RSVP | Visionnaire Store Launch | 28th May 2015

One of the great things being a freelancer is that every event or project is different.

That's why I was thrilled when I was asked to manage the launch of Visionnaire furniture store, courtesy of Offbroadway Entertainment.

Visionnaire is a luxury Italian furniture brand known for super high-quality fabrics and lavish designs. Pretty ideal for Dubai then.

On the guest list were some of Dubai's most prolific interior designers and buyers, not to mention potential customers who have cash to flash as well as the brand's big cheeses all the way from Milan.

The event concept was to make the entertainment enhance the furniture. The 1920s/Gatsby theme seems to be bang on event-trend at the moment, so we dressed 7 models in the appropriate costumes and assigned one to each room to bring it to life. The gorgeous humans roamed each space as if they had stepped straight out of the formidable decade, flipping through catalogues, adjusting their make up in the endless mirrors and smoking on their cigarette holder.

Jazz and swing music (which just happens to be my favourite genre, I

love a trumpet!) was courtesy of the stunner that is DJ LouLou, as well as a pianist and violinist. There wasn't an area inside the three stores villa that didn't come to life. 

Being the picky person that I am, particularly when it comes to costumes, the only thing I felt we could have improved on was the costumes. However, once the models were positioned in the beautifully-lit rooms and in character, the overall look worked really well leaving us with an ecstatically happy client.

Wishing Visionnaire the best of luck!

Perfect audio provided by TH Sound.  

Afternoon Tea-light

My dear little Mum has arrived in town for a week, having decided to have an 'adventure' without the company of my Dad. Good on her!

She requested to do one of the Emirates' hotels' famous afternoon teas which I gladly obliged. Who doesn't love an excuse to spend the latter part of an afternoon grazing on delectable mini sarnies, scones and sweets?

It had been a while since I had indulged of the sort, so did some quick research courtesy of Time Out Dubai who featured reviews on the city's top ten afternoon teas and the new Waldorf Astoria hotel on Palm Jumeirah seemed top, both for quality and value. I loved the description: "if this afternoon tea were a film, it would be: My Fair Lady"...seemed ideal as it's one of my favourite films. 

I really love this hotel. It is crisp, clean and classic. A lot of Dubai's hotels go overboard when it comes to their interior, but the WA keeps things understated (by Dubai's standard's, anyhow!). Afternoon tea was served in Peacock Alley, a lovely sweeping lounge area that overlooks the hotel pool. We sat in lovely grey high-back armchairs which added a sense of privacy to our arvo-soiree.

There are two types of afternoon tea - the 'London' or the 'Parisian', the difference only being the savoury sandwiches. We both opted for the London - think roast beef, smoked salmon and cucumber and cream cheese and you're getting the gist. The Parisian features goat's cheese and foi gras amongst others.

The trays were beautifully presented - 3 tiers of savoury, scones and desserts. It was a accompanied by condiments of clotted cream, strawberry jam, creamy lemon curd and possibly the nicest non-bitter marmalade I have ever had. A small but perfectly formed tropical fruit salad was a lovely touch too, something to cleanse the palette. We also both chose a pot of loose-leafed tea (my mum had Jasmine tea which had real Jasmine flowers inside), which looked super authentic in delicate glass teapots. We could have accompanied with a glass of bubbles, but we opted for tea as it would have doubled the price per person. An added bonus was that they refilled your pot for free. This is a novelty here in Dubai as some hotels will charge you.

(Note to hotels: if you are thinking of charging me for hot water, just remember - I will judge you)

My favourites were the smoked salmon open sandwich and the strawberry and pistachio tart. However, best in show goes to THE SCONES. I was blown away by the scones! It's a rare thing to find a light, buttery scone which isn't dry and mealy. I would return for the scones alone.

Highly recommend if you are thinking of treating yourself to an afternoon tea. It is worth taking the drive all the way around the Palm.

London Afternoon Tea: 150 aed each
Parsian Afternoon Tea: 165 aed each
Glass of champagne: 150 aed each

Feeding the Soul and Belly

At least once a week I do power yoga.

I think the easiest way to describe Power Yoga is 'fitness yoga'. It's a faster paced, more rigourous version of Hatha (which I find so dull) so your heart rate gets going and you don't spend so long in each pose.

I have the most fabulous Brazilian Yoga teacher Adriana (yes, lads, she is a slim and bendy Brazilian, calm down) who I have been going to now for almost all of my five years in Dubai. She holds three classes a week at the Surf House near Dubai's Sunset Beach (right next to the iconic Burj al Arab) in Umm Sequim 1.

The Surf House is somewhat of an institution amongst Dubai's beach lovers. Opened by two of my husband's friends a few years ago, it is pretty much the only place where surfers can rent or buy top-quality surf and SUP boards and accessories, including my new favourite UV protection range, Sun Bum.

On Thursday I had the day off (such a treat to have a three day weekend!) and so was up and at 'em to make the Thursday morning class. Although my balance was way off, it was an amazing way to start the day.

As I hadn't yet had breakfast, I treated myself to something nutritious and delicious at the brand new Surf Cafe (Insta: @thesurfcafedubai) next door. The inside is funky, and isn't too heavy on the 'surf' theme and has a more industrial / arts-cafe style interior. Yoga had made me hungry - I wolfed down my soft poached eggs in avocado with toast soldiers and washed it down with a fresh OJ whilst enjoyed the view down the Jumeirah Beach Road stretch.

Definitely one to revisit, The Surf Cafe is open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

The Q is Calling

Recently I've been feeling rather redundant.

Events have been on the slow side, and the notorious Dubai summer is fast approaching us.

So when the opportunity came up to attend Ahlan's Top 100 Restaurants event at Qbara I practically leapt off of my seat. Bubbles and canapés at one of Dubai's most stunning fine dining restaurants? This could be just what the Doc ordered.

It didn't disappoint. I have long been aware that Qbara's interior is supposed to be as gorgeous as the contemporary Arabesque cuisine, and it was just that. GORGEOUS. I have to hand it to Japanese designer Noriyoshi Muramatsu who has managed to nail the whole 'traditional Middle Eastern meets ultra contemporary design' thing. Between cosy majlis booths, corridors of beautifully carved wooden mashrabiya walls juxtaposed with a humongous modern chandelier of glass globes, Qbara truly sets the bar high for any new restaurant concept opening in Dubai on decor credits alone. 

I'd brought one of my best mates along for the ride, TV Presenter Catriona Strachan (follow her happenings on Instagram @catstrachan). We perched ourselves at a cocktail table and enjoyed the vista from the upper deck over the restaurant lounge area below. Qbara staff ensured our glasses were never empty, although we seemed to miss the boat slightly on sampling all of the canapés, which is a pity as the few that we tasted were delectable. (On the upside, a 250aed voucher for Qbara was included with the goody bag, so I'll definitely be back to sample the a la carte menu).

From an events perspective, this was not too complicated. Musician Manuel Kev made the saxophone cool again with a strong house set. The event timings were 8pm-10pm - short and sweet and ended on a high note. I applaud the organisers for keeping the format simple. Sometimes it does pay to let the setting speak for itself.

I'm feeling a second wave of pre-summer energy now!