Latest news with #Minsk
The National
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
John Dory Seafood Market review: Five dishes to try at Belarusian brand's first Dubai outpost
Tucked into one of the deeper nooks of Dubai Festival City Mall's The Market Island, a modern food hall with communal seating, this Belarusian seafood brand is making its first international foray after more than a decade of service in Minsk. You can tell straight away this is one of the more ambitious offerings in any UAE shopping mall food hall. It's sprawling and it looks great. There's an open kitchen, a raw bar serving oysters, and a sit-down space with a mix of couple and group seating all tied together in a light, well-paced layout. The kitchen snakes through the restaurant, with the counter finished in soft green and engraved with fish, a quiet design detail that runs throughout. Focused on serving seafood nose to tail but relaxed in its execution, John Dory Seafood Market delivers some of the best fish you'll find in any mall outlet. It is family-friendly and does what a good mall restaurant should: make you forget you're in a mall. Here are five dishes to try. Oysters (various prices) No oysters taste the same, and that's the point of John Dory's offerings. While sold individually, a recommended idea is to curate your own set and explore the differences in brine, texture and depth. The selection is thoughtful with oysters sourced from France to Fujairah. Served on ice, each has a distinct character. The Gillardeau No 2 (Dh45) offers a meaty depth, while the Dibba Bay No 3 (Dh18), the most local of the lot, is crisp, saline and fresh. The Speciale Krystale No 2 (Dh32) is buttery and rich while the Fine de Claire Geay No 2 (Dh13) is clean and delicate, and best saved for the end depending on how you sequence your tray. Other options include the Fines de Normandie No 3 (Dh10), Speciale Poget No 3 (Dh37) and Speciale Belle-Ile No 3 (Dh25). At Dh180 for all seven, it's best shared with friends. Seychellois yellowfin tuna tiradito (Dh60) Bright, tart and dressed for the occasion. This is a raw dish that's all about balance and texture. Thinly-sliced tuna is expertly laid over a tangy tomato ponzu, garnished with crisp potato straws and a drizzle of Japanese mayo blended with kimchi. The acidity is sharp enough to cut the fat, while the crunch of the straws adds contrast. It reminded me a little of more upmarket crevice. It's beautiful to look at and wonderfully refreshing. Carabineros prawns (Dh300) This is the most indulgent item on the menu, and it announces itself with a bold, no-frills presentation. If you need a reminder that John Dory is, at its core, a seafood fishmonger restaurant, then this is it. Large, vivid red prawns arrive lightly grilled and drizzled with lime. It is all about freshness here. The flesh is sweet and tender. But the real treat, and this is not for the faint-hearted, is the head. That is where you will find the rich umami with all its flavour and fat. Yes, it is pricey but for seafood connoisseurs but this is a treat you owe yourself. Octopus hotdog (Dh75) Now, this is a case where looks can deceive. It looks like a roll with a big piece of octopus in the middle. But once you bite into it, you're caught off guard in a good way. While the tentacle is fresh, smoky and soft, the sauce is the real standout. A base layer of Japanese mayo and kimchi sits underneath the tentacle, while a layer of melted cheese ties it all together. The sauce is spicy enough and coats everything just right. It is one of the most surprising dishes on the menu. Bold and satisfying and Dubai exclusive, this treat could be the UAE outpost's calling card. Dry-aged tuna fillet (Dh65) Years of eating canned tuna as a student meant I rarely gave the fish much thought, so I approached this dish with some hesitation. This version is more considered. White yellowfin tuna from the Seychelles is aged in-house for 10 to 14 days, then lightly seared and sliced into neat, delicate strips. The ageing gives it a firmer, meatier texture, somewhere between sashimi and a lean steak. The minimal seasoning allows the concentrated flavour to come through. It is slightly nutty, with a gentle umami depth that lingers. While it may not convert the sceptical, it shows how tuna can be reimagined in an elegant way. Save or splurge Dishes range from Dh40 to Dh300, with plenty on offer for diners of different appetites and varying passion for crustaceans. The value holds up, especially when you consider the sourcing and technique involved. Between the fish counter, raw bar and dining space, John Dory Seafood Market shows what a premium food hall can be. It proves that accessible, well-executed, even polished dining can exist in a mall without losing integrity. For those wanting to take some of that experience home, the adjacent seafood store sells pre-marinated fillets and ready-to-bake meals. John Dory Seafood Market at Dubai Festival City Mall is open daily from 12pm to 11pm. Reservations can be made by calling 052 240 3898.
Russia Today
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Trump official reveals vodka drinking at negotiations in Minsk
A lunch with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko which included vodka shots helped secure the release of 14 opposition figures following rare talks between Washington and Minsk, a senior US official has revealed. In an interview with Politico published on Sunday, John Coale, a deputy to US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Keith Kellogg, offered a glimpse into high-level US-Belarus talks in Minsk last month. Shortly after the meeting, Belarus released several detained opposition activists, including prominent opposition figure Sergey Tikhanovsky, who immediately left the country for Lithuania. According to officials in Minsk, Lukashenko pardoned the prisoners at Trump's request and stressed that he acted out of 'humanitarian considerations, to reunify families.' They added that the talks also focused on US-Belarus relations and international issues. Politico claimed the release 'wouldn't have happened without Coale's efforts to forge a relationship with Lukashenko, including over a long lunch with vodka toasts.' Coale said, 'I did two shots, didn't throw up, but did not do a third one.' While the lunch was held behind closed doors, footage from the talks released by Belarusian media shows Lukashenko cordially greeting the US delegation, hugging Kellogg, and patting other American officials on the shoulder. According to Politico, Trump's special envoys are able to pursue informal diplomacy while bypassing traditional State Department channels, which provides opportunities for direct, unconventional engagement. Lukashenko later said the meeting was respectful, adding that it should not be interpreted as a concession to the West. 'We were not playing at a giveaway... There was a respectful conversation.' The talks with key Russian ally Belarus took place as the Trump administration made efforts to restore ties with Moscow while seeking to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict.
Russia Today
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Trump official reveals ‘vodka diplomacy' during talks with key Russian ally
A lunch with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko which included vodka shots helped secure the release of 14 opposition figures following rare talks between Washington and Minsk, a senior US official has revealed. In an interview with Politico published on Sunday, John Coale, a deputy to US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Keith Kellogg, offered a glimpse into high-level US-Belarus talks in Minsk last month. Shortly after the meeting, Belarus released several detained opposition activists, including prominent opposition figure Sergey Tikhanovsky, who immediately left the country for Lithuania. According to officials in Minsk, Lukashenko pardoned the prisoners at Trump's request and stressed that he acted out of 'humanitarian considerations, to reunify families.' They added that the talks also focused on US-Belarus relations and international issues. Politico claimed the release 'wouldn't have happened without Coale's efforts to forge a relationship with Lukashenko, including over a long lunch with vodka toasts.' Coale said, 'I did two shots, didn't throw up, but did not do a third one.' While the lunch was held behind closed doors, footage from the talks released by Belarusian media shows Lukashenko cordially greeting the US delegation, hugging Kellogg, and patting other American officials on the shoulder. According to Politico, Trump's special envoys are able to pursue informal diplomacy while bypassing traditional State Department channels, which provides opportunities for direct, unconventional engagement. Lukashenko later said the meeting was respectful, adding that it should not be interpreted as a concession to the West. 'We were not playing at a giveaway... There was a respectful conversation.' The talks with key Russian ally Belarus took place as the Trump administration made efforts to restore ties with Moscow while seeking to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict.
Al Mayadeen
15-07-2025
- Business
- Al Mayadeen
NATO's defense spending surge may cause its collapse: Lavrov
NATO's surge in defense spending will only damage the alliance and push it toward collapse, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned, calling for greater pragmatism in its approach, as he addressed reporters following the Collective Security Treaty Organization's Council of Foreign Ministers meeting. "He can probably see – since he is such a wise sage – that the disastrous increase in spending of NATO countries will also lead to the collapse of this organization," Lavrov said, responding to Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski's claim that Russia's military build-up would lead to its downfall. "Meanwhile, Russia – as President [Vladimir Putin] said the other day in Minsk after the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting – plans to reduce its military spending and be guided by common sense, rather than imaginary threats, as NATO member states do, including Sikorski," Lavrov pointed out. Following the NATO Summit held in The Hague on June 24-25, the alliance's member states have agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, as outlined in the adopted communique, with plans to allocate at least 3.5% of GDP by 2035 based on NATO's agreed definition of military spending. An allocation of 1.5% of GDP will be dedicated to safeguarding critical infrastructure and networks, enhancing civil preparedness and resilience, fostering innovation, and bolstering the defense industrial base. Eager to claim credit, Trump hailed the agreement by all 32 NATO member states to work toward spending five percent of GDP on defense, calling it "a great victory for everybody." During closed-door discussions, diplomats revealed that Trump stressed the importance of US leadership while pushing allies to direct their expanded defense budgets toward purchasing American-made weaponry. With NATO leaders unanimously praising the agreement as "historic," Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever observed that Europe's "long break from history" had ended, emphasizing the continent's urgent need to assume full responsibility for its defense amid escalating geopolitical tensions.
Malay Mail
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Malay Mail
E-commerce Platform Wildberries Pilots Its Own Taxi Service
MINSK, BELARUS - Media OutReach Newswire - 9 July 2025 - Wildberries, a leading e-commerce platform in Eurasia, has begun testing its own ride-hailing service in Belarus. The company expects the new service to help diversify its business and increase user engagement with its digital beta testing of the WB Taxi app began in July in the Minsk region. The first users of the taxi service were selected from among Wildberries marketplace customers. After receiving feedback from them, the company plans to refine the app and launch it to a broader audience."The launch of WB Taxi is an important step in the company's business diversification," said Mikhail Zhigalo, Director of WB Taxi. "It will strengthen our position not only as a marketplace, but also as an ecosystem of everyday services. We expect the new service to expand our user base, increase engagement, and create additional touchpoints with the brand."At the core of WB Taxi is a proprietary navigation system developed in-house. WB Maps are tailored to users' needs, making the taxi booking and ride experience convenient and over 20 years of experience in e-commerce, Wildberries has accumulated significant expertise in transport logistics. The company operates its own vehicle fleet, partners with logistics firms, and engages private Taxi aims to ensure price transparency and avoiding sudden fare hikes. For drivers, WB Taxi will offer a stable commission chose Belarus as the launch market for its ride-hailing service due to the country's progressive legislation in digital technology and transportation services, as well as the growing demand for ride services. If successful, the company plans to scale WB Taxi to other markets where it #Wildberries The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About Wildberries Established in 2004 in Russia, Wildberries is a leading e-commerce platform operating in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, while also partnering with sellers in China and the UAE. Wildberries provides a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure to support customers and sellers, along with a developed logistics network spanning more than 135 facilities and 83,000 pick-up points across its markets. As of 2025, Wildberries serves over 79 million customers and processes more than 20 million orders per day.
