You could visit Yas Mall every day for two whole months and eat or drink somewhere different each time. With 62 food and beverage outlets already open, it would be natural to think the mall has enough dining options, but there are many more you’ll soon be able to sample. Here are eight new arrivals worth getting excited about.
1 Buca di Beppo
This American restaurant chain specialises in traditional Italian cuisine, with classics such as lasagne, spicy chicken rigatoni and spaghetti with Buca's famous half-pound meatballs. Dishes are served family style and shared by everyone at the table. The restaurants are known for their eclectic, vintage vibe with old family photos and shots of Italian-American icons such as Sophia Loren and Joe DiMaggio lining the walls. This will be the first Buca di Beppo in the UAE — rumour has it there's one coming to Dalma Mall, too. Visit www.bucadibeppo.com.
2 Al Fanar Restaurant & Cafe
An Emirati restaurant with traditional, rustic decor, it already has locations in Dubai Festival City and Venetian Village within the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal. The Yas Mall branch will have indoor and outdoor dining options, seat 340 people and be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Scheduled to open after Ramadan to mark the celebration of Eid Al Fitr. Visit www.alfanarrestaurant.com.
3 BouBouffe Lebanese Brasserie
BouBouffe, a sandwich and shawarma shop from Lebanon, is a popular eatery in Beirut and now it’s coming to the UAE. Three outlets are scheduled to open by the end of the year — two in Dubai and one in Yas Mall. There will be three additional outlets — two more in Dubai and another in Abu Dhabi — opening by 2017.
4 Masala Street
A new Indian street-food concept, the dishes are inspired by roadside eateries in the subcontinent. The menu will include kebabs, curries and biryanis as well as favourites such as dosas, idli, kathi rolls and chaat. Buffet and à la carte menus will be available. Masala Street is scheduled to open in the open-air Cascade Dining area. The popular location, which already has 15 cafes and restaurants, is set around a musical water feature.
5 Yu Shan Fang
Yu Shan Fang will serve up traditional Chinese delicacies inspired by flavours of the Imperial Palace. Using a large bank of recipes gathered over thousands of years, the restaurant will offer the best of Chinese gastronomy. Yu Shan Fang has prime real estate in the Cascade Dining area.
6 Esfahan
Inspired by the rich history of Esfahan, Iran, this eatery is in Cascade Walk in Ferrari World. Scheduled to open in June.
7 The Pho Room
Opening in the food court, The Pho Room is a brand-new concept that will make its UAE debut by the end of the month. Expect Vietnamese cuisine with flavourful combinations of sweet and salty, cold and hot, fresh and fermented. The Pho Room’s signature dishes will be its pho soups.
8 French Bakery
This bakery opened in Dubai in 1997 and now has 10 locations. When it opens in Yas Mall later this month, it will be its first — and flagship — branch in Abu Dhabi. The concept is inspired by quaint French villages where daily, fresh-baked breads are the norm. The bakery also has a bistro menu and a wide range of cakes and pastries on offer. Look for upcoming branches at Khalidiya Mall, Al Raha Mall and Al Wahda Mall. Visit www.frenchbakery.ae.
sjohnson@thenational.ae
