When it comes to kebabs, I’ve eaten them almost everywhere – with standards varying enormously.
The buzzing bazaars of Istanbul, the majestic sands of the Sahara and the back of a bus on a Dublin student night all spring to mind.
In the UK, they’re sort of a rite of passage on nights out, which don't end until after a pit stop at the local takeaway.
As a result, undoubtedly the most frequent setting I’ve devoured doner has been a Manchester kerbside, clinging on in the blistering cold while building up strength to get a taxi home at 4am. A most common sight indeed.
However, I have never had one 442 metres above ground in an elegant French restaurant that also serves lobster platters, oysters and a set menu dedicated solely to Wagyu. That was until I visited Atmosphere, Burj Khalifa’s famed restaurant in the clouds.
Where to sit and what to expect
The venue tucks itself into the world’s tallest building on floor 122 – and 360-degree views are naturally the main draw for guests.
My dining partner and I eventually find the skyscraper’s lobby having picked our way through Dubai Mall’s underground car parks, service roads, dead ends and loops (I took a wrong turn, don’t ask), and soon we’re zipping up the lift at 36kph. With a table booked for 5.30pm, the clock’s ticking to make the sunset reservation. Mother Nature won’t wait for my tardiness.
Thankfully, as the digital display hits “122” and the double-height doors open, the golden rays pour in and we're right on time for one of the greatest shows on Earth.
Staff briskly whisk us to a window table for the best seats in the house – although it’d probably be harder to find somewhere that doesn’t have a view of the sunset – and we soak it all in.
The venue is split in two, the lounge is west-facing and prime for sunset, while the restaurant faces east. Both have been renovated entirely and reopened recently. The style is distinctly 1920s Art Deco, with glass chandeliers, bespoke tiling and brass on almost every piece of furniture.
The lounge uses bold colours and vast walls of brightly coloured birds, while the restaurant feels elegantly grandiose, like stepping into New York’s Central Station.
There’s live music most evenings, with a violinist in the lounge and jazz nights on Thursdays.
The menu
In keeping with the refurb, the menu has had a makeover too. It’s French, but there are notable influences from around the world. In the lounge, small bites and appetisers dominate – expect escargot, beef tartare and duck rillettes alongside the likes of chicken bao, burgers and yakitori. There are also seafood towers, sharing steaks, caviar and oysters, plus mains of meat and fish.
The restaurant follows a similar theme, although more structured. It’s “three courses-style” instead of sharing bites.
Keen for a taste of everything, we pick from both menus – and take a seat in each to try them.
In the lounge, we’re served a quick-fire quartet of bites. The quenelle of delicately cubed bluefin tuna tartare has an avocado cream for company; the chicken baos are filled with deep-fried chunks and finished with strips of red chilli, fiery mayo and a peanut tamarind sauce; the beef and onion toastie is made using pillow-soft A5 Wagyu short rib; and the doner kebab elevates dinner in the world’s tallest skyscraper to even greater heights, but more on it later.
In the restaurant, we’re brought back to Earth with dishes more often associated with French fine dining.
Scallops are served on a bed of lobster bisque and cauliflower couscous, with dainty brioche squares to mop it all up.
The Wagyu rissole is sort of a giant croquette stuffed with meat and cheese, served with mashed potato and pea puree and earns high praise from my wife – “I’d eat seven before breakfast”.
The truffle fettuccine is a decadent, even over-rich, option for vegetarians. The simply delightful ribbons are so fresh they convince my wife to empty the kitchen cupboards of the dry stuff and dust off the pasta-making machine when we get home. She forgets by the time we do, thankfully.
The turbot main is served with buttery sauteed leeks and yet more divine pasta, this time in the form of sweet potato gnocchi. They’re served underneath a truffle foam, which looks light enough to simply float away with the surrounding clouds.
There’s just enough room for a cheese board – a meal in itself, I should warn – and the Atmosphere Extravaganza for dessert. The latter is a chocolate sphere that hides pistachio and dark chocolate cremaux inside, which is finished at the table with hot melted chocolate poured over it for a bit of theatre.
However, with views this good, there’s only one show I’m here for.
Stand-out dish
There’s something to be said for chefs who look at their menu and say: “You know what, we need a kebab on here.”
Unlike the versions from my Mancunian upbringing, where a heavyset grubby chap shaved bathwater-brown strips of “meat” into a pita and slathered it with “sauce”, these kebabs don’t need a health warning or an ambulance on standby. There’s no questioning of my choices before I even order.
They’re sophisticated, using pulled lamb leg for the meat, red cabbage for the crunch and freshly baked pita for the coat wrapped around them. There’s even a pot of sauce to dunk it all in.
Maybe it’s all the late nights they work, or maybe it’s the altitude almost half a kilometre up, but whatever the reason behind the chefs' boldness here I am a fan, and I hope they keep their heads firmly in the clouds.
Price point and contact information
While prices aren’t cheap – forgivable given the setting and standard – the lounge’s appetiser menu offers excellent value for those who forgo Burj Khalifa’s At The Top and come here instead. The observation deck is merely two floors above and tickets to enter between 3pm and 6.30pm cost Dh244 per adult.
Appetisers start at Dh95 and most are about Dh130. There is no cost to enter Atmosphere; visitors can even just pop into the lounge for a drink – although reservations are recommended. There is a minimum spend of Dh700 in the restaurant, which rises to Dh2,000 for a window seat.
Mains start at Dh245 ($66); sharing platters start at Dh890 ($242); and there are seven or 13-course tasting menus.
Atmosphere is open daily from 7am to 2am. Reservations can be made by contacting 04 888 3828.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Tour de France 2017: Stage 5
Vittel - La Planche de Belles Filles, 160.5km
It is a shorter stage, but one that will lead to a brutal uphill finish. This is the third visit in six editions since it was introduced to the race in 2012. Reigning champion Chris Froome won that race.
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Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
RESULTS
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $49,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner RB Frynchh Dude, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.05pm Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner El Patriota, Vagner Leal, Antonio Cintra
7.40pm Zabeel Turf – Listed (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,000m
Winner Ya Hayati, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm Cape Verdi – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Althiqa, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm UAE 1000 Guineas – Listed (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Soft Whisper, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
9.25pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Bedouin’s Story, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
The specs: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.3L / 100km (estimate)
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 592bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Price: Dh980,000
On sale: now
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Results:
6.30pm: Handicap | US$135,000 (Dirt) | 1,400 metres
Winner: Rodaini, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap | $135,000 (Turf) | 1,200m
Winner: Ekhtiyaar, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
7.40pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (T) | 2,000m
Winner: Spotify, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: UAE Oakes | Group 3 | $250,000 (D) | 1,900m
Winner: Divine Image, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm: Zabeel Mile | Group 2 | $250,000 (T) | 1,600m
Winner: Mythical Image, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.20pm: Handicap | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
Winner: Major Partnership, Kevin Stott, Saeed bin Suroor
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
