Hello July.
New openings. Restaurant adventures. A promo code for Le Clos' first domestic Dubai boutique at Emirates Hills.
This newsletter is free-to-read for all. In a few days, Michelin will reveal this year’s Dubai entries. On the 4th July. When we might also see a new UK prime minister. I am abstaining from the evening function at One & Only One Za’abeel, so that I can chain myself to my Mac, watch the live stream, and bring you my analysis with opinion the following day. Breaking news dedicated to paid subscribers. There’s still time to upgrade, if you haven’t already, and should you wish 🙏🏼
In fact, it’s a busy time at FooDiva HQ. Expect a bumper month of content, with, in addition to the these two newsletters, a trio of posts:
10th July: Restaurant review of Osteria FunkCoolio by chef Akmal Anuar. Paid subscribers.
15th July: An extra newsletter this month. A culinary travel guide to Baku. Paid subscribers.
19th July: The next Where Restaurateurs Eat column. Free-to-read.
New tried and tasted openings…
Taco champion (and my go-to), Lila Taqueria, has opened a sister restaurant. A duplex Lila Molino in Al Serkal which differentiates by serving breakfast. 9am - 12noon daily except Mondays when it closes. Remains open all day until 10pm with lunch and dinner menus. Also acts as a production kitchen for their trademark corn and flour tortillas. Huevos rancheros, breakfast tacos and the Mexican bowl are all dishes I would order again. Just a hint of a chilli kick is the right dose for my gut - but you can dial up the heat with their house-made hot sauce. Grab some empanadas to take home.
Fans of the Roman-Neapolitan hybrid pizza, Pitfire, will appreciate the relatively new licensed outpost at Dubai Hills Estate. The hot (as in tad spicy) honey margaritas alone are worth a visit. They’ll even add anchovies to the pizza kind of Margherita. The spinach, artichoke and cheese dip is another revelatory dish.
I’ve also been eating…
Whilst on the subject of pizza, visiting friends asked for my pizzeria recommendations in the vicinity of their hotel (Jumeirah Al Qasr) so here’s what I sent them ⬇️ I thought you might benefit from the same tips. Six of us ended up at their first choice of Bussola (the rooftop pizzeria is enclosed for the summer). I would have included Franky’s, but it’s temporarily closed.
My first visit to Xu, the high-end Cantonese restaurant by the Rikas stable of independent restaurants. At Kempinski MOE. A Chinese version of their popular Japanese concept Mimi Kakushi 😉 A half Peking duck with pancakes and accompaniments for AED265 is good value for a high-end licensed restaurant. The well-executed crispy shrimp cheung fun and beef xiao long bao are also must-eats.
On the back of a recommendation from Lily, the chef-owner of Vietnamese Foodies, we popped into Shvili, a Georgian restaurant at Nakheel Mall (opposite her own) to remind ourselves of Georgian cuisine as a comparison to Azerbaijani just before an Eid trip to Baku. A breakfast spread for a wallet-friendly AED95 feeds two, and includes khachapuri, the famed moreish egg and cheese flatbread - as well as unlimited coffee of choice.
Mamak opposite Al Safa park is an astonishingly cheap joint with very high quality food. Interior-wise, it’s rough around the edges - but the Malaysian and broader South-East Asian dishes make a visit worthwhile. The nasi goreng pattaya (fried chicken rice wrapped inside an omelette); murtabak (paratha wraps filled with minced beef and egg); and ayam bakar madu (honey-glazed grilled chicken) are stellar brunch choices.
The singing at Josette in DIFC’s ICD Brookfield Place is as powerful as the cooking. The ideal venue for a celebration. On weekends, book a table for 8pm to chit chat before the entertainment kicks off at 9. Based on my recent visit, here’s what I would order: Escargots. Grilled prawns. Duck confit. Asparagus with hollandaise. Raspberry cheesecake. Pain perdu. Don’t forget to press the button for the house Champagne.
Also in ICD Brookfield Place, The Guild. The giant bone marrow with garlicky snails (clearly I have a thing for these delightful creatures), a lemon butter caper jus, and charred sourdough are enough to warrant a meal. As is the chocolate mousse served tableside from a massive urn that is simply refilled for zero wastage.
Every now and again, typically post-travel, I sign up for a three-day juice and soup detox delivery. Last week, I tried this package from The Raw Place for the first time. Five organic cold-pressed green juices (mostly veg with a teeny bit of fruit) and one soup per day. Very drinkable, and the soups are delicious. I can be very disciplined at home, in particular on the back of abundant dining out, so I find this practice easy to commit to. Efficient for shedding pesty travel kilos. I have tried similar programmes with other juice companies - see my updated Little Pink Lifestyle Book - but this one beats them all.
I’ve been buying…
Le Clos, the fine wine arm of MMI, has opened its first domestic store in Dubai, outside the airport! At Montgomerie Golf Club in Emirates Hills staffed by a WSET-qualified team with zero wine snobbery. They are offering FooDiva readers an exclusive 15% discount for multiple visits at this wine boutique AND the airport stores until 30th September. Simply mention the promo code FOODIVA15 at the check-out till.
A few snaps here from my visit where I stocked up for a dinner chez nous this weekend.
In the press…
The July issue of What’s On Dubai features my all-time favourite restaurant dish. Scroll to page 125. Amongst good foodie company.
If you’ve recently joined me on Substack, you may have missed…
My welcome launch newsletter.
A special edition newsletter in support of all things Palestinian.
My opinion piece on MENA 50 Best Restaurant Awards.
Restaurant review of Rare.
My new Where Restaurateurs Eat monthly column: Shaw Lash of Lila; Neha Anand of Jun’s.
Past newsletters: November; December; January; February; March; April; May; June.
My 2024 guide to Dubai’s top restaurants. A record 45 homegrown concepts. Paid subscribers also receive a PDF of this guide.
I update My Little Pink Lifestyle Book with new finds every month.
A private one-hour Zoom call with me to pick my brains. More info here for F&B industry enquiries - and here for foodie/ diner queries.
Looking for a gift for a foodie friend? Perhaps consider an annual subscription to this newsletter, breaking news and the added perks. You’ll have my forever love.
I leave you with this pic of the Palestine poster that I purchased from Palestinian-owned Maiz Tacos. Now framed and positioned in pride of place at the entrance to our living room. Even colour coordinates with the sofa 😉
I sign off with continuous wishes for a free Palestine 🇵🇸🍉🕊️
FooDiva. x