Something for the Weekend #3

Cairo Food Week, outstanding collabs, new openings & catching white whales: May was busy!

Jun 02, 2024

Has it been a month since the last newsletter? Time seems to whistle past these days.

These days are a heady mix of work, writing, travel, watching US presidential campaigning, UK election campaigning, remaining slack-jawed at updates from Palestine, living through round two of our extensive Dubai home renovations AND trying to keep a new born alive (and entertained).

All credit goes to Mrs EatGoSee on the last two. I am in awe of her: Super Mum and Super Interior Designer.

We’ve achieved a lot and we brought our boy to Egypt to get his first passport stamp!

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Eat.

Pitfire x Miss Lily’s collab 🔥 In contention for one of the best collabs of 2024. I constantly say, the best collabs are when both parties come together to make something that not only works but it is new and does not just showcase what they already do. Highlights? Pitfire’s Dubai Hills Business Park location packed and sold out, jerk chicken pizza, oxtail pizza, sweet crystallised scotch bonnet and a quiet moment drinking Red Stripe thinking about Grandpa.

Angel Cakes. A new-to-me cafe overlooking in Dubai Hills Park serving breakfast and lunch. Very professional service and some striking cakes. Overall I thought it’s a bit pricey for what it is with modest portion sizes. Nothing bad, just not showing as much value for money as I would want to include in the comprehensive Dubai’s Best Breakfasts Guide.

L’Amo Bistro Del Mare. A tried-and-tested restaurant very familiar to me. Italian seafood overlooking luxury yachts in Marina Harbour. The best moments come with the decor, fresh fish station and the outdoor terrace (when the weather allows). Overall the food is good and capable, but the pricing is premium and the service should relax a bit more.

Iranish restaurant. Quiet solo lunch at this relatively new Iranian restaurant in Wasl 51. Enjoyable, casual cooking in a relaxed space that needs a bit more decor on the walls and maybe get rid of the superfluous fountain? (Also looking at you, Signor Sassi.) But I enjoyed the food, especially the verdant stash of suave Kashk E Badenjan (aubergine with jammy fried onions) and the Soltani (grilled lamb two ways). I would go back if I found myself in this area.

Al Muntaha. A white whale was snared on a dinner out. With 1 Michelin star, 4 Toques and a questionably decorated lair from within the Burj Al Arab, Al Muntaha also took him Restaurant of the Year at Gault & Millau’s last awards. Italian-French dining with some real highs (the foie gras-stuffed bottoni, ravioli del plin, Ratafia and the cheese trolley), but also some distracted dishes with no clear voice and too much going on (blue lobster, corn and peanut curry). 10 points for local ingredient sourcing.

Ossiano x POTONG. Chef Gregoire Berger’s long run of snaring top talent for his collaborations continues in strength, Chef Pam of POTONG treated us to her vision of modern Thai cuisine including a novel take on the famous Pad Thai. Highlights included the langoustine course from Gregoire, a generous smorgasbord of lamb satay and Tom’s superb wine pairings as always (the champagne was nearly my wine of the month).

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Sunday Roast. This lives as one of my favourite meals of the year. Three courses impeccable courses plus the crispiest roast potato crowned with a heap of caviar (which my son nearly ate… at 6 months old, no less). Don’t listen to all the hissing and boos about it being a pricey. It’s sublime—and worth it. Don’t believe me? Read Matt’s write up on EatGoSee.

LILA Molino opens in Alserkal Avenue! Long awaited cafe expansion of the much loved LILA Taqueria in Jumeirah. A casual Mexican cafe atop the mezzanine space with a small grocery section downstairs also selling pottery and great gifts for housewarmings or stocking fillers. Plenty of plugin space for those Alserkal folks that love coffee, sockets and free wifi. You know who you are.

Words I Wrote.

BOCA’s El Vino es Vida wine menu. Read more above about the new rotating wine menu at BOCA that solidifies why it’s one of best wine programmes in Dubai. Read more here on EatGoSee.

Chef Hadrien Villedieu’s six-seater, 11-course chef’s table at Chez Wam exudes fun dining over fine dining. Read more here in FACT Magazines!

DUO Gastrobar is a smart casual restaurant cooking gusty dishes in the heart of Dubai Hills and, frankly, it should be a bigger deal. Read more here on EatGoSee.

Go: Cairo Food Week

I had the great fortune of going on a press trip for Cairo Food Week earlier in May. In its second year, Cairo Food Week couples prominent and promising local Egyptian chefs with some of the best chefs in the region and around the world through a series of dinners, collaborations, art exhibits and other events. You will see a series of articles from me but, in the meantime, here are the standout highlights.

Audacious. Cairo is an extremely busy and congested city where just getting between two points is an adventure. Shout out to the organisers not only of the press trip, but of the entire Cairo Food Week. You are the real MVPs. Roll on 2025!
Camaraderie. As someone with a foot in two worlds (legal and journalism), it is always heartening for me to meet similar people and those who dedicate their careers full-time to writing. It is the people that make or break these trips, and I met some incredibly, warm and wonderful people.
Grand Egyptian Museum. This is an essential stop for any Cairo trip. Dare I say, I would put it above the Pyramids of Giza, but that’s me. 20 years of construction and over $1bn spent, it’s a totemic dedication to one of the world’s greatest ancient civilisations. I was simply dumbstruck.
Zooba, MENA 50 Best #24. Egyptian street food elevated but still accessible, homely and recognisable. It’s the family member that wears a button down shirt. Falafels like boulders, lamb shanks braised until they collapse and towering flatbread stacks baked on site.
Virgilio Martinez & Central, W50B #1. I had the very good fortunate of meeting with Virgilio twice over this trip. The first time opening an exhibit, Threads, inside the Grand Egyptian Museum which shows the connecting lines between Peruvian and Egyptian cuisine. The second was a dinner that he hosted also at the museum overlooking the pyramids serving six courses from the central menu. Central is currently the worlds number one restaurant which means that it will be retired into the best of the best list.
Gucci Osteria (Karime Lopez / Takahisa Kondo) & Ex Machina Athens (Adam Kodovas). A fun dinner inside a homely, trendy restaurant called Buoy where both chefs served hits from their home restaurants in Florence and Athens respectively. A sign of the successful collaboration like this is whether or not you want to visit both restaurants in their home countries; suffice to say that I would prioritise both restaurants if I find myself in either location. Highlights? Karime’s purple corn tostada and the “Italian breakfast” of savoury cannoli.
Pyramids of Giza. Now, after many years of visiting Egypt for work, I never managed to latch eyes on the Pyramids, the Nile or the Sphinx. This time I manage the first two. To say I stood in awe of human accomplishment would be an understatement. Just grit your teeth for all the hassle and haggle that transpires once you pass the ticket counter and security checks.
Cavallino Maranello (Riccardo Forapani) x Riviera Four Seasons Nile Plaza (Beñat Alonso). Hands down my BEST meal of CFW! Exquisite cooking from both chefs and chef Stefano Ferrari for his rendition of surf & turf. Both the crème caramel of parmigiano reggiano and the orzo pasta with green tomatoes, gambero rossi and burnt lemon will live long in my memories 🤌🏽

CFW Scenes: Nile views from Fairmont Nile City, Pharaoh Ramses II at Grand Egyptian Museum, Zooba maze spread, Koshari, Karime Lopez Purple Corn Todtada, Pyramids of Giza, Crème Caramel & Orzo Pasta & Two men driving through Nile City

Drank.

An exceptional month with the good fortune of not only the BOCA El Vino es Vida launch but also Time Out Wine Market. Vivino tells me I tasted 38 wines in the last month (good times!)

Best In Month. 2020 Jérôme Prévost La Closerie Extra Brut Champagne from Ben’s Champagne at TOM Wine Market. Yeasty, bruised apple, pear, brioche, lemon curd and cream. Fresh and expressive—call me if you have a bottle of this burning a hole in your cellar.

Horizon.

📕 Michelin Dubai’s 3rd Guide reveal on 4 July. I will be there and already I’m wondering what this third Guide will mean. Third time lucky? What do you want to see in the next Guide?

Liam Collens