Authentic Gems of Dubai’s Food Scene

Anyone who’s ventured to Dubai knows that when it comes to dining, the glittering Middle Eastern metropolis is a bit like Las Vegas: You have a world of choices, from French pastry to deep-dish pizza. The real work lies in finding where the locals feast. Convening with Chef Gilles Arzur and other people of Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, where seven restaurants await to sate you by the Arabian Sea, we produced a list of the most authentic Emirati eateries in the City of Gold.

“The foundation of local cuisine within the UAE is very simple ingredients,” Arzur says. “Saffron and rice are found in many preparations, and camel milk is being used more and more in ice cream along with traditional local flavours such as pistachio and rose water.” Here, a most delicious, insider-approved tour.

1. Al Falamanki

Al Falamanki is a throwback to the rural Emirati villages where many locals grew up. Directly across the street from Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, the Arabian café is a popular hangout where residents play backgammon to the sounds of Lebanese singer Fairuz on the radio. Don’t leave without trying the grilled pomegranate eggplant, sumac potatoes, and wild thyme salad with spring onions, lemon and olive oil. “Of course, you can’t forget sweet pastries like cheese kunafa, a crunchy shredded phyllo dough baked with a layer of creamy sweet cheese and then infused with rose water essence,” Arzur says. “It’s a must-try!”

2. Siraj

One of 22 restaurants at Souk Al Bahar, the “sailors market” set on Burj Khalifa Lake overlooking the Dubai Fountain, Siraj combines Emirati and Levantine cuisine. “It’s one of my favourites in the city – they champion traditional food with a healthy approach,” Arzur says. “My recommendation would have to be the glazed date salad with kale leaves. Dates are native to the Middle Eastern region and represent a huge part of its history.” Bonus: Each one contains 5 percent of your daily recommended potassium.

3. Suq

Guests queue up for porridge-like harees at Suq, an Arabian market–inspired hideaway ensconced in the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach. Made with barley and chicken or lamb, harees is Arzur’s favourite dish on the menu, not least because it’s a popular choice during celebrations such as weddings or Ramadan. “Traditionally, harees was only made by the wealthy during Ramadan, Eid and wedding celebrations,” Arzur says. “It was, however, customary for the harees dishes to be shared with poorer neighbours on such occasions.” Today, it’s on everyone’s edible agenda.

 

4. Al Nassma

Proponents of camel milk sing its praises for many reasons: It’s said to contain more calcium than other kinds of milk and even to have curative properties. “Over 35 years ago, the idea of a camel-milking facility was born at the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory [CVRL] in Dubai,” says Assistant Concierge Manager Peter Wharmby. “Research commenced on a small number of camels, raised with the aim of obtaining scientific proof that this Bedouin diet staple contains outstanding health benefits.” To conduct your own taste test, he recommends the Camel Milk chocolate at Al Nassma in The Dubai Mall.

5. Shai Salon

If you’re a fan of afternoon tea, Shai Salon, just off the lobby at Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, will call to you. “Make yourself at home beneath the intricate lattice ceiling, snack on meze plates and relax,” Wharmby says. The cardamom and date thin crêpes and the lugimat (sesame seed, honey and date fried dumplings) are standouts. Pro tip: Ask for a table with a rosefinch’s-eye view of the Arabian Gulf and a piping-hot karak tea, a cardamom- and ginger-infused milk variety with saffron threads.


Al Fahidi district Dubai

The historic Al Fahidi district, where the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding is located.

6. Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding

For extra Dubai with your food, make a beeline for the Al Fahidi Historic District. “Join a tour guide for a walk through the beautiful wind towers that adorn the original residences along Dubai Creek,” Wharmby says. “As part of the tour, you’ll have an Emirati meal at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding and learn more about the culinary heritage.” It’s the ideal place to combine a locavore meal with delectable discourse; you’ll chat with Emirati hosts about the area’s culture, customs and religions.

7. Al Mandaloun

A Dubai staple since it opened in the mid-1980s, Lebanese hideaway Al Mandaloun is now a go-to lunch spot for captains of industry in the Dubai International Financial Centre. Your order: thin-crust zaatar pizza with thyme and olive oil, sojouk (Armenian spicy lamb sausages with tomato and pepper), or, for more adventurous eaters, kebbeh mohammasa – raw lamb with pine nuts and a side of tomatoes. Dessert fiends can’t depart without at least one bite of the muhalabia, a pudding made with rose water and corn flour that dates back to 7th-century Persia.

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Cityscape

5 Swoon-Worthy Summer Picnics

Does anything say summer quite like dining al fresco? Around the globe, Four Seasons hotels and resorts elevate the classic picnic with enchanting settings, appetizing adventures and inspired dishes.


Florence picnic

In a Clandestine Park

How better to enjoy this 15th-century palazzo and its gated gardens than with a picnic supplied by Four Seasons Hotel Firenze‘s Michelin-starred restaurant? “This experience is quintessentially Italian,” says Vito Mollica, Executive Chef and Director of Food and Beverage. “Our dishes are steeped in tradition, and Italians are known for eating outdoors on holidays.” Choose your setting – a grassy lawn shaded by centuries-old ginkgo trees, a secluded gazebo or a blanket by the park’s neoclassical temple – and pop open a bottle of Tolaini al Passo. The Tuscan red pairs well with a meal of artful dishes, from melon with shaved ham and airy asparagus frittatas to classic baci di dama biscuits made with hazelnuts.


Seychelles picnic

On a White-Sand Beach

A tropical lunch meets relaxed adventure at Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island, a private isle ringed with nearly 9 miles (14.5 metres) of sugar-soft sands.

“This island is meant for exploring,” says Chef Olivier Barré, “and the picnic is a delicious excuse to pause and enjoy the view.” Guests can stroll or cycle to one of dozens of spots, on the edge of turquoise waters or shaded by coconut groves, that simply beg for a gingham blanket. Lunch, neatly packed into a bike-friendly wicker basket, is completely customizable, though bites like pesto chicken and local cassava or banana chips are perennial favourites, not to mention the kiwi Danishes. While you dine, keep an eye out for Aldabra giant tortoises – more than 100 live on the island.


Prague boat picnic

Aboard a Private Riverboat

Take in the Czech Republic capital’s sights – the iconic Charles Bridge, Prague Castle – aboard one of Four Seasons Hotel Prague‘s elegant wooden boats. Built by master craftsmen in Italy, the two vessels that sail the Vltava River are furnished with deep blue cushions and overseen by captains in crisp white suits. Begin the picnic with house-made pretzels (a guest favourite) and bottles of chilled Prosecco, followed by hearty salads and sandwiches stuffed with prosciutto di San Daniele or smoked salmon. “Guests see the city from a whole new angle,” says Chef Concierge Petr Zezula.


Vail picnic

On a Mountain Trek

Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail launched its picnic program last summer and it’s back by popular demand. “The Colorado-inspired meals are a convenient addition to mountain biking or hiking adventures,” says Kate Allan, Guest Relations Supervisor. Guests can earn their lunch with a walk along one of the Four Seasons recommended routes, such as a hike to placid Piney Lake or a tour through aspen groves to scenic Booth Falls. The backpack spread includes a selection of portable delectables such as the Resort’s popular house-made granola and sandwiches of shaved meats – pancetta, calabrese and salami, among others – sourced from the state where you’re enjoying them.


Las Vegas heli-tour

After a Heli-Tour

This unparalleled picnic experience from Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas starts with a helicopter trip through the Valley of Fire, a 40,000-acre nature preserve known for its bright red Aztec sandstone. Guests have exclusive access to a private landing pad at the base of the Grand Canyon. Here, a picnic fit for royalty is presented: plates like ahi tuna crudo, Waygu beef carpaccio and blackened salmon salad, along with Champagne. The food gains relish from the backdrop: towering canyon walls and the winding Colorado River. “Travellers visit Las Vegas for myriad reasons, many never realizing the destination’s proximity to one of the seven natural wonders of the world,” says Hotel Manager Angelica Palladino. After this excursion, you won’t be likely to forget it.

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Your next adventure awaits.

Ponte Santa Trinita

90 Years of Excellence at Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris

Among the many storybook sights in Paris – an architectural wonderland where even utilitarian traffic circles are postcard-ready landmarks – Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris ranks high. A crown jewel in the Four Seasons portfolio, the Hotel has attracted the world’s glitterati since opening its doors in 1928. Honouring the 90th anniversary of this grande dame of the Champs-Élysées, we’ve put together a brief guide to its illustrious history – and summarized why it’s still the only place to stay in the City of Lights.

Heritage Highlights: A Brief History of the George V

When it opened at the height of the art deco period in 1928, the George V – its name a nod to the British monarchy – coddled guests with amenities that were unheard of at the time, including two bathrooms per suite (it was rare for any Parisian hotel to have an en-suite bath at all, much less two), a telephone with an outside line and dumbwaiters that delivered food straight from the kitchen to the room. By 1930, guests could charter flights to or from London, Madrid and Berlin on the Hotel’s three-seat Farman plane. But why would they ever leave? Designed by French architects Lefranc and Wybo with a sunlit inner courtyard, the Hotel feels like a royal residence where you’d want to stay awhile – one where a subterranean wine cellar, built 14 metres below ground in former stone quarries, holds some 50,000 carefully curated bottles.

No surprise, then, that some of the 20th century’s boldface names chose the George V as their home away from home in Paris. The Beatles wrote “I Feel Fine” in their suite at the George V, where a piano was installed just for them; their photographer, Harry Benson, captured them twisting and shouting during a pillow fight for some of the most famous images of the Fab Four ever made.

Even in the most romantic city on earth, the George V is so romantic that Elizabeth Taylor and Conrad Hilton chose the eighth-floor Penthouse Suite – with wraparound overlooks of the cityscape — for their honeymoon. The view, of course, includes the Eiffel Tower, which now sparkles by night every hour on the hour in an effervescent light show reminiscent of Champagne bubbles. “The George V is in the Golden Triangle of Paris, so it has always been in the middle of things – cinema, fashion,” says Roderick Levejac, Chef Concierge of Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris. “We became a part of it. Yves Montand, the Beatles, Orson Welles . . . I could name a hundred more. They all knew the address.”


Spa pool at George V

A Splashy Spa

The just-renovated Spa at Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, reopening in June 2018, is a striking tribute to relaxation in style. Included in the revamp designed by the celebrated Pierre-Yves Rochon: a 90-square-metre (970-square-foot) fitness room, a new salon for your daily coiffure and a 17-metre-long pool – a rarity in Paris. Interiors will be lush with orchid arrangements by Jeff Leatham, the Hotel’s lauded Artistic Director, who has 12,000 flowers delivered direct from Amsterdam every week to adorn the George V.


Chefs at George V

Three Michelin-Starred Restaurants

One Michelin-starred restaurant distinguishes a hotel from the rest. Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, has three – each worthy of a trip to Paris. Le Cinq is the only restaurant in the city to have garnered three Michelin stars in 2016, 2017 and 2018; Chef Christian Le Squer’s menu changes regularly but may include such edible wizardry as roasted blue lobster with pistachio and creamy coral sauce, or truffle spaghetti with morel mushrooms and ham.

The Hotel’s other two mainstays shine with one Michelin star apiece: Mediterranean-style Le George – be sure to try the sea bass crudo with powdered balsamic vinegar – and the atrium-like L’Orangerie, an ideal setting for a brunch of champions. Under its glass dome, windows look out on the marble courtyard, as do guests dining on such dishes as smoked soft egg served with imperial caviar on a bed of watercress.


George V suite

Suites to Call Home

Each of the 244 guest rooms and suites at Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, combines fine French design traditions (gilding here, Louis XVI furniture there) with meticulous modern enhancements – 24-hour dining and dry-cleaning, even in-room bread toasting services. “We have renovated the Hotel since its opening, but, to me, nothing has changed,” Levejac says. “The George V has a real story. Throughout the years and changes, it remains one of the most well-known hotels of the whole world, and, of course, one of the very best too.”

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Your next adventure awaits.

floral art installation at Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris

Explore

Your Most Instagrammable Day in Toronto

World-class museums, thoroughly charming neighborhoods and a restaurant selection even New Yorkers would envy – it’s no surprise that Toronto is tops. We turned to guests and staff of the 55-storey Four Seasons Hotel Toronto – the flagship property in the Four Seasons portfolio, not to mention the birthplace of the brand – for their most shareable memories, including what room service to order for breakfast and where to nab a cocktail in a 19th-century former speakeasy. Here, get a play-by-play rundown of Toronto’s most cinematic sights.

MORNING

Sunrise Sustenance

There’s no better place to catch the sunrise over Toronto’s tony Yorkville neighborhood than from your sumptuous bed, overlooking floor-to-ceiling windows that peep out on the city.

All 259 guest rooms feature down-swathed Signature Four Seasons beds – the ideal lounging spot for awaiting room service. “For a sunrise view, request a room facing east,” says Carolina Avaria, the Hotel’s Chef Concierge and Director of Communications for Les Clefs d’Or, an organization of the globe’s top hotel concierges. Her go-to room service breakfast orders? “The lemon ricotta pancakes are our trademark breakfast item if you’re looking for something sweet. For something savoury, the avocado toast and the Canadian breakfast never disappoint. And we also have healthy smoothies, including the Blueberry Antioxidant and the Power Green.”

 

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Kick Off the Day with Culture

Among the most beloved sites in Toronto, Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) – the largest museum in the country – provides a sophisticated start to your day. “It’s just a block away from our Hotel, which is phenomenal,” Avaria says of the 1914 museum, which sports a glass and aluminum façade by architect Daniel Libeskind called The Crystal. “They have the best rock collection in the world and the largest exhibition of Chinese artifacts outside of China. You can spend two hours to an entire day in there, and it’s only a seven-minute walk away.” Don’t leave without stopping by the 6,000-square-foot Institute for Contemporary Culture, where modern works (from street art to style star photography) take center stage.

AFTERNOON

 

 

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Pretty Pick-Me-Up

If you’re feeling peckish after nonstop gaping at the museum, swing by family-owned Sorelle and Co. – one of Avaria’s favourite spots for a restorative afternoon coffee or tea and gluten-free, vegan sweets. “It’s adorable, with seriously perfect, Instagrammable decor,” she says. “Not only is it a great, cozy atmosphere, but it’s truly beautiful, with little roses on each round table. The walls are all glass, so you can see outside to Yorkville.” Order a Toronto-made Sloane tea (the vanilla bean rooibos is a classic) and a lemon brûlée tart for a bit of edible R & R.

 

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Brunch With a Side of History

Bar Reyna is housed in an old row house built in the 1850s,” says Avaria, who has lived and worked in Yorkville for 16 years. “In the 1960s there was a massive hippie movement, and all of the Americans avoiding the draft came to Yorkville.” At Bar Reyna, a former speakeasy, Mediterranean-inspired dishes like baklava French toast in mulberry syrup lure – as does the leafy back patio. Avaria’s cocktail of choice? The Mezcal Smokeshow. “I love it because it’s rimmed with Hawaiian black salt, a unique ingredient I haven’t seen anywhere else.”

Lap Time

Take a leisurely walk back to the Hotel through the bustling Yorkville neighborhood, and then head to the ninth floor for a dip in the 13-metre-long pool, where floor-to-ceiling windows reveal the surrounding cityscape. “All Hotel and Spa guests have full access to the pool and adjacent whirlpool, which are ideal for either a relaxing soak or vigorous exercise,” Avaria says. “Guests love standing out on the Spa’s terrace to take in the view.” Upgrade your swim with a Spa treatment, such as a Himalayan Salt Stone Massage, during which you’ll be rubbed down with the 200-million-year-old mineral.

EVENING

Dine in Style

Among the dozens of truly exquisite restaurants in Toronto, the Hotel’s own French brasserie Café Boulud is touted as the best in the city. “It’s one of celebrity chef Daniel Boulud’s only two restaurants in all of Canada, with beautiful mid-century interior design by London-based Martin Brudnizki,” Avaria says. “The menu, designed in collaboration with Chef Boulud and Chef de Cuisine Sylvain Assié, is rooted in soulful French cuisine inspired by Lyonnaise classics and Boulud’s upbringing on a family farm in the small village of Saint-Pierre-de-Chandieu.” The most ordered dish? The rotisserie chicken, which is slowly cooked to perfection on what Avaria deems the Rolls-Royce of rotisseries, a Rotisol imported directly from France. “Another standout: the plateau de fruits de mer, a seafood tower including oysters, shrimp, crab, clams, mussels and half-lobster. For dessert, you must order the profiteroles, which are one of the most popular desserts in all of Toronto on Instagram.”

A Bubbly Finish

The preferred way to cap off a delicious day in Toronto is by sipping your favourite Champagne from your private soaking tub lofted over the city. “Every room in our Hotel has a bathtub, but book the Presidential or Royal suite to enjoy a soak by a window overlooking Yorkville,” Avaria says. Custom-made body products tailored specifically for the Hotel by Vicolo Fiori’s fragrance line with Etro Milano amplify this only-in-Toronto treat.

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Toronto skyline

The 7 Most Instagrammable Four Seasons Desserts

Who says dessert has to wait until after dinner? You may find sumptuous confections from Four Seasons pastry chefs hard to postpone. From architectural hot chocolate to a tarte au framboise worthy of its own Pantone colour, these courses are ready for their close-up.

 

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Montblanc in Jakarta

At Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta’s chic La Patisserie, you can be a kid in a debonair candy store. The boutique’s gold-leaf ceiling, robin’s-egg blue walls and sparkling chandelier set the stage for Executive Pastry Chef Lorenzo Sollecito’s exquisite sweets. In his artful Montblanc, smooth chestnut crèmoux and a Chantilly of mascarpone and Madagascar vanilla rest on a crunchy alpen butter cookie. Sink into the settee and prepare to evoke Instagram envy. It’s almost too pretty to eat.

Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta

 

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Molten Cake in Bahrain Bay

Executive Pastry Chef Imad Boukli’s version of the Jean-Georges classic is a decadent mixture of crisp and smooth – 70 percent dark-chocolate cake with a liquid centre, paired with homemade vanilla ice cream and spritzed with a fragrant coffee foam. “I love watching our guests’ reactions once they break the crust of the cake and the warm chocolate melts its way through the frosty vanilla scoop,” Boukli says. “It’s a decadent, hot-icy experience for all dessert lovers.”

Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay

 

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Deconstructed Carrot Cake Macaron in Washington, DC

Pastry Chef Moliere Patrice’s comfort-food take on the French macaron is served alongside deconstructed versions of two other iconic American desserts – a s’more and a pecan tart – during the Seasons Sunday Brunch at Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC.

Patrice sources almond flour from his hometown – Brooklyn – for the macaron, and rich, sweetened cream cheese replaces the customary ganache filling. The delicate beauty is finished with carrot cake crumbs and a dusting of cinnamon. “Between Seasons Restaurant, in-room dining, private events and more, our pastry team has to find inspiration for hundreds of different desserts each month,” says Executive Chef Andrew Court. “They’re all fantastic, but I think the most successful creations are influenced by some type of special connection, whether that be a hometown ingredient, a take on a classic recipe or, in this case, both. It’s amazing to see their creativity come to life.”

Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC

Le Baba au Rhum Mojito, Trilogie de Chocolat and La Framboise in Hong Kong

French techniques flourish along with two Michelin stars at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong restaurant Caprice. By bestowing on le baba au rhum the flavours of mint and lime, pastry chef Nicolas Lambert gives it a Cuban kick. The elegant trilogie de chocolat combines the caramel crunch of feuillantine with milky Valrhona Chantilly and white chocolate namelaka, a Japanese ganache whose name translates to “creamy texture.” Lambert’s framboise is a study in subtlety that celebrates the marriage of raspberry and lemon. “Pastry is pleasure for the palate,” Lambert says. “I associate flavour with texture, and I like to play with three or four textures at a time. Once I have the textures and the flavour right, I think about presentation. For me, the most important part of pastry is that it’s tasty – or gourmand, as we say in France.”

Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong

 

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Tarte au Framboise in Casablanca

Executive Pastry Chef Thierry Mette’s raspberry tart is sensory delight of multiple dimensions. Sweet dough filled with almond cream is topped with vanilla Chantilly, then bejewelled with a tower of fresh raspberries and a dusting of icing sugar. “It’s an iconic dessert that represents the best in French pastry techniques delivered in its simplest form,” says Mette, a 28-year Four Seasons veteran from Brittany, France. And it’s just as easy on the palate as it is on the eyes.

Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca

Haute Chocolate in Vail

A pièce de résistance for après-ski since the Resort’s opening in 2010, this architectural beverage turns heads when it’s served tableside at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail’s Remedy Bar. An attentive server delivers a mug topped with a homemade marshmallow on a chocolate lattice, and then carefully pours steaming hot Valrhona chocolate and steamed milk from a traditional French pot. The finishing touch? Chocolate shavings and a dollop of whipped cream. “When we first started serving it, we actually had the marshmallow inside the mug,” says Executive Pastry Chef Andrew Schweska. “But soon we realized our guests wanted something more experiential, so we put the marshmallow atop the lattice, providing the ultimate hot chocolate experience.”

Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail

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City at night