The attraction of having somewhere new to eat each week has huge pulling power for both incoming travellers and residents, and if there’s ever a day when the UAE doesn’t announce a new restaurant opening, well, it’ll be time to hang up our hats/aprons and go home! Thankfully, that won’t be anytime soon thanks to a new slew of doors recently thrown open, from beach eateries to slick new Italian secret gardens.
First up is February 30, an easy-breezy Beirut-born beach club on Palm West Beach, on Palm Jumeirah, with a beach bar, lounge and restaurant with chef Reif Othman at the helm. Its red-and-white stripy parasols are perfect Instagram fodder, while the Mediterranean-Japanese menu of sashimi, tacos, and pasta promise to sate peckish sun-worshippers.
Following the huge success of its Dubai Marina debut, La Carnita has taken its Mexican magic over the border to Abu Dhabi, with the opening of its second restaurant, La Carnita 2.0, at Yas Bay Waterfront. Still with the same eclectic and lively design DNA throughout, it promises to always have ‘good vibes, a good soundtrack and good food’. On the menu you’ll find all the best-loved classics, such as guac and chips, avocado fries and ceviche, to the heartier grilled tenderloin, short rib tacos and spicy Mexican chorizo tostadas.
The latest addition to Raffles, The Palm Dubai’s growing roster of restaurants, is the eternally pretty Piatti by The Beach. A joint venture between Bulldozer and Accor Group, the restaurant turns to Positano as its muse, inviting guests to immerse themselves in the unmistakable charm of the Amalfi Coast. The whitewashed restaurant spills out onto a terrace painted with bursts of colour and cascading bougainvillea, the perfect vantage point for both ocean and beach views.
Chef Batuhan Piatti has the reins, having previously opened myriad restaurants regionally and globally, as well as fronting his own TV show, Hayat Batuhan’a Güzel, and judging on the Turkish series of MasterChef. Work your way along the Amalfi coastline with each mouthful, with sautéed Mediterranean mussels, spicy scallops, king crab tacos and Norcia black truffle pizza.
Following a major overhaul of its F&B outlets, Bar Buci joins 12 ‘new and improved’ concepts opening at Jumeirah Al Qasr. Throwing a little ooh-la-la at the occasion, Bar Buci puts a fresh spin on mixology whilst recalling the romance of Saint-Germain in Paris, with its vintage jazz vibe.
Drinks such as Rodin’s Kiss, Le Chat Noir and Le Tabou conjure up Saint-Germain's hedonistic spirit, while a menu of croquettes au boeuf bourguignon, croque monsieur au chou fleu and pain brioche au homard add a hint of French finesse to the menu. Bag a table on a terrace for true Mediterranean immersion.
