Dubai’s Newest Glam-Zone!

With an enviable location perched on the banks of the iconic Dubai Creek, the stylish new Zabeel House Al Seef by Jumeirah is a swanky new addition to the city’s booming hotel scene. Raul Dias gives you four reasons why you need to stay here on your next jaunt to the glitzy Emirate of Dubai. 

By Raul Dias

1. Location, Location, Location
As the second hotel in Jumeirah’s new ‘Upscale Casual’ collection, Zabeel House Al Seef—which opened its doors in June this year—offers a chilled-out, hip, loft-style vibe on the south banks of Dubai Creek with a rooftop pool offering up views of the megalopolis to die for. Just like this hotel that it houses, Al Seef is a new district of 90 restaurants and 350 retail outlets, all nestled on the banks of Dubai Creek. It’s the perfect jumping-off point to explore the older parts of Dubai including the wind towers, galleries and cafes of Al Fahidi; the spice, textile and gold souks; and the old homes of Al Shindigha. The hotel is also conveniently located for exploring other parts of the city with Downtown Dubai, Dubai Mall and the beaches of Jumeirah just 15 minutes away.

2. Cocoons of Bliss
With 200 rooms, the hotel caters to all sorts of travellers, offering three different sized rooms for the solo traveller, couples or families. Think king-size B&B Italia mattresses in the ‘Plush’ and ‘Suite’ rooms or Simmons mattresses in the popular rooms, oversized oak dining and work tables, minimalist wardrobe spaces, hammocks for lounging on when reading, contemporary art on the walls and ceilings inspired by Dubai and you’ll get our drift. Enjoy more luxe amenities in the form of free-standing bathtubs for that ultimate soak—all complete with organic liquid toiletries by OSME, signature black SMEG mini bars, N’espresso coffee machines and a SuitePad, perfect for making plans for the days ahead or simply for ordering that late-night snack!

3. Edible Wonders
Speaking of food, there’s much to be said about the legendary food and beverage scene in Dubai, and this hotel has a lot to offer on that front! Chapters is not your normal lobby bar, as you are encouraged to settle in for a while with one of the books pulled down from the surrounding bookcases. Through the lobby you’ll find Nyon serving Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern bites throughout the day. Don’t forget to check out the black and white photographs on display here that showcase some of the world’s most iconic cities. A recent addition to the hotel’s F&B scene, Skafos is a wonderful alfresco gastro restaurant reaching out over the waters of Dubai Creek, the ideal spot to watch the dhows and abras cruise past. Seven floors above, the Sol Sky Bar sits on the brim of the rooftop pool with a cocktail menu to match the variety of panoramic views of the city.

4. R&R at its Best
The vast open-plan lobby provides the perfect location for catch-ups with colleagues, clients or friends. Here is where you are first welcomed into the hotel with a ginger shot mixed with fresh saffron from the Spice Souk and pure honey from Yemen. From the group of human sculptures raising their hats to you as you enter the hotel, to the abstract art display called the ‘cityscape’ which portrays Dubai’s transformation and the stereos that adorn the reception desk and the spa, there’s design details to inspire at every turn. And if you’re looking for zen throughout your stay, the hotel has a well-equipped indoor gym, complete with sauna, steam room and two treatment rooms. For the outdoorsy kind, head out for a run on the 2-kilometre promenade that stretches from the hotel alongside the Creek.

Zabeel House Al Seef

al Seef, Dubai Creek

PO BOX 35449, Dubai UAE

Tel: +971-4-7077077

reservtions@zabeelhouse.com

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the 18th November 2018 issue of The Free Press Journal newspaper's Weekend section on page 3 http://epaper.freepressjournal.in/m5/1900464/Free-Press-Mumbai-Edition/18-Nov-2018#page/13/1)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Ruby Chocolate

By Raul Dias

Exactly a year ago, in September 2017, the holy trinity of dark, milk and white chocolate saw an interloper called ruby chocolate disrupting their unchallenged hegemony for its own piece of the chocolate pie (pun intended!). All this, a good 80 years after white chocolate was first inducted into the hallowed ‘chocolate hall of fame’, much to the horror of the chocolate cognoscenti, who, at that time, swore by their traditional dark—and to a lesser extent—milk iterations of chocolate.
With a countenance that can best be described as ‘hot pink’ and a taste that has a hint of fruity notes coupled with a tart finish, ruby chocolate made its brazen presence felt as the ‘fourth’ and newest kind of chocolate. Introduced by Barry Callebaut, a Belgian-Swiss cocoa company, the chocolate is made from the ruby cocoa bean. Found in Brazil, Ecuador and the Ivory Coast, ruby beans are existing botanical cocoa bean varieties that have been identified as having the right attributes to be processed into ruby chocolate. And these attributes include an all-natural darkish pink colour and a unique berry-like taste, sans any added artificial colouring or flavouring agents. 
Interestingly, ruby chocolate was only made available for sale to consumers in January this year, when it was introduced in Japan and South Korea with the limited-edition ruby Kit Kat bar. Similarly, in India, Fabelle, the luxury chocolate brand from ITC has recently announced a limited run of just 1,800 boxes of its ruby gianduja where the pink-hued chocolate is combined with a ganache made with Turkish hazelnuts. 

(This column first appeared in the 18th November 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8)

Around the World in Four Diwalis!

Ready for some hardcore Diwali celebrations—international style? Raul Dias takes you to four places around the world, where the Festival of Lights is celebrated by the Indian diaspora with as much gusto as it is back home in India

By Raul Dias

New York City
With perhaps one of the strongest Indian diaspora in all of North America, New York City puts on a spectacular show every year for Diwali. One of the most iconic of all these celebrations is the annual ‘Diwali at Times Square’. It is an eight-hour celebration that has everything from live performances and fashion shows to dance and music competitions, photography exhibition and other creative programs like rangoli making. It truly is a spectacular sight when the entire skyline of New York City dazzles with fireworks during Times Square Diwali. Another interesting take on Diwali celebrations in NYC is the Diwali Motorcade and Cultural Show, hosted by the Divya Jyoti Association of New York at Richmond Hill in New York City. The show comprises creative entertainment programs including a parade, a havan ceremony, worship of Goddess Lakshmi, with the event culminating in awarding prizes to the best decorated vehicles.

Guyana
While not many of us can claim to be familiar with Guyana, here Diwali is a very big deal! Located on the northeast coast of South America, Guyana (formerly known as British Guiana) may not be large geographically speaking, but it does have a sizeable population of about 7,70,000 Hindus who constitute around 33% of the country’s total population. Celebrated according to the Hindu solar calendar, the day of the festival is declared as a national holiday after it is believed to have been brought to Guyana in the year 1853 by the first indentured people from India. Similar to India, the celebration of Diwali includes distribution of sweets, illuminating the inside and outside of the house, exchange of greetings, cleaning of houses and wearing of new clothes along with making sweets like pera (peda), barfi, and kheer.

Malaysia
Along with the indigenous Malay and Chinese people, Indians—mainly of South Indian ethnicity—make up a third of the population of Malaysia. Known as Hari Deepavali, the festival is celebrated almost all over the Malaysia except in Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan. While it is a public holiday in Malaysia and celebrated here with plenty of lights, there is a ‘silent’ twist to the festivities as fire crackers are banned in Malaysia. One of the best places in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur to get a feel of the pomp and splendor of Diwali is the city’s very own Little India that can be found in the Brickfields District near Bangsar. Here, the neighbourhood’s main street of Jalan Tun Sambanthan is full of the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of a true-blue Indian Diwali. Shops selling aromatic spices sit next to those blasting the latest Bollywood ditties. Traditional clothes such as saris along with jewellery, flower sellers along with the South Indian’s favourite Banana Leaf restaurants can all be found here.

London
If New York has its Times Square Diwali, London too has its wildly popular ‘Diwali on Trafalgar Square’ to boast of! Every year, The Diwali in London (DiL) committee, in partnership with the Mayor of London, brings Diwali On Trafalgar Square (DOTS) to London. This free for all celebration consists of music and dance performances, family-friendly craft activities, community stalls and delicious food from India and beyond, as part of a large programme of activities. Speaking of which, one of star attractions for this year at DOTS is the ‘Mass Ghoomar Dance’. A traditional folk dance of the Bhil tribe that is performed in worship of Goddess Sarasvati, the dance typically involves female performers twirling in and out of a wide circle. It is traditional for a newly married bride to dance the ghoomar on moving into her marital home.  

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the 4th November 2018 issue of The Free Press Journal newspaper's Weekend section on page 3 http://epaper.freepressjournal.in/m5/1883169/Free-Press-Mumbai-Edition/04-Nov-2018?fbclid=IwAR0Olf47HKsgN29ZP7lM3P2kzz140mmw08xMrf8WthNBHV2by3o1nxLZjCE#page/19/1)

Around the World in Six Christmas Trees!

As the most beautiful harbinger of the Yuletide season, the Christmas tree is more than just a mere festive ornament and one that has come to be recognised as the de facto symbol of all things Christmas. We bring you a few iconic interpretations of the Christmas tree from around the world, each with its own story to tell…   

By Raul Dias

The Galeries Lafayette Christmas Tree, Paris
It is safe to say that come early December one of the main reasons people visit Paris’s hallowed Galeries Lafayette department store—that sits pretty along the city’s chic Boulevard Haussmann—is not only for the rather expensive Christmas gifts one can pick up there. It is to get an eyeful of the legendary themed Christmas tree that rises 43 metres up the store’s Art Nouveau wrought iron and glass dome. One of the most memorable themes of this annual tree hosting tradition is the ‘Frozen’ one of 2016. That year, artist Lorenzo Papace came up with a tree that was made entirely of recycled paper with a tableau representation of bears and cubs that showed them abandoning their crib on the North Pole in search of a new ice pack that has not melted yet. But it was the 2017 tree last year themed ‘Spectacular, Spectacular’ that literally took the cake. What with it being created entirely from giant candy pieces and other edible goodies!

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, New York City
Images of people bundled up in woollies, ice skating under a giant Christmas tree, sipping hot chocolate and eating roasted chestnuts (though not all at the same time!) are montages that come to mind when one thinks of this iconic tree that has featured in countless movies over the years. Usually a Norway spruce tree ranging from 21 to 30 meters in height, this one has been a national tradition in the US for almost a century. Interestingly, the tree is older than the building it is housed in! It was way back in 1931, when a group of demolition workers working during the holidays put up their own Christmas tree on the construction site of the Rockefeller Center with a 20-foot tall balsam fir that saw tradition take shape. And ever since then, both locals and tourists alike have been staring up in gob-smacked wonder at one of the most beautiful Christmas trees of all time.

The Pope’s Christmas Tree, Vatican City
At advent every year a majestic spruce or fir Christmas tree is the chosen one to grace the very heart of St. Peter’s Square with themes that reflect important social messages ranging from migration to the refugee issue. Interestingly, this Christmas tree hosting tradition is a rather recent one. It was only in 1982 during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II that the tree as well as the life-size Nativity Scene was started. There is also one other tradition that is followed religiously (do pardon the pun!). Ever since the first tree in 1982 came from Italy, every year the Vatican accepts a tree donated by a different European country or region. Ironically the tree last year in 2017 was a 21-meter spruce tree donated by Masuria, Poland in honour of the Polish-born late Pope John Paul II. Considered one of the most beautiful Pope’s Christmas Tree ever, the 2016 one was illuminated by 18,000 LED lights and decorated with the ceramic ornaments, made by children in hospitals across Italy who were receiving treatment for cancer and other illnesses.

The Palace Square Christmas Tree, St. Petersburg
As one of the world’s most beautiful cities, stunning St Petersburg ups the ante with the wondrous spectacle that the Palace Square Christmas Tree affords all who visit it. Set against the backdrop of the baroque Winter Palace, the former official residence of Russian monarchs on the banks of the Neva River, this Christmas tree comprises green boughs attached to a wire frame. Decorated with traditional Russian Christmas ornaments including large replica Fabergé eggs, floral wreaths and other baubles, it truly mirrors the former imperial Russian grandeur at its finest. So magical and historical is this one that one can almost expect an Anna Karenina-esque character to come whirling by in a haze of powdery snow, riding a troika of silver white horses!

The Floating Christmas Tree, Rio de Janeiro
Though loathe to pick a favourite from a list such as this, we simply have got to give the crown to Rio’s Floating Christmas Tree, which interestingly is the newest of the lot having been started a little over two decades ago in 1996. Floating on a barge in the city’s Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon, this stunning, 279-foot high mammoth tree is bedecked with 3.3 million micro light bulbs, each reflecting brilliantly in the waters of the South American lagoon. In order to view it from close quarters families hire out small boats shaped like geese for a spin on the lagoon. As the world’s largest floating Christmas tree, as certified by The Guinness World Records, this one is a big draw in Brazil with the lighting ceremony nationally televised and packed with celebrities. It is so big that it ranks only behind New Year’s Eve and Carnival on the city’s list of most-watched events.

The Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree, London
Besides all its myriad year-round attractions, come winter and London plays host to one of the world’s most celebrated Christmas trees. Standing mighty next to the statue of the rather diminutive Lord Nelson in Trafalgar Square, the 20-meter tall spruce tree has been an annual gift from the Norwegian capital city of Oslo since 1947. All this as a gesture of the Norwegian people’s gratitude for Britain’s support during World War II. And as with most icons, the tree comes with its own set of traditions. Chief among them being the tree lighting ceremony that takes place on the first Thursday in December and is attended by thousands of people. Led by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, the ceremony includes a blessing of the crib ceremony, which features a torchlit procession and music from St Martin-in-the-Fields church followed by the switching on of the Christmas lights. And the rest? Pure, undiluted wonder!

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the October-November- December 2018 issue of HDFC Imperia magazine)