Things to do in Abu Dhabi this weekend
You know that moment on a Thursday afternoon when your work buddy asks what you’re doing this weekend and your mind goes blank? Well worry no more, friends, because What’s On has the perfect solution, whatever mood you are in.
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THURSDAY
Abu Dhabi Science Festival
The fourth Abu Dhabi Science Festival takes place and events will be held in three locations: one on the Corniche, one at Al Ain Zoo and the final venue takes the festival UAE-wide and is based on the Al Majaz Waterfront in Sharjah. Aimed at kids aged five to 15, the festival has had more than 370,000 visitors since it launched back in 2011 and gives your nippers to learn about science and technology in a fun, relaxed environment.
Abu Dhabi Science Festival, Abu Dhabi Corniche East Plaza, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain Zoo, Abu Dhabi, Al Majaz Waterfront Sharjah, Nov 13 to 22, Dhs5 (adults) and Dhs10 (kids over four years old, kids under go free). abudhabisciencefestival.ae, adsftickets.ae
Get fit in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi Alive returns to Zayed Sports City for the second year, featuring live fitness classes, sports activities including a rock climbing wall, cooking demonstrations, free health consultations from fitness pros and giveaways. Exhibitors over the course of the weekend include Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Adventure HQ, Al Salama Hospital, Adrenagy Health Club, Bodytree Studio, Awazen health care clinics, Gold’s Gym, online health community Fitness Link and Mediclinic Corniche. Register online before the event for free entry and full access to facilities including the bowling centre, tennis courts beach tennis and rugby field.
Abu Dhabi Alive, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, Nov 13 to 15, Dhs5 to 10. Tel: (04) 3365161. Taxi: Zayed Sports City. abudhabialive.ae
Try truffles at Marco’s
Truffles are big business at this time of year and one of the many restaurants in the capital featuring them on their menu during November is Marco Pierre White’s Steakhouse & Grill. The celebrity-owned diner is holding a White Truffle Dinner on November 13 and will pair dishes made with white truffles from the Piedmont region in Italy with wines from the area as well. The rarity of white truffles and fluctuating market prices means Marco’s has yet to decide how much you’ll have to pay for the evening, but expect to fork out in the region of Dhs1,250 to 2,000 per person for a night the hotel is calling one of it’s ‘flagship’ events of the season.
Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Bain Al Jessrain, Abu Dhabi, daily 6pm to midnight, Dhs1,250 to 2,000. Tel: (02) 6543238. Taxi: Fairmont Bab Al Bahr. fairmont.com/abu-dhabi
Check out Fluid Dynamics on Yas
Art and science might seem like unusual bedfellows, but the two worlds collide perfectly this month at Yas Viceroy as part of Swiss Art Gate’s series of exhibitions called Crossroads. The latest, #17, is on display at the hotel and features the work of Fabian Oefner. A Swiss artist, his exhibition Fluid Dynamics, features brilliant splashes of colours created by using centrifugal force (the apparent force that draws a rotating body away from the center of rotation) and opposing chemical compounds (such as oil on water) and perfectly timed flash photography to capture the moment paint splatters onto a canvas. The results are complex and colourful.
Yas Viceroy, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, until Feb 14 2015, free. Tel: (02) 6560600. Taxi: Yas Viceroy. viceroyhotelsandresorts.com, swissartgateuae.com
Saadiyat Beach Club launch party
The Monte-Carlo Beach Club has gone through a bit of a rebranding and is now known as Saadiyat Beach Club. And tonight the club is celebrating by having a party, featuring capoeira dancers, a photobooth and some high-profile DJs including ROM1, the resident DJ of Nikki Beach in St Tropez, Lebanese decks guru maDJam (a regular at Skybar and White Dubai) and Audio Tonic’s Mr Mr.
Saadiyat Beach Club, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, Nov 13, 9.30pm to 3am, Dhs125 (normal entry) to 250 (VIP). Tel: (02) 6563500. Taxi: Saadiyat Beach Club. Saadiyatbeachclub.ae
FRIDAY
Try Mary’s brunch at the St Regis Abu Dhabi
Here’s a bit of St Regis trivia for you. The Bloody Mary cocktail was originally created in The St Regis New York King Cole Bar 80 years ago. And the name was deemed so racy it was called a Red Snapper instead. Now St Regis Abu Dhabi has decided to honour this event by creating a brunch in its honour. Gary Rhode’s restaurant 44 is no longer at the hotel, and this new version, called the Bloody Mary Brunch, is held in the same location, which is now known as The Terrace at the Corniche. Pay for your Friday feast here and you can get post-brunch access to the hotel’s Nation Riviera Beach Club for a reduced rate of Dhs100.
St Regis Abu Dhabi, Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi, Fri 12.30pm to 3pm, Dhs295 and 525. Tel: (02) 6944444. Taxi: St Regis Nation Towers. stregisabudhabi.com
Yoga in a hammam at the Eastern Mangroves
Yoga and steam rooms: they both offer plenty of health benefits, including reducing stress, releasing endorphins and increasing circulation. And this month you can try both together at the Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara. Let’s Go Yoga is holding a session in the hotel’s hammam, a traditional, communal steam bath popular in both Turkey and Morocco. Expect 40C heat to help you detox, build muscular strength and gain more flexibility.
Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara, Al Markaziyah, Abu Dhabi, Nov 14, 8.15am to 9.30am, Dhs120. Tel: (050) 3492336. Taxi: Eastern Mangroves. abu-dhabi.anantara.com. letsgoyogame.com
Balearic flavours at Nahaam
The poolside restaurant at Jumeirah at Etihad Towers is embracing Spanish cuisine this month. Nahaam is hosting two chefs from the Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel & Spa, situated in the fishing village of Port Sollar in Mallorca. Chefs Ignacio Moreno and Patricia Dios are in town for a week, and will be preparing a selection of tapas dishes and will also have their own cooking station serving paellas at Nahaam’s Friday brunch on November 14.
Jumeirah At Etihad Towers, Ras Al Akhdar, Abu Dhabi, Nov 10 to 17, 11am to 11pm. Tel: (02) 8115666. Taxi: Jumeirah At Etihad Towers. jumeirah.com
Check out Seeing Through Light
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi isn’t expected to open until 2017 but if you want to catch a glimpse of what to expect when it does, head to Manarat Al Saadiyat this month. The pre-opening exhibition Seeing Through Light: Selections From The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Collection, will feature 16 pieces of art including two loans from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. The pieces are displayed in chronological order, starting in the 1960s, and cover five themes: Activated, Celestial, Perceptual, Reflected, and Transcendent. Artists featured include Angela Bulloch, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Robert Irwin, Y.Z. Kami, Bharti Kher, Rachid Koraïchi, Yayoi Kusama, Otto Piene, and Douglas Wheeler.
Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, free, until Jan 19 2015. Tel: (02) 6415699. Taxi: Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island. saadiyatculturaldistrict.ae
Try modern Arabic cuisine
You’ll find Levant and Egyptian dishes in ZayZafoon, a new restaurant in Bawabat Al Sharq Mall, which is now open. There’s also a shisha lounge.
Bawabat Al Sharq Mall, Baniyas City, Abu Dhabi, mall timings Sun to Wed 10 am to 1pm, Thur to Sat 10am to midnight. Tel: (02) 5031400. Taxi: Bawabat Al Sharq Mall, Baniyas City. basmall.ae
Zuma’s new brunch
The high-end Japanese restaurant in Abu Dhabi’s Sowwah Square had a good October. Not only did it win the Best Newcomer gong at the What’s On Awards 2014, it also launched its Baikingu brunch. Diners can choose from a selection of dishes including sushi, sashimi, Maki rolls, Black cod, spicy beef and desserts. It’s also kid friendly: highchairs and colouring books will be given to kids upon arrival.
Sowwah Square, Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi, 12.30pm to 4pm, Dhs345 to 555. Tel: (02) 4015900. Taxi: Sowwah Square, Al Maryah Island.
Breakfast at the beach
Beach House at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas is now serving a breakfast menu, featuring salmon with potato and leek cakes, and oven-baked rosti with fried eggs.
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi. Tel: (02) 4071234. Taxi: Park Hyatt, Saadiyat. abudhabi.park.hyatt.com
Foie gras at Le Beaujolais
The king is in Abu Dhabi this month. But we’re not talking about Elvis. We’re talking about Robert Chaffanjon, Don’t know him? He’s been called the ‘king of foie gras’ in France (he’s the founder of Moulin De La Molle, a company that makes the controversial duck’s liver delicacy back in his home country). This month, he’s spending three weeks at French mainstay Le Beaujolais and will be preparing a special menu featuring the dish.
Mercure Centre Hotel, Al Markaziyah, Abu Dhabi, noon to midnight, Nov 1 to 19. Tel: (02) 6333555. Taxi: Mercure Hotel, Hamdan Street. mercure.com
SATURDAY
Truffles ahoy! (LAST CHANCE)
There’s a special menu featuring the delicacy at the nautical-themed Italian Cipriani, which ends today.
Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, Nov 1 to 15, 6pm to midnight. Tel: (02) 6575400. Taxi: Yas Marina. cipriani.com
New abra experience on the creek
Never stood on the sand at the Shangri-La or Fairmont hotels and wondered how long it’d take to cross the Maqta Creek and reach the Ritz-Carlton? Wonder no more. A new abra sefvice has been launched, taking you on a 20-minute journey along the waters and it stops at The Ritz-Carlton, The Souk, The Fairmont Bab Al Bahr and the Shangri-La Hotel.
Kohr Al Maqtaa, Abu Dhabi, daily trips from 6pm to midnight, free. captaintonys.ae
November deals from Ornina
Abu Dhabi’s Mediterranean restaurant, Ornina, situated in Al Bandar, has announced its promotions for November. Happy hour will be every day between 4pm and 7pm, with 20 per cent taken off of every bill. Mondays are Cosmopolitan Nights, where ladies can enjoy free Cosmo cocktails from 9pm to midnight, Tuesdays are Spanish Nights, with live music, while Wednesdays are called Margarita Passion, with free cocktails up for grabs for the fairer sex between 9pm and midnight.
Ornina, Al Bandar, Abu Dhabi, Sat to Wed 11.30am to 1.30am, Thur to Fri 11.30am to 3am. Tel: (02) 5566090. Taxi: Al Bandar. orninalounge.com
Saturday brunch at Flooka
The Lebanese seafood restaurant at the Eastern Mangroves Promenade launched a new Saturday brunch last month. On the menu you’ll find seafood paella, fish taouk, grilled fish shawarma and a selection of traditional Arabic desserts. Sitting outside is the best idea here, as the views of Abu Dhabi’s mangroves are an ideal backdrop for a leisurely munch on the weekend and there’s a bar serving cocktails on the terrace, plus a face painter to keep kids occupied. Live Arabic tunes are provided by Talal Kontar and his band.
Eastern Mangroves Promenade, Al Markaziyah, Abu Dhabi, Sat midday to 5.30pm, Dis120 (kids) and 220 to 320. Tel: (02) 4418244. Taxi: Eastern Mangroves Promenade. flooka.com
Sign up and stride
The annual Abu Dhabi Striders half marathon takes place on Yas Island on November 14 and there’s still time to sign up and take part. Participants get a day’s access to Yas Waterworld afterwards.
Abu Dhabi Striders, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, November 14. premiermarathons.com, facebook.com/abudhabistriders.
New Ferrari World shows
The capital’s motor-themed park has launched two new regular shows. Mission Ferrari is an acrobatics show about a secret agent, while Viva Ferrari combines 3D animations, performance art and optical illusions.
Ferrari World, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, shows daily. Tel: (02) 4968000. Taxi: Ferrari World. ferrariworldabudhabi.com
Lights at Sontaya (LAST CHANCE)
The Thai restaurant also celebrates the country’s Festival of Lights this month and is offering a special set menu.
St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, Nov 7 to 15, Dhs300. Tel: (02) 4988888. Taxi: St Regis Saadiyat Island. stregis.com
Check out Venetian Village
Situated right next to the Ritz-Carlton, Venetian Village is currently home to two restaurants – Emirati outlet Al Fanar and Japanese eatery Inakaya, which opened late October. Eating at the latter goes by the name of robatayaki; a style of grilling meat that’s just as much about the theatrical performance from the chefs as it is about the food.
Venetian Village, Khor Al Maqta’a, Abu Dhabi. Inakaya, daily 6.30pm to 11pm. Tel: (02) 4041921. Taxi: Venetian Village, next to Ritz-Carlton. venetianvillage.ae
Give your face a Powerlift
A new treatment at Talise Spa promises to make gents look younger – by applying electrical impulses to the face. The Aroma Powerlift simply plumps up your skin using impulses that are so mild, it feels similar to a light pinprick. The device, which consists of a selection of metal probes that are rubbed over your face, is the brainwave of London-based Aromatherapy Associates. While the treatment is safe, a session does start with one piece of advice – remove all jewellery, including rings.
Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Ras Al Akhdar, Abu Dhabi, daily 9am to 9pm, Dhs750 for 60 minutes, Dhs900 for 90 minutes Tel: (02 8115858). Taxi: Jumeirah At Etihad Towers. jumeirah.com
