We couldn’t let the Year of the Dog pass by unnoticed…
This weekend marks Chinese New Year, and in a city as cosmopolitan as Dubai, you know there’s going to be a few ways to celebrate.
Gather your nearest and dearest for a traditional meal as we say goodbye to the Year of the Rooster and usher in the Year of the Dog. Even if it’s not your family’s tradition, you can’t go wrong with a reason to welcome good fortune and start fresh.
Read:
This private island in Dubai could be yours… for Dhs80 million
Our top picks: 6 things to do in the UAE this weekend
Head to The Palm
A number of Atlantis The Palm’s restaurants are offering special menus in celebration of the Year of the Dog, but our pick is Yuan. From February 15 to 24, they’re serving up favourites like Yu Sheng salmon and stir-fried lobster with ginger and spring onions. Book in for their yum cha brunch on Friday if you want an even more indulgent experience. On Thursday 15 and Friday 16, a lion dance performance will move through the resort from 7.15pm. Festive. Saffron, Asia Republic and Kaleidoscope also have offers running.
Yuan, Atlantis The Palm, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai. Friday brunch runs 12-3.30pm, Dhs408 per person with house beverages. Tel: (04) 426 2000. atlantisthepalm.com.
Or stay in and order…
Night-in favourite The Noodle House has put on a trio of special lunar new year dishes, including tangerine beef, lettuce wraps, and Lanzhou beef noodle soup. Designed to bring you good fortune for the year ahead, the menu also has the advantage of being delicious. Long noodles are symbolic of a long life, so get to it.
The Noodle House, various locations around Dubai and on delivery apps. thenoodlehouse.com.
Enjoy a light show or two
The Burj Khalifa’s celebratory light shows have quickly become a feature of the downtown skyline, and to mark the Year of the Dog, they’re putting on a new one. From February 16 to 24, you’ll be able to see a show that pays tribute to Dubai’s Chinese visitors and residents. Expect traditional Chinese design elements and a dragon or two. PS – want fireworks? You’ll find them at Riverland’s Chinese New Year Temple Fair, which runs until February 24. And, Dubai Festival City is hosting Imagine – A Show Like No Other, to celebrate the lunar new year.
Burj Khalifa, Downtown Dubai. Show runs 8pm and 10pm daily from February 16-24. burjkhalifa.ae.
Get up high
How does a five-course dinner with arguably the best view in Dubai sound? That’s what’s on offer at At.mosphere on the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa, with dishes like Hokkaido scallops infused with maotai, soba noodles, cockles clams, and dumplings. If you’ve got someone to impress, this is the spot for it.
Lunar new year menu at At.mosphere, Burj Khalifa, Downtown Dubai. Tables from 6pm February 16 & 17. Dhs720 per person. Tel: (04) 888 3828. atmosphereburjkhalifa.com.
Start afresh
Not the most glamorous plan, possibly, but it might set you up well for the year ahead. It’s traditional to thoroughly clean your house on the lunar new year, so as to clear away any back luck from the preceding year and make way for incoming good fortune. Go on, we know you’ve got mystery food at the back of the fridge. Use this as an excuse to get rid of it, and anything else that’s no longer serving a purpose.
Images: Supplied
