A staggering 95% of my newsletter readers (many of you on here too 😜) voted for my new header-style format that I had proposed for my restaurant reviews, which actually brings great joy to the organisational freak in me 😉

It’s now become de rigueur for every restaurant to boast about its so-called “concept.” A word I am also guilty of using time and time again - and hence the first header of my restaurant reviews moving forward. The FT’s restaurant critic @timhayward makes a sarcastic dig in a recent London restaurant review that warrants a giggle.

Onto this month’s review. @threecutsdxb is a new licensed steakhouse perched atop Rooftop West, Nakheel Mall. In a world where Google mapping is the norm, who cares whether it’s the west or east side of the rooftop? How does that help us with directions? Does anyone use their smart phone compass app, or even know they have one? Anyhow, digressing. We’ll come on to the challenges of this location a little later on.

I should have known by simply looking at the restaurant’s Instagram that a strapline of “FOOD. COMMUNITY. MUSIC” would guarantee a booming playlist, albeit a nostalgic one - especially given the upper case font. But they did reduce the volume upon my request. Another content-worthy discussion point.

The restaurant’s name is a nod to the three steak cuts on the menu - striploin, tenderloin and ribeye. Cuts that are also incorporated into the t-bone and tomahawk. The waiter does not explain “the concept.” A good thing, in my book. It’s self-explanatory. The only time I don’t mind storytelling is for a tasting menu concept, and even then, the less said, the better, so I can enjoy my food whilst still warm. Unless it’s the 14-seater by @gaggan_anand Only then will I happily soak up both the storytelling…and the music.

Click second link in bio to have a read 🔗 My newsletter tribe received this review in their inbox last week. Feel free to subscribe, if not already 🙏🏼

Do you like a restaurant’s “concept” explained to you in person on arrival? Or does a synopsis on the website and menu suffice? #UAERestaurantsUnite ...

Where does Lily Hoa Nguyen, co-founder & executive chef of Vietnamese Foodies dine out? 😋

In this month’s ‘Where Restaurateurs Eat’ column, I asked this super woman, of legendary beef pho fame (pronounced feu please 😜), to share her five go-to, favourite restaurants encompassing:

🔪 Three in the UAE
🔪 One in her home country
🔪 One located elsewhere internationally.

Click second link in bio, and stories to find her top picks 🔗 My newsletter tribe received this post in their inbox last week. Feel free to subscribe, if not already.

🔪As always, would love your nominations for female restaurateurs here leading their businesses🔪 You never know, they might not be on my radar - and could land themselves a feature here 🙏🏼 #WhereRestaurateursEat #UAERestaurantsUnite ...

Dearest Greg,

I am reeling from shock. How could you leave us so early? 💔

💔From the moment we first met when I interviewed you a decade ago in Dubai, your emotions not only poured out of your mouth, but onto the plate with every single dish you knocked up. All you wanted to do was feed people. I will cherish every single memory and bite over the last ten years.

💔You were always quick to participate in my dining experiences. And on one occasion, even putting your hand up for the dessert course. Other than pastry chefs obviously, it’s rare to find chefs keen to challenge themselves with pastry. Thanks to your talent, I fell in love with your desserts and would demolish every morsel.

💔Your art-filled homes were a haven for dinner parties. THAT salmon kibbeh nayyeh was legendary. And who knew you could pair Reblochon with Kalamata olives? You did, of course. On my first visit, I accidentally wandered into your bedroom when looking for the toilet, only to stumble upon glorious copper pots perched on your bed. You lived and breathed cooking.

💔A trip to Lebanon where we bonded over Massaya’s wines and your endless cooking. I spotted a seasonal fruit and vegetable calendar that you insisted on buying for me. It sits forever framed in my kitchen.

💔The grandest of restaurant openings, Cle, where you couldn’t care less about Khloe Kardashian and Paris Hilton. Or the free-flow vintage Dom Perignon. Actually you did care about that one🥂😉 You simply wanted to cook for us.

💔But your cooking was so often misunderstood. Because you were brave to challenge Lebanese cuisine, and with a few expert tweaks, created a whole new cooking style that revolutionised “Middle Eastern” cuisine forever. Not only were you the master of Middle Eastern cuisine, but the master of flavour. You may be gone but your talent lives on with your protégées @trotskie @bethanykehdy and every single chef you have mentored.

💔Greg, I raise a glass to you and your loved ones. Only DP🥂for you. Thank you for being you, my fellow Arian. I will forever miss you. May the angels guard you until we meet again. Gutted I won’t see you next week. Samantha. x @gregmaloufchef #gregmalouf ...

International accolades from Michelin and 50 Best have catapulted Palestinian chef-owner Salam Dakkak’s @bait.maryam in JLT to stardom. Seven years after opening her first baby, her second-born @sufretmaryam in Jumeirah’s Wasl 51 complex pays tribute to the Levant region with a compact, elevated menu of meze plates - in contrast to the cosy charm and mammoth selection at the OG.

A pause here to flag the use of the words ‘Levantine’ and ‘Levant’ and their colonial adoption. Something I had never considered until I saw chef, cookbook author and historian @bethanykehdy ‘s recent video and article. All linked in my newsletter on this new opening, emailed to my tribe yesterday - see second link in bio, and stories 🔗 So will you join me in referencing this cuisine as Shami?

This is NOT a restaurant review. Why? A couple of reasons.

🍉 I broke my rule of visiting new restaurants in their opening month. In line with my editorial policy, I like to give new openings a month or so to settle in and iron out any teething issues. However, I was keen to include Sufret Maryam in a feature that I wrote for an international publication - and paid it a visit a month ago.

🍉 Palestinian-owned restaurants can benefit from as much love and custom (i.e. paying the bill) as we can shower upon them. So whilst I find it hard to turn off my critical eye and palate anywhere I eat, it’s unfair to willingly dish out criticism to restaurants whose owners, families and friends are suffering from a genocide. 🇵🇸 #UAERestaurantsUnite ...

🇵🇭What do you do when you land in Manila during a typhoon?🇵🇭

Eat, shop, eat 😜

We arrive in Manila as a typhoon lashes through the capital. Fortunately, our plane lands right at the start, before Gaemi, as she (or he, or they?) is named, gathers pace, as she certainly does over our three-day stay.

We’re staying in Makati, the business district, which isn’t as affected as other parts of the city, and the rest of the Philippines. But we are forced to skip the sightseeing across town, and remain glued to this bougie neighbourhood, eating and shopping. Not exactly a hardship. And my kind of city break.

I am ashamed to admit that this visit is my first to Manila (and the Philippines), en route to a wellness retreat, @thefarmatsanbenito - less than a two hour drive. Even Filipino friends downplay the capital, claiming the city is far from tourist-friendly, whilst encouraging everyone to prioritise one or two of the gazillion islands. But I am suitably impressed. Chaotic Bangkok meets pristine Singapore.

Here’s a culinary travel guide with everything we soak up. Almost literally too. Sheltered from the rain. Link in bio & stories 🔗

This guide landed in the inbox of my newsletter tribe. Feel free to sign up for future posts, if not already 🙏🏼

Any other restaurant tips for Manila? Pop these here so everyone can benefit 😋

#ManilaRestaurants #Philippines #PhilippinesDiva ...

Where does Natasha Sideris, the CEO & founder of @tashasgroup that owns @avlibytashas @bungalo34 and @flamingoroomae amongst many restaurants dine out? 😋

In this month’s ‘Where Restaurateurs Eat’ column, I asked this super woman for her five go-to, favourite restaurants encompassing:

🔪 Three in the UAE
🔪 One in her home country
🔪 One located elsewhere internationally. She might have shared more!

Click link in bio and stories to find her top picks 🔗 My Substack tribe received this newsletter in their inbox. Feel free to subscribe, if not already.

🔪Would love your nominations for female restaurateurs here leading their businesses🔪 You never know, they might not be on my radar - And could land themselves a feature here 😜 #WhereRestaurateursEat #UAERestaurantsUnite ...

I rarely have a dud meal when travelling. Why? Because I spend weeks researching restaurants and must-try dishes. Often spending more time on trawling local recommendations than the actual travel. But I love this immersion. Top tip: don’t ever saunter out of your hotel in the hope of stumbling upon a charming neighbourhood joint. You’re guaranteed to end up in a tourist trap.

🇦🇿 Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, a former Soviet Republic has been on my bucket list for a while, so with direct FlyDubai flights in under three hours, and the added bonus of the same time zone as Dubai, we book a three-night Eid break. Overlooking the Caspian sea, this East meets West country is flanked by four nations - Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Iran. The language, to me, sounds like a Turkish-Persian hybrid - reflected in the culinary scene. Baku cleverly manages to juxtapose the old (think UNESCO World Heritage sites) and the new (think Dubai-like skyscrapers) to create an impressive, pristine walking city. The city hosts the F1, and later this year Cop29.

🔗 The culinary travel guide linked in my stories and bio covers tried and tasted recommendations for restaurants with must-try dishes, hotels, sightseeing tips and general housekeeping (visa, weather and the like). I have added all these tips to a Google maps link.

You’ll also find my do’s and don’ts for researching restaurants that may help with any upcoming travel. This post was first shared with my newsletter tribe yesterday 🙏🏼 Feel free to subscribe, if not already.

If you’ve visited Baku, please do share your recommendations here so others can benefit. Any Azeri restaurants here in Dubai? 🇦🇿♥️ #ExperienceAzerbaijan #VisitAzerbaijan #BakuDiva

@burcqala
@qaynana_restaurant
@laquzubaku
@chaykirestaurant
@sahil_baku
@marivannabaku
@bakucaviar
@centralbakuaz
@coffee_gallery_baku
@themerchant_baku
@nergizrestoran
@dolma.restaurant
@shirvanshah
@sumakhrestaurant
@pauls_baku_2003
@etudbaku
@experienceazerbaijan ...

If you don’t know chef @akmalanuarofficial - then you should. He’s the ex-chef patron of 3Fils, a game-changing concept that, arguably, kickstarted the Dubai trend for independent, chef-led unlicensed restaurants. He moved on to open Goldfish and 11 Woodfire, each with different business partners - and now Osteria FunkCoolio @funkcoolio in the riviera-style complex of Dubai’s @port.de.lamer

The dictionary definition of osteria is a ‘simple, in-expensive Italian restaurant’ - and often a wine bar. Well none of these apply to chef Akmal’s latest baby. But I reckon FunkCoolio is a more apt descriptor. For a giggle, try saying the name quickly, and you have an Italian swear word. I knew my private Italian school lessons would eventually pay off. Intentional or not, you gotta love the mystique, wit and irreverence.

The food promises ‘itameshi’ - a fusion cuisine, originally from Japan, that combines traditional elements of Japanese with Italian food. The cooking veers towards Italian dishes with Akmal’s trademark Japanese culinary style using premium, pricey ingredients. Oh…and there’s no🍷 in this unlicensed district.

🔗 Link in stories and bio for a read. Shared first with my newsletter tribe yesterday 🙏🏼

How many of Akmal’s restaurants have you tried? Any favourites? 😋 #UAERestaurantsUnite #foodivareviews ...