads. They also do take away. Call 04-4533900.
Indego by Vineet’s new menu
Top modern Indian chef Vineet Bhatia has added some new flavours to his longstanding restaurant at Grosvenor House. Start with the likes of almond crusted green pea tikki with tamarind chutney sorbet and sev sprinkles; or banana-leaf-wrapped chilli paneer with malai broccoli and edamame idiyappam. Mains include oven baked seabass in Maharashtrian spices, with flaked rice-cashew nut pohe, spicy Kolhapuri sauce and sesame chutney; or rogan lamb shank with asparagus stir-fry. Our pick? The costal jhinga (chargrilled coconut-curry leaf jumbo prawns poached in Kaffir lime-coconut sauce) sounds like a winner. But don’t worry: The desserts that for years have been the talk of the city remain intact. Indego by Vineet is open for lunch Sunday-Thursday and for dinner daily; call 04-3176000.
Boston ice-cream parlour to open in Abu Dhabi
US ice-cream company Emack & Bolio, known for ice cream pizza, a 28-scoop sundae and handmade chocolates, is due to open in Dalma Mall in April. The 30-plus flavours available include the ‘Chuck o’ Funk’ (caramel ice-cream, Oreos and chocolate covered pretzels), Deep Purple Cow (black raspberry ice cream with white and dark chocolate chips).
Sharjah food festival time
Al Qasba Food Festival starts on March 27, running until April 12, with culinary competitions regional and international chefs presenting live cooking shows, junior cookery workshops and family cooking battles. There will also be sessions on the use of herbs mentioned in the Quran and on nutrition. Sanjeev Kapoor kicks off the first day, while Manal Al Alem, Tarek Ebrahim, Marta Yanci, Amro Fahed Al Yassin and Dermot O’Flynn are among the participating chefs. Call 06-5560777 for details on how to participate in the competitions and cookery workshops.
