FOOD FOR THOUGHT

FOOD FOR THOUGHTWhether you’re brainstorming with colleagues or sealing a deal with a client, one of these Dubai business lunches could provide the occasion to do it

Rumba Cuban Bar & Kitchen

Palm Jumeirah For an authentic Cuban vibe, the Havana-inspired restaurant and bar at Club Vista Mare on The Palm Jumeirah has launched Lunch A la Cubana (Cuban Lunch). Tuck into South American and Caribbean fusion dishes that are traditionally served in Cuban homes for lunch. Indulge in a delicately curated set menu, which includes appetisers, mains, and a beverage and admire the intricate and ornate interiors. Lunch Al la Cubana is available from 12pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday, priced AED 110 per person. Call +971 4 570 8111 or visit rumba.ae

Chival

La Ville Hotel & Suites, City Walk, Dubai Take a break at this social hub in City Walk where the new two-course business lunch, priced AED 75 per person, offers the choice of one starter and one main dish, or one main dish and one dessert. Options include a Middle Eastern falafel salad, a healthy chicken and coconut soup, an inventive Beyond Meat Burger, grilled miso-honey baby chicken, and seared salmon. You can end on a fruity note with the chef’s signature passionfruit tart or poached pear. Indoor and outdoor terrace seating options are available. The business lunch is available daily from Monday to Friday. Call +971 (0)4 403 3111.

Katsuya

Hyde Hotel Dubai, Business Bay Acclaimed Japanese restaurant Katsuya, located at the recently opened Hyde Hotel Dubai in Business Bay, is offering two business lunch options incorporating guest favourites every weekday from 12pm to 3pm. For either AED 115 per person or AED 175 per person, diners can enjoy a choice of a starter and main course. The extensive range of starters offered include sliced seared salmon sashimi with jalapeño, served with onion and ponzu, or for the premium package, Wagyu gyoza with pickled cabbage or the sashimi selection, which includes fresh tuna, salmon and shrimp. For mains, Jidori chicken breast, Yuzu miso-glazed lamb chops and robata salmon cedar, are all served with fluffy steamed rice. Vegetarian and meat-free options include the classic Mushroom Bop and Yakisoba noodles. Those with a sweet tooth can add a dessert from the a la carte menu for just AED 29 extra per person. Call +971 487 1111, emailreservations@ hydedubai.com or visit sbe.com/restaurants/

katsuya/dubai

Bussola

The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina Popular Italian eatery Bussola is o ering a two-course business lunch for AED 140 per person. e menu includes a diverse mix of traditional Italian dishes with modern air, catering to vegetarians, pescatarians, and meat lovers alike. Options range from g and tomato focaccia and tuna tartare to seafood tagliolini and vitello tonnato (veal). While the weather is still cool, the outdoor terrace beckons. e o er is available from 12pm to 2.45pm, Monday to Friday. WhatsApp +971 (0)56501 0509 or visit 3034.bussola@westin.com

Fi’lia

SLS Dubai Hotel & Residences Dubai When in Business Bay, try dishes done the Italian-Mediterranean way. We’re talking fresh starters including the salad di indiva, the arugula salad or the baked feta al forno and for mains, Italian classics such as margherita pizza or the Due Cacio e Pepe pasta. For seafood lovers, the feta seabass is highly recommended, served on a bed of warm couscous salad, with grilled asparagus and lemon sauce. Un Quatro Di Pollo (quarter chicken) is accompanied by roasted potatoes and rocket salad and for vegetarians, there’s sedano rapa – salt-crusted celeriac with cauli ower-fennel puree in rosemary oil and artichoke chips. If you have room, end with Fi’liamisu (the signature, creamy tiramisu) or the gelati, served with almond and hazelnut crumble, as well as berries. e Fi’lia business lunch is available from 12pm to 3pm, Monday to Friday, and priced AED 99 for three courses. Located on the 70th oor of SLS, the Burj Khalifa views are spectacular. Call +97146070737

Urla

Address Downtown Dubai is new Aegeaninspired restaurant, named a er the town of Urla on the western coast of Turkey, has introduced a new lunch menu, available daily from midday until 4pm, and featuring dishes exclusive to the coasts of Spain, Greece and Turkey, all made from fresh produce from the land and the sea. It’s located on the Fountain Level, designed around the concept of a coastline, and o ers terrace seating with Burj Khalifa views. Menu highlights include seabass ceviche, lobster con t, monk sh skewer, braised beef rib, beef carpaccio, Turkish pasta and more, or you can opt for one of Urla’s signature meze plates. ere is no set menu price . Call +971 52 554 5997 or email reservations@urlarestaurant.com

Mamafri

DIFC Southeast Asian restaurant Mamafri in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has launched a new a ordable weekday business lunch priced AED 99 per person, which includes one choice of salad, one choice of appetiser, one choice of main course and one choice of beverage. It’s available from 11am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. Call +971 (0)4 7700012 or +971 (0)563986723

Brasserie Boulud

Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk, Wafi Try a business lunch “the French way” at Brasserie Boulud, priced AED 125 per person for two courses (choice of appetiser or dessert with one main course, including tea, co ee and water) or AED 150 for three courses (choice of one appetiser, main course and dessert, including tea, co ee and water). Available from 12.30pm to 3pm, Monday to Friday, sample French contemporary cuisine designed by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud, with appetisers including Rillette de Canard (pulled duck leg con t) and on au Sesame (mosaic of tuna) and mains ranging from grilled black seabass and trout ballotine to a home-made beef burger and mushroom linguine. For an extra AED 40, the seven-hour slow-cooked leg of lamb is recommended if you’re a meat eater. Call +971 (0)4 281 4020 or visit

brasserieboulud.ae

Tandoor Tina

25hours Hotel Dubai One Central Try dishes with “a unique spin on Indian food, allowing British elements to take the lead”, at Tandoor Tina, which has launched Tina’s Express Lunch, available from 12pm to 3pm, Monday to Friday, from AED 85 per person. It’s a ‘thali’-style dining experience with the choice of one starter, one main, one side and one dessert, plus unlimited naan breads and water, making it great value for money and ultra-convenient if you’re based in or visiting Dubai One Central or Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). Call +971 (0) 4 210 2500 or visit tandoortina.com L’Apero Sofitel Dubai Downtown For a fusion of French and Mediterranean avours, try L’Apero, where a shawarma baguette, customisable sharing platters, tailormade sandwiches and inventive drinks are among the menu favourites. e venue’s business lunch, available weekdays, is priced just AED 69 per person and available from 12pm to 5pm, so perhaps a Friday is the best time to visit. Seating options include casual tables or informal lounge chairs so you can settle in for the long haul. Fresh bread and pastries are also available daily. Call +971 (0)4 503 6666 or email H7492@so tel.com

Caviar Kaspia

DIFC Take in Caviar Kaspia’s famed ambience while you sit down to a two- or three-course business lunch (AED 135 and AED 155) or the more decadent three-course Kaspia lunch (AED 375). Available Monday to Friday, from 12pm to 5pm, it’s ideal for a long lunch. Menu highlights include salmon carpaccio, tuna tartare and mushroom pelmeni to start; Norwegian smoked salmon with Kaspia blinis and Golubtsy (minced beef and rice stu ed cabbage with tomato sauce) for mains; and Medovik (honey cake) or Kaspia Baba (with Chantilly cream, berries and Kaspia vodka) to nish o . See p66 for our restaurant review. Call +971 (0)4 243 5633, WhatsApp +971 50 967 0605. Or visit

kaspiadubai.com

e Bento Boxes at e Restaurant

Address Beach Resort, Dubai For a quick lunch on the go, e Restaurant, the signature outlet at the new Address Beach Resort, presents a bento box dining concept. e made-to-order boxes are themed to your taste – Arabic (pictured), Russian, Asian, Continental and Vegan – each featuring four dishes including a starter, main, dessert and side. e Restaurant prioritises the use of organic, fresh and sustainable produce and a calorie total is provided for each box. We’ll give you a hint – the vegan option has the fewest calories. Priced AED 88 each, the bento boxes are available to order on week days from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Call +971 (0)4 879 8866 or email DineAtBeachResort@ addresshotels.com

PRATO

Trump International Golf Club, Dubai For an authentic taste of Italy, PRATO at Trump International Golf Club, located in DAMAC Hills, has launched Market Lunch, with dishes made from fresh, high-quality ingredients sourced from the local markets. Available from 12pm to 3pm, the three-course menu varies every month and, for just AED 125, o ers a selection of delicious starter plates, mains and tempting desserts. Dine inside and experience chic and lavish interiors or head to the outdoor seating area for views of golf course. Call +971 54 417 0399, email reservations@skelmorehospitalitypartners.com, or visit trumpgolfdubai.com

Indochine

DIFC Indochine, the rst and only international outpost of the legendary NYC restaurant, has enhanced its popular business lunch menu. Starting at AED 115 per person, diners can enjoy four or ve starters to share and their choice of main course throughout the week. Highlights of the revamped lunch menu include a selection of starters such as duck and banana blossom salad, Vietnamese ravioli, pomelo salad, and betel leaf beef, followed by Indochine favourites for mains, like shaking beef, typhoon shelter prawn, caramel black cod, and wok-tossed rice noodles. Check out the outdoor terrace featuring the restaurant’s trademark tropical décor complete with a leafy canopy. e lunch is available Monday to Friday, 12pm – 4pm, AED 115 inclusive of four sharing starters and one main per person and or AED 175 inclusive of ve sharing starters and one main per person.

Slice Restaurant

Grand Plaza Mövenpick Media City If you’re based in Dubai Media City, Slice Restaurant is o ering a pizza and salad for AED 75 per person; a main course and dessert for AED 85; or a three-course set menu (starter, main course and dessert) for AED 99, available from 12pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Grand Plaza Mövenpick Media City is located opposite the Innovation Hub on Sheikh Zayed Road. Call +971 (0)4 525 7650, email Hotel. grandplaza.slice@movenpick.com, visit

movenpick.com/grand-plaza

Pascal Tepper

Four Points by Sheraton, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai Fast and a ordable, the Express Lunch at authentic French Bakery, Pascal Tepper, is priced at just AED 49 per person, available Monday to Friday, 12.30pm to 3pm. Enjoy a baguette or sandwich, with choices ranging from beef steak to the traditional Croque Monsieur, with a crispy salad on the side and a water, with the option to add on tea, co ee of so drinks (AED 59 per person) or a glass of grape or a bottle of hops (AED 79). Savour the aroma of freshly baked bread at this dine-in bakery, named a er Master Baker and “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” Chef Pascal Tepper. Visit pascaltepperszr.com

Cordelia

St. Regis Dubai, The Palm e two-course lunch at seafood restaurant Cordelia, served from 12pm to 3pm on week days, includes one starter, one main and a hot beverage (tea or co ee) for AED 110 per person. From deep-fried baby squid with lime and mint aioli or pressed watermelon salad to start, to wood-roasted salmon, duck con t, sirloin steak or pasta for main, there are plenty of options from which to choose while you appreciate views of the Dubai skyline and the Arabian Gulf. Call +971 4 218 0125 or email sr.palm. res@stregis.com

Media One Hotel

Dubai Media City Catering to the hungry media moguls working in Dubai Media City, Media One Hotel o ers several business lunch options across multiple venues including a two-course meal and a cup of co ee/tea for AED 90, and just AED 10 extra for dessert, at Qwerty, available weekdays from 12pm to 3pm; e Garden Lunch at Garden on 8, with a burger and so drink priced AED 69 and with a beer, AED 89, available daily from 12pm to 5pm; and bento boxes (pictured) for AED 69 each at Coco Lounge, from 12pm to 3pm, Monday to Friday. Visit mediaonehotel.com

JONES THE GROCER OPENS IN DSO

Australian specialty gourmet food retailer and café, Jones the Grocer, will open at Radisson RED Hotel, Dubai Silicon Oasis this month (March), o ering another casual lunch option (and breakfast and dinner too, of course). It will feature an open kitchen, the option to dine indoors or on the outdoor landscaped terrace (seating up to 80), a signature Jones the Grocer cheese room, and a made-fromscratch bakery, patisserie and deli. It has also been granted a pork and alcohol licence and is the 24th Jones the Grocer outlet in the region.