NEWS NIBBLES

What’s hot and happening in the culinary world, in the UAE and across the Middle East

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

The inaugural Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants, to be hosted in Abu Dhabi in February, will showcase an exciting line-up of consumerfocused events that will bring some of the most celebrated chefs from around the world to the Middle East. Expect a unique dining experience on a private island located in Abu Dhabi (February 9), by Pia León of Central and Kjolle in Lima, Peru, currently The World’s Best Female Chef. A series of ‘50 Best Chef Masterclasses’ is set to take place on February 4, with acclaimed chefs such as Tim Raue of Restaurant Tim Raue in Berlin, Germany; Will Goldfarb of Room4Dessert in Bali, Indonesia; and Peru’s Pia León, all showcasing their skills in front of a live audience. In addition to this, guests can expect a collaborative dining experience from February 4-8, with four-hand lunches and dinners, where Barbecue master Dave Pynt of Singapore’s Burnt Ends and super-innovative pastry chef Will Goldfarb will create a truly memorable menu. The #50BestTalks, open to all food enthusiasts in the region, will see leading chefs, restauranteurs and culinary thinkers present, discuss and debate trends and food topics on February 5. Visit theworlds50best.com for more information.

Look no further than Here-O, an online sourdough donut delivery concept, created with local and international ingredients. With fruit from Al Awir, chai from Jumeirah, Tongan vanilla and matcha from Japan, Here-O offers a Vegan variation made with plant-based ingredients, using homemade oat milk. Each donut is made fresh, from scratch, daily.

hereodonuts.com.

SWEET SURPRISE

The perfect holiday gift for those celebrating Orthodox Christmas, Forrey & Galland’s gorgeous gift boxes and hampers offer a decadent variety of handmade chocolates, cookies, cakes and more. The limited-edition festive collection features delicate blue, white and silver colours, in keeping with winter colours to suit the season. Take your pick from festive iced cookies, chocolate ginger sticks, snowflake cookies, festive chocolate boxes and the May box (seen here) containing 36 pieces of handmade chocolate.

AED400 for the May box at Forrey & Galland.

A SECOND CHANCE

Founded solely to rescue groceries that are considered ‘ugly’, and to support farmers and wholesalers with the sale of such fruit and vegetables, EroeGo offers a quick, affordable and easy way to get fresh produce to your doorstep. Funnyshaped produce, discoloured items, and ingredients close to the sell-by date are often overlooked - this causes food wastage. If you’re aiming to be ecoconscious in 2022, get a fruit and/or veg box to suit your needs and shop sustainably. All produce is delivered weekly with minimal or no emissions where possible. In addition to this, you will also help reduce water waste and cut down CO2 emissions, making the world cleaner and more sustainable. And, for every box delivered, EroeGo provides meals for two people facing hunger to help fight inequality. Order your commitmentfree box of up to ten types of vegetables and five types of fruit.

Free delivery. Visit eroego.com.

NEW DINING EXPERIENCE

Social Distrikt – powered exclusively by cloud kitchen platform, Kitopi – is set to become the trending F&B concept at The Pointe, bringing together local favourites and globally established brands including Couqley, Japang, Pinsanity, Ichiban Sushi, Zaroob, Circle Café and Rock House Sliders, to name a few. Limestone Lab, an experience-driven hospitality group, has launched this urban food and bar hall to create multi-sensory offerings with views of The Palm Fountain, offering the best of grape gardens, gastro bars, dining lounges, social spaces, entertainment corners and culinary workshops under one roof.

SUSTAINABLE MOVE

FrieslandCampina, one of the largest dairy cooperatives globally, is the first of its kind to launch the Rainbow PET (polyethylene terephthalate) packaging within the Middle East. The new re-closable feature for the Rainbow evaporated milk packaging range offers great value, decreased wastage and higher storage convenience. FrieslandCampina is officially the first company in the dairy sector to produce sustainable bottles regionwide. Currently, the re-closable PET pack is available at stores across the KSA.