Team What's On choose their pick (and icks) of things in the UAE right now

What's On

07-02-2025

If a venue is offering a redeemable package, the great. It's naturally a great way to make the most of your cash, offering a comfy sun lounger to laze day away on. However, the term is a little redundant when drinks are so expensive that you can barely squeeze a small appetiser and one drink in, if that. Come on, if it's going to be redeemable, we need prices to be reasonable enough that we can actually redeem. – David Rivers, Group Editor Pick: Seeing if the hospitality horse has bolted The Stables
A good PR friend of mine recently pointed out that there is a coverage bias at What's On . And she's right. A large part of our mandated journalistic duty is to show people the best of what's new, glossy, and glamorous in the region – but that doesn't mean we should let our love for the Old Skool lapse. It's at least partly because of this, I made a long overdue return to a Dubai haunt from (my at least) years of yore, The Stables. It's had some pretty heavy cosmetic surgery since my last visit, seven or so years ago, and it's the good kind. It looks younger, brighter – no laboured pouting or homogenised Dubai facia – but still retains its rootin' tootin' 'spit 'n' sawdust' charm. The menu has also been visited by the glow-up fairy – a strong burger, feisty calamari, and a margarita-mezcal blend that's Socratically deep. Full tables, sung fables, The Stables defies labels. – Miles Buckeridge, Deputy Editor Dubai Ick: Metretiquette
A few weeks ago, I did an article for whatson.ae highlighting the different types of (annoying) people you encounter on the Dubai Metro. And I've just discovered a few ones that I am just itching to add to the list. There's the one that rushes past you to get to the escalator/travelator only to perch themselves in the center of the pathway, forcing you to work your way around them (while fighting the urge to tackle them). Then there's the ones who push past you while you (as a decent human being) wait in a queue to nab a seat in an empty train (even though you've been waiting for a good 15 minutes for the train to arrive). The worst are the ones with headphones on inside the cabin. The one who doesn't hear someone's desperate 'excuse me' as they battle a storm of people to get off the metro. The cherry, though, is when said person is eventually forced to push past said music listener, who then ends up looking annoyed because he/she was pushed aside. Like really, bro? – Aarti Saundalkar, Arts & Culture Features Editor
I went to Salt Camp last year, and I just had to go back this year because of how great the food was. This time around, we ended up at the bar, where all the magic happens, and we sampled a secret menu created by the chef – not only was every course a banger, which is incredibly rare, the flavour pairings were super unique, combining ingredients from all over the world and using, salt, heat and fat to transform them into plate-cleaners and dish-sweepers. The whole concept of the menu is to utilise the powers of wood-fired cooking, with a massive, open grill at the heart of it all. So, not just meat, but cheese, vegetables and everything you can think of has been touched by smoke. 10/10, would recommend. – Manaal Fatimah, Online Reporter Ick: Compliments that age poorly
'You look good for your age.' Oh, wow – thank you so much for the backhanded compliment I never asked for. It's just a fancy way of saying, 'You look good… considering you're old.' And I'm supposed to take that as a compliment? How generous… Is it really that hard to just say, 'You look good' and skip the not-so-cute age reference? – Lana Du, Reporter Pick: Bleaching my hair, but healthily
Those who also identify as Barbies know the addiction but also the struggle with keeping your hair as healthy as possible. I've been dying my hair since age 16, so for a significant amount of time, (the exact amount I'm not willing to disclose) and before hair health was a trend, the top of my head resembled a texture close to straw. I've tried for a long time to get it back to being healthy, but also stay as blonde as possible and my incredible hairdresser has achieved that for me. If you're a blonde in Dubai, I'd recommend Meg (@thecursedblonde) to anyone, she's based in the Den Salon in Arjan if you're looking. – Madie Murphy, Senior Reporter
Media: Instagram, What's On Archive
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