Three new restaurants in Dubai receive Michelin star status at second edition  

Three new restaurants in Dubai receive Michelin star status at second edition  
The event took place at Atlantis The Royal hotel. (Supplied)
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Updated 23 May 2023

Three new restaurants in Dubai receive Michelin star status at second edition  

Three new restaurants in Dubai receive Michelin star status at second edition  

DUBAI: Four restaurants in Dubai on Tuesday received a Michelin star at the guide’s second edition in the UAE city during a ceremony that took place at Atlantis The Royal hotel.  

Three places won one star each, while one restaurant received two stars. The awarded eateries represented a range of cuisines, including Indian, British and Japanese.   

One star went to Avatãra restaurant in Voco Hotel, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in Atlantis The Royal and Moonrise, an Omakase restaurant located on the rooftop of Eden House.

Trèsind Studio received two stars, after being awarded one star in last year’s ceremony.  

The restaurants that maintained their one-star rating from last year’s list are 11 Woodfire, Al-Muntaha, Armani Ristorante, Hakkasan, Höseki, Ossiano, Tasca by Jose Avillez and Torno Subito.  

“We started our first restaurant in 2013 and we never new we would come this far,” head of the eatery, Himanshu Saini, said after winning the award.  

Both two-star restaurants — Il Ristorante - Niko Romito, with its Italian fare, and French cuisine-based Stay by Yannick Alleno — retained their ratings from last year. 

No restaurants received the extremely rare three-star award. 

The Michelin Green Star award, which spotlights restaurants that practice and promote sustainable gastronomy, was given to the contemporary eatery LOWE in Al-Barari – which also won the award last year — Spanish-influenced restaurant Boca and Teible and a minimalistic bakery-cum-restaurant at the Jameel Arts Centre. 




The best service award went to Tomislav Lokvicic, the general manager at La Mar by Gastóon Acurio. (Supplied_

The best service award went to Tomislav Lokvicic, the general manager at La Mar by Gastóon Acurio, while Arturo Scamardella from Dinner by Heston Blumenthal won the Sommelier Award.  

“I am beyond excited and surprised,” said Lokvicic after receiving the award.  

Chef Omkar Walve at Avatãra won the Young Chef Award. “I am feeling blessed to receive this award,” said Walve. 




Arturo Scamardella from Dinner by Heston Blumenthal won the Sommelier Award. (Supplied)

For the second edition, the guide introduced a new award called Opening of the Year Award that went to Iranian American chef Ariana Bundy from Ariana’s Persian Kitchen in Atlantis, The Royal. “I like to thank my family for interring good food at an early age,” she said.  

The new Bib Gourmand restaurants are 21 Grams, 3Fils and Aamara. This award puts the spotlight on the restaurants offering authentic and memorable culinary experiences at a moderate price. Launched in 1997, this distinction highlights restaurants offering quality and value cooking.  

The 21 selected restaurants added to the list were 99 Sushi Bar, Ariana’s Persian Kitchen, At.Mosphere, Boca, Chic Nonna, City Social, Fouquet’s, French Riviera, Jaleo, Josette, Jun’s L’Olivo at Al-Mahara, La Mar by Gastón Acurio, Maya Bay, Milos, Mina Brasserie, Mott 32, Pierchic, RSVP, Rüya and TakaHisa.  




Issam Kazim is the chief executive officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing and Elisabeth Boucher-Anselin, Michelin experiences director of communication. (Supplied)

“This is a very proud moment for us. Last year it was the announcement of the first guide in the region, the Dubai guide that had 69 restaurants listed,” Issam Kazim, chief executive officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said at the start of the event. “The gastronomy scene in Dubai is something we’ve always highlighted as a key pillar for the composition of the destination.  

“It was a proud moment for us as a city to be able to work with a world-renowned brand like the Michelin guide to be able to come, celebrate and showcase all these efforts,” he added. 

Gaganjot Singh, Michelin’s president in Africa, India and the Middle East, said: “Our journey with Michelin Guide started a year ago, but we have been present in Dubai for more than seven decades now with our products and our services.”

“Since 1900, the Michelin Guide teams have been dedicated to proposing to international travelers and food lovers the best of what hotels and restaurants could offer. In doing so, we highlight the outstanding professionals who are committed to excellence,” he added. 


A little too pink? ‘Barbie’ causes a global paint shortage

A little too pink? ‘Barbie’ causes a global paint shortage
Updated 05 June 2023

A little too pink? ‘Barbie’ causes a global paint shortage

A little too pink? ‘Barbie’ causes a global paint shortage
  • Whimsical Barbie-world utilized so much pink paint that the globe ran out, production designer claimed
  • Company clarifies shortage was due to global supply issues, extreme weather

LONDON: Who knew a Barbie movie could cause such chaos? Greta Gerwig’s upcoming film about the iconic doll required a staggering amount of pink paint, so much so that it wiped out an entire company’s global supply.

In a recent interview with the American design magazine Architectural Digest, the director, together with production designer Sarah Greenwood and set decorator Katie Spencer, spoke about the construction of “Barbieland,” a whimsical world where everything, from roads to lampposts, is covered in fluorescent pink.

During the interview, Greenwood, a six-time Oscar nominee, revealed that “Barbie” caused an international pink paint shortage.

“The world ran out of pink,” she declared.

While some media outlets ran with the story, Lauren Proud, vice president of global marketing at Rosco, the paint company used by the film, offered some perspective to the Los Angeles Times.

Proud confirmed that the film “used as much paint as we had,” but explained that the “Barbie” production coincided with global supply chain issues during COVID-19 and extreme weather in Texas, which impacted the materials needed for the paint.

“There was this shortage and then we gave them everything we could — I don’t know they can claim credit,” Proud said, but admitted: “They did clean us out on paint.”

Gerwig told Architectural Digest that the eye-popping pink was key to “maintaining the ‘kid-ness’” of the film’s aesthetic.

The “Barbieland” design drew inspiration from the Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, Wayne Thiebaud paintings, movie “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” and “An American in Paris.”

Gerwig said: “I wanted the pinks to be very bright, and everything to be almost too much,” emphasizing her desire to capture the essence of what made her fall in love with Barbie as a child.

“Why walk down stairs when you can slide into your pool? Why trudge up stairs when you take an elevator that matches your dress?” said Gerwig.

Thankfully, the set designers managed to secure just enough paint for production, which mostly took place at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in the UK.

The star-studded “Barbie” movie features an A-list cast including Margot Robbie as Barbie, Ryan Gosling as Ken, and an ensemble cast including Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, Dua Lipa, Helen Mirren, Issa Rae, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, and Ncuti Gatwa.

After initial rumors of a possible ban in the Middle East and North Africa region, the production house confirmed that one of the most anticipated films of the year would be released in cinemas worldwide on July 21.


British Moroccan model Nora Attal poses for Chanel Beauty

British Moroccan model Nora Attal poses for Chanel Beauty
Updated 05 June 2023

British Moroccan model Nora Attal poses for Chanel Beauty

British Moroccan model Nora Attal poses for Chanel Beauty

DUBAI: British Moroccan model Nora Attal took to Instagram this week to share photographs of herself posing for Chanel Beauty.

The photographs, shot by Belgian photographer Quentin De Briey, show Attal posing with a pair of Chanel sunglasses. The model is also seen holding a pocket-sized capsule of Chanel hand cream and lying in long green grass with her oversized branded shades.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Nora Attal (@noraattal)

Attal has starred in a number of campaign shoots for the French fashion and beauty house in the past, including its most recent festive season campaign in December.

The luxury label released an outer space-themed festive campaign, in which a bevy of models were depicted jetting off to the moon in style.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Nora Attal (@noraattal)

In the short clip, a group of models fly to the moon on the glittering Eiffel Tower. Once they land, Attal can be seen exploring the lunar landscape while a robot etches the maison’s famous logo onto the surface of the moon.

“Went to the Moon with @chanel,” Attal captioned a carousel of campaign images.

Attal is a Chanel fixture and has walked the runway for the storied brand a number of times over the years.

She hit the runway for Chanel in October at Paris Fashion Week, where she showed off a number of looks as part of the label’s Spring-Summer 2023 showcase. The ensembles were part of a 71-piece collection designed by the fashion house’s creative director Virginie Viard.

The model had a 2022 to remember. Last June, she treated her Instagram fans to a snapshot of her 23rd birthday celebrations, including attending a concert by US rapper Megan Thee Stallion at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, Spain.

Her birthday celebrations came hot on the heels of a sentimental moment for Attal, as the catwalk star tied the knot with her partner, UK-based photographer Victor Bastidas. The wedding took place against the backdrop of orange and palm trees in the presence of their loved ones in Ibiza, Spain.

Attal was first discovered by Jonathan Anderson, the founder of fashion label JW Anderson label, and shot a campaign for the British fashion house in 2014 before she had even taken her first steps down a catwalk.

She would go on to become a runway fixture. Based in London and signed to Viva Model Management, Attal has worked with a number of renowned designers and stylists. She has walked the runway for major fashion houses, including Tom Ford, Tory Burch, Tiffany & Co., Fendi, Burberry and Valentino, to name a few.


Sofia Carson dazzles in Zuhair Murad at event honoring late co-star

Sofia Carson dazzles in Zuhair Murad at event honoring late co-star
Updated 04 June 2023

Sofia Carson dazzles in Zuhair Murad at event honoring late co-star

Sofia Carson dazzles in Zuhair Murad at event honoring late co-star

DUBAI: Actress Sofia Carson cut an elegant figure in a Zuhair Murad gown as she reunited with her “Descendants” co-stars Dove Cameron and Booboo Stewart to remember one of their own.

The “Descendants” stars gathered at the second annual Cam for a Cause event in memory of their co-star Cameron Boyce, who died at the age of 20 due to an epileptic seizure.

The actress-singer showed up in a beautiful black Zuhair Murad fall 2023 draped pleated cape gown with gold button detailing.

This is not the first time Carson has worn the Lebanese couturier. Late last year, Carson attended the Global Citizen Festival in a coordinating look from Murad’s resort 2023 collection. The outfit featured an embellished crop-top and mini-skirt set with matching thigh-high leather boots.

Meanwhile, the Cam for a Cause  event, which was created by Boyce’s parents under the Cameron Boyce Foundation, was made to raise awareness and find a cure for epilepsy and SUDEP, Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, which caused the young actor’s death in July 2019.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Sofia Carson (@sofiacarson)

“Black-ish” star Yara Shahidi received the Cameron Boyce Foundation’s Youth Empowerment Award for her “activism surrounding STEM awareness, women’s rights, civil rights, and her countless acts of kindness toward others.”

“I met Cameron when we were 5 years old, and even then, his talent, his fearlessness and his belief in the power of his peers was evident,” Shahidi said in a statement. “It means so much to be recognized for my advocacy, and the work I continue to do to effect change. I’m grateful to my friends and family at the Cameron Boyce Foundation for thinking of me, as I will always be inspired and activated by their incredible work in the fight to end epilepsy.”

Shahidi attended the event in a black top under a stylish black coat with a jewel-encrusted leopard brooch from Cartier.

Last year, Carson paid tribute to the actor by posting a sweet pic of them together on Instagram to mark three years since he died.

In the photo, Carson could be seen hugging Boyce.

“Three years without you. I love you, forever. I miss you, forever,” Carson wrote in the caption.


Music star Dua Lipa brands UK govt ‘small-minded’ over immigration

Music star Dua Lipa brands UK govt ‘small-minded’ over immigration
Updated 04 June 2023

Music star Dua Lipa brands UK govt ‘small-minded’ over immigration

Music star Dua Lipa brands UK govt ‘small-minded’ over immigration
  • London-born singer, of Kosovo Albanian parentage, says migrants work ‘incredibly hard’
  • Home Secretary Suella Braverman previously referred to Albanian migrants as ‘criminals’

LONDON: British pop music star Dua Lipa has branded the UK government “short-sighted and small-minded” over its rhetoric toward migrants.

The singer, of Kosovo Albanian parentage, called for “more empathy” toward Albanians in an interview with the Sunday Times.

In October last year, Home Secretary Suella Braverman labeled Albanian migrants crossing into the UK illegally via small boats in the English Channel “criminals.” 

Around 16,000 Albanians made the journey in 2022, which Braverman referred to as an “invasion” of England’s south coast.

Lipa, 27, who was born in London, said: “Of course it hurt. All those words thrown around about immigrants? I always felt London was an amalgamation of cultures. It is integral to the city.

“So, when you hear the government talk about Albanians, for example, it hurts. It’s short-sighted and small-minded, but it’s the way a lot of people think.”

The singer’s parents fled their homeland in 1992 to escape the growing tensions that eventually led to war in 1998.

“No matter how we try to change the rhetoric, there will always be those who think, ‘Immigrants are coming into the country and taking jobs’,” Lipa said.

“However, immigrants who have come here have earned their keep by working incredibly hard.

“There needs to be more empathy, because people don’t leave their country unless they have to out of necessity, out of fear for their family.”

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama praised the singer during a visit to London in March, saying: “Dua Lipa is not just simply a British singer, but she’s an Albanian immigrant that has come here, as many have come, to construct, to nurse, to cook and to sing for you, and we want to make sure that this community feels not only safe but feels honored here.”

Rama, who held talks with his British counterpart Rishi Sunak on illegal migration and repatriation, added that he found Braverman’s rhetoric “very, very disgraceful.”


Abu Dhabi pavilion wins big at London Design Biennale

Abu Dhabi pavilion wins big at London Design Biennale
Updated 03 June 2023

Abu Dhabi pavilion wins big at London Design Biennale

Abu Dhabi pavilion wins big at London Design Biennale

DUBAI: The Abu Dhabi pavilion has been named one of three winners at the London Design Biennale, and were awarded a medal for the most inspiring interpretation of the theme of global collaboration.

Salama Al-Shamsi, director of cultural sites at Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, and House of Artisans curator Azza Al-Sharif accepted the award.

House of Artisan’s immersive installation, “Formation of Soof,” highlights the relationship between Emirati crafts and architecture.

Under the theme “The Global Game: Remapping Collaborations,” the art center showcased Emirati crafts, including the traditional Bedouin weaving technique known as Sadu.

In 2011, UNESCO added Sadu to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

Using raw wool to create intricate designs and distinctive patterns, Sadu often reflects issues regarding social identity and the surrounding environment.

In a statement published on social media, House of Artisans explained that highlighting the craft “is a key part of creating awareness on its importance” in order to preserve it for the future.

The House of Artisans pavilion also displayed weaving items, such as wool and the spindle, and explained the technique practiced by Emirati women.