< PreviousDubai’s best restaurants 30 March 10 – 31 2022 timeoutdubai.com FINE DINING NEWCOMER WINNER SushiSamba With world-famous venues already established in Miami, Las Vegas and London, SushiSamba opened to much fanfare towards the end of 2021, and it has lived up to the hype ever since. Marrying Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian food on the 51st Áoor of Palm Tower, signature dishes are prepared in an open- style theatre kitchen, where you’ll also Ànd a swanky bar and lounge area. Floor-to-ceiling windows that perfectly capture the astonishing views are the ideal accompaniment. O Licensed. The Palm Tower, Palm Jumeirah, sushisamba.com/locations/dubai (04 582 1555). HIGHLY COMMENDED 11 Woodfire A dining experience with a difference, 11 WoodÀre is the brainchild of chef Akmal Anuar of 3Fils and GoldÀsh fame, offering up various different kinds of woods on which chefs grill meat, Àsh and vegetables for interesting Áavour combinations. Not only does its contemporary space ooze both character and charm, but chef Akmal is committed to zero waste and sustainable practices too, and we’ve got plenty of appetite for that. O Unlicensed. Next to Mercato Mall, Jumeirah (04 491 9000). Tamoka With a menu spanning the most exciting Áavours from across Tulum, San José and Lima towards Cartagena, Caracas and Panama, Tamoka is the hottest new venue in JBR. Perched right on the beachfront next to The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai, this beautiful restaurant, terrace and beach bar combines striking Bohemian interiors with an open kitchen and ceviche counter. Add to that views of the ocean and Ain Dubai, there’s no better spot to while away a weekend. O Licensed. Mamsha Street, JBR, www.tamokadubai. com (04 318 6099). SushiSamba Tamoka For the full list of Dubai’s best restaurants, visit: timeoutdubai.com/restaurant-awards-2022 14-31_TOD_2203_COVER FEATURE _11972882.indd 3007/03/2022 12:38:21Dubai’s best restaurants timeoutdubai.com March 10 – 31 2022 31 RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR Mimi Kakushi Chances are, whatever cuisine is your favourite and whichever part of town you like to hang in, you’ve eaten in Mimi Kakushi - or have had it placed Àrmly at the top of your ‘to try’ agenda. And so you should. Whether you simply love Japanese food, want to try Dubai’s best brunch, want to catch up with friends, entertain a client or have a chilled-out date night with delicious food, bang-on service and art deco vibes, Mimi has you covered. And if you’ve not been, what are you playing at? Book a table and be quick about it. O Licensed. Four Seasons Resort Dubai by Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach Road, mimikakushi.ae (04 379 4811). 14-31_TOD_2203_COVER FEATURE _11972882.indd 3107/03/2022 12:38:32Movie locations 32 March 10 – 31 2022 timeoutdubai.comMovie locations timeoutdubai.com March 10 – 31 2022 33 Call yourself a super Àlm fan? Day dream about being in your favourite movie? Frequently Ànd yourself re-enacting scenes from classic Áicks? You’ll be wanting to take a gander at this list then. From off-the-beaten track destinations to world-famous landmarks, otherworldly desert terrain that has doubled as planet Mars (but is actually rather closer to home in the UAE), unassuming locales that remain unchanged by fame and towns that have cashed in on their dalliance with Hollywood, these are the real-life movie locations you can actually visit. AMÉLIE Café des 2 Moulins Amélie is a Àlm that charmed all who watched it, made everyone fall that bit more in love with the dreamy Paris that director Jean-Pierre Jeunet depicted and saw thousands of women sporting super-short fringes à la Audrey Tautou. For those that don’t already know, Café des 2 Moulins, the cute café where kooky heroine Amelie worked as a waitress is a real place and far from being a tourist trap, is super popular with locals. Head there for coffee and the signature ‘Amélie’ salad. O cafedesdeuxmoulins.fr/en. FORREST GUMP Chippewa Square, Savannah, Georgia The seat from which Forrest recounts his life story while waiting for the bus has made Chippewa Square in the historic district of Savannah famous all over the world. While the bench itself was actually a movie prop that was later donated to the Savannah History Museum (where it can be viewed today), there are many other benches in the park should visitors wish to pose for a commemorative photo. There’s also a roped off section where the original bench once was and Tom Hanks once sat. Pass me the chocolates. O Savannah History Museum, chsgeorgia.org/SHM. 13 must-see big screen spots for movie buffs By Emily Shardlow-PriceMovie locations 34 March 10 – 31 2022 timeoutdubai.com “The scene where Indie finally sets eyes on the canyon is one of the most memorable in the franchise” Al Khazneh, Petra, Jordan Movie locations timeoutdubai.com March 10 – 31 2022 35 Chippewa Square, Savannah, Georgia Café des 2 Moulins GHOSTBUSTERS Hook & Ladder Company 8 fire house, New York Easily recognisable as the home base for the Ghostbuster team in the three original movies (it also appears in the 2016 remake), the Hook & Ladder Company 8 Àre house in Tribeca, New York was built in 1903 and has been in service ever since. By all means stop by for a selÀe but make yourself sparse should those sirens sound. O nycgo.com/attractions/hook-ladder-company-8- tribeca/ THE HARRY POTTER FRANCHISE various UK locations From taking a steam train ride along the 30-metre-high GlenÀnnan Viaduct in the Scottish Highlands (the track on which the Hogwarts’s Express famously chugged) to snapping a selÀe at Platform 9¾ at London’s Kings Cross Station, not to mention day- tripping to Oxford and taking a jaunt around Christ Church Cathedral (which featured as Hogwarts in all eight Àlms), Harry Potter fans have plenty of options when it comes to seeing set locations in real life. O visitscotland.com, kingscross.co.uk INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE Al Khazneh, Petra, Jordan The 1989 instalment of the blockbuster action movie series sees adventuring archaeologist Indiana in pursuit of the Holy Grail, which according to Àlm lore is housed in the ‘Canyon of the Crescent Moon’. For the purpose of Àlming though it was the elaborately carved sandstone temple of Al Khazneh (The Treasury) in the ancient hidden city of Petra (a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new seven wonders of the world), that masqueraded as the resting place for the immortality-granting artefact. The scene where Indie Ànally sets eyes on the canyon is regarded as one of the most memorable in the entire franchise and can be easily re- enacted with a visit to Petra. O international.visitjordan.com JAWS Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts It’s well over four decades since thriller Jaws gripped the world and terriÀed a generation and yet much of Martha’s Vineyard, the island south of Cape Cod that portrayed the seemingly idyllic town of Amity, remains unchanged. For the ultimate fangirl and boy experience, book a place on the Edgartown Tour Company’s ‘Amity’ Tour of Jaws and prepare to be transported back in time as you stroll past the Town Hall (the setting for that nail scraping scene), the Amity Island Police Department and the Amity Gazette Building. Safer on land than on sea, right? O edgartowntours.comMovie locations 36 March 10 – 31 2022 timeoutdubai.com JURASSIC PARK Hanapepe Valley, Kauai Hawaii The aerial arrival scene in the original Jurassic Park movie which sees Dr Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) being escorted onto Isla Nublar by John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) was Àlmed in the Hanapepe Valley, Hawaii. You too can experience what it’s like to view the geological wonder that is Jurassic Falls (ofÀcial name Manawaiopuna Falls) from the air and even explore this otherwise inaccessible area of Kauai by booking a Jurassic Falls Helicopter Landing Tour. O islandhelicopters.com LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, PROMETHEUS, THE MARTIAN, DUNE Wadi Rum, Jordan Thanks in no small part to its spectacular rock formations, prehistoric inscriptions, chiselled canyons, archaeological sites and Àerce, jutting ridges, Wadi Rum is a formidable movie set location. Jordan’s Valley of the Moon made its big screen debut in the 1962 Àlm Lawrence of Arabia, and after that appeared in both Ridley Scott’s Prometheus (2012) and The Martian (2015) where it made a hugely convincing doppelgänger for Mars. Most recently, Wadi Rum served as the sandworm-infested planet Arrakis in last year’s blockbuster Dune (shooting also took place in Abu Dhabi’s Rub’ al Khali desert). Located around four hours south of Amman, you can easily book into a Wadi Rum tour and go exploring for the day or even stay overnight at the Wadi Rum Bubble Luxotel glamping resort. O wadirumbubble.com LORD OF THE RINGS AND THE HOBBIT TRILOGIES Matamata, Waikato, New Zealand While Peter Jackson’s Àlm adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic tales made numerous New Zealand beauty spots famous, it’s the rural town of Matamata with its thatch-roofed cottages and bucolic, Áower-Àlled pastures that is one of the favourites and is instantly identiÀable as home to young Frodo and Bilbo Baggins. For the full fan experience, visitors can book onto a guided Hobbiton Movie Set Tour and have their very own Middle Earth encounter, passing by various Hobbit Holes (including Bag End) and stopping off at the Green Dragon Inn for a restorative drink. O Hobbiton Movie Set Tour: hobbitontours.com MAMMA MIA 1 & 2 Skopelos, Greece It may not have done wonders for Pierce Brosnan’s singing career, but you know who really did beneÀt from the Mamma Mia Àlms? The Greek tourist board. Kalokairi, the island where the action in the rom-com action musical was said to take place is Àctional but the stunning architecture, characterful tavernas, cobbled streets, fabulous beaches and roadsides dotted with pine trees are all very real and can be found on the picture- perfect island of Skopelos, where much of the movie was Àlmed. Whether you choose to warble your heart out on the small stretch of sand where Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Copper sang Lay All Your Love on Me or not is entirely up to you. O greeka.com/sporades/skopelos/ NOTTING HILL Various London-based locations One for the rom-com lovers. From Portobello Market to William Thacker’s house with the blue door on Westbourne Park Road to the world-famous Savoy Hotel (the location for that Horse & Hound interview), London is dotted with spots where fans can relieve moments from the hugely successful movie (when Notting Hill was released in 1999 it became the highest grossing British feature ever made). Perhaps most popular of all though is a visit to the Notting Hill Travel Bookshop on 13 Blenheim Crescent where Julia Robert’s Anna Scott uttered those famous lines (all together now): “I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy…” O visitlondon.com ROCKY II The steps outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art There are so many memorable moments in the Rocky series – Rocky defeating Apollo, Apollo’s death, that “Yo Adrian, I did it” yell for a start – but for those who want to recreate one of the most iconic scenes of all, running up the 72 steps that lead to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (the exact steps that Sly himself triumphantly ascended) is a must. Cue the music. philamuseum.org STAR WARS EPISODE IV, A NEW HOPE Hotel Sidi Idriss Otherwise known as ‘the Star Wars Hotel’, Hotel Sidi Idriss in the small arid town of Matmata in southern Tunisia was the original Àlm set for Luke Skywalker’s childhood home, the Lars homestead on planet Tatooine. The hotel is open year-round, Star War decorations are still in place and you can even spend the night in one of the adobe caverns. O hotel-sidi-idriss.com Matamata, Waikato, New ZealandMovie locations timeoutdubai.com March 10 – 31 2022 37 Wadi Rum, JordanSkopelos, Greece “For the full fan experience, book onto a guided Hobbiton Movie Set Tour”38 March 10 – 31 2022 timeoutdubai.com Food timeoutdubai.com/food-drink timeoutdubai.com/brunch Pancakes deserve more than a day’s attention – here are some top stacks to try, no matter your mood. By Lynda Keogh STACK IT UP Pancakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Don’t mind if we do. March always reminds us of the wonder combo that is Áour, milk and eggs, a pinch of salt and a dash of oil. Granted, these restaurants put in a little bit more effort than that. Whether you’re a lemon and sugar traditionalist or an all-out Áuffy stack fan, here’s some of Dubai’s best pancakes to try this month. The New York stack at Clinton Street Baking This City Walk eatery is a little slice of New York in the desert. At Clintons, you’ll Ànd traditional thick, American-style pancakes piled high. With Áavours like chocolate chip and the famed blueberry pancakes, you’re bound to Ànd something to suit your mood (or your sweet tooth!). You can even order a stack of Clinton’s directly to your kitchen table with Deliveroo. How handy. O Dhs55. Open daily 9am-9pm. City Walk, clintonstreetbaking.ae (04 344 0705). Vibe Cafétimeoutdubai.com March 10 – 31 2022 39 at Café Society. Fresh strawberries and slices of banana are folded between layers of thin crêpes, and drizzled with warm Nutella ganache. Wow. If you’re not a big chocolate fan and fancy a fruity alternative, why not try the blueberry and banana pancake, with fresh berries and a heap of sweet date syrup. O From Dhs35. Open daily 9am-11pm. TAMANI Marina Hotel, Dubai Marina, cafesociety.ae (04 318 3755). The mid-shopping break at Le Gourmet Take a break from traversing Dubai Mall and head to Le Gourmet at Galeries Lafayette for little pancake pick-me-up. Try Chef Izu’s pancakes, topped with fresh berries and a homemade chocolate sauce. Once you indulge on this delicious dish (and maybe a coffee) you’ll no doubt be back in Áying form to hit the shops once again. O Dhs45. Mon-Fri 10am-11pm, Sat-Sun 10am-midnight. Galeries Lafayette, Dubai Mall (04 339 9933). The buttermilk treat at LDC Kitchen and Coffee LDC’s most popular pancake stack, buttermilk pancakes with crispy praline streusel, is a must order. A stack of buttermilk pancakes are layered with walnut praline, almond and hazelnut streusel and whipped mascarpone, topped with bananas and a generous glug of maple syrup. This one will have you savouring every mouthful. O From Dhs55. Open daily 7am-midnight. One JLT Tower 1, Jumeirah Lake Towers (04 320 9669). The easy, at home ones with Marks and Spencer Forget weighing out all your ingredients and getting messy in the kitchen, have the professional pancake experience at home with the Marks and Spencer pancake shaker mix. Literally all you have to do is add water and shake; easy, peasy, lemon sqeezey. There’s even a plant-based option too. Add your favourite toppings and syrups, et voila, the perfect pancakes. O From Dhs10. Various locations including Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates and Marina Walk. The all-day pancake at Common Grounds A much loved, any-time-of-the-day type food spot: The pancakes at Common Grounds should be high on your to-try list. The blueberry ricotta hotcakes are deliciously Áuffy, and are served dripping in spiced maple syrup, whipped mascarpone and perfectly caramelized banana slices. O Dhs56. Open daily 8am-10pm. Mall of the Emirates, Al Barsha, commongroundsdubai.com (050 478 1094). The one for peanut butter lovers at Vibe Café If you’re looking for drool-worthy stacks of delicious pancakes, you’ll be spoiled for choice at Vibe Café. The peanut butter stack is smothered with a ferrero Rocher ganache and topped with caramelized bananas, a dollop of peanut butter and lashings of maple syrup. Sounds delicious, right? Or if you’re looking for a vegan option, you won’t be disappointed with the mixed berries. Oh, and Vibe Café just happens to be one of Dubai’s most Instagrammable spots, so make sure to grab a picture for the grid. O Dhs65. Open daily 8am-10pm. Lamar Building, Al Wasl. Open Sat-Wed 10am-11pm; Thu-Fri 10am- midnight. The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC. vibeuae.com (800 8423). The stuffed crêpes at Café Society For breakfast, try a traditional French crêpe “Make sure you grab a picture for the grid” Le GourmetNext >