Appetisers: UAE dining news

The restaurant offers at Dubai Festival City (DFC) just keep getting better. Trader Vic’s the hugely popular Polynesian bar-restaurant-salsa club is opening its fourth Dubai outlet at a waterfront spot near the InterContinental Hotel this month (there are also Traders at Crowne Plaza Dubai and Souk Madinat Jumeirah, and a bar concept at Oasis Beach Tower). The 10,900 square foot restaurant will seat 320 covers in its lounge, restaurant, sushi bar (unique to DFC) and thatched outdoor terrace. There will also be a raised private dining area. Inside DFC, Marks and Spencer on Monday relaunched its Cafe, with dishes for breakfast (think cheese croissants, granola) lunch and dinner. There’s a wide range of sandwiches and baguettes (prawn and avocado, brie and cranberry, chilli prawn and mango, Lochmuir smoked salmon and cream cheese), while hot dishes include fish and chips, quiche and macaroni and cheese. We like the sound of the luxury hot chocolate and the pot of tea for one — both are Fairtrade, as are many other M&S products. Heading over to Downtown Dubai, if you whip out a Visa card to pay for dinner (or drinks or spa treatments) at an Emaar outlet this summer, you’ll get 25 per cent off. The offer is on at all Address hotels, The Palace, Armani Hotel Dubai, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, Arabian Ranches Golf Club and Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, until September 30. Royal China, the traditional eatery in DIFC, has added more dishes to its menu for summer. Head Chef Wong’s “Chef’s Recommendations” — selected based on customer favourites — include steamed Chilean seabass with ginger and spring onion and steamed chilli prawn dumpling in soup. Don’t forget, there are chopstick classes for kids during their Friday brunch. Call 04-3545543. British celebrity chef/loudmouth Gordon Ramsay last year shuttered Verre, his restaurant at the Hilton Dubai Creek (it’s now Table 9 By Nick and Scott) but his fans in the GCC have a new option to try his modern British cuisine: Opal By Gordon Ramsay at the St Regis in Doha, which opened last week. Running the show is chef Gilles Bosquet. It’s open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner. Call +97444460000.