Marina Mall
Suit-loving ladies will be happy with a new Jaegar Couture in the offing; elsewhere, gents will become the modern man at Milano, a tasty dish of a clothing chain stocking the likes of Diesel, Casa Moda and Kenneth Cole. But the arrival of British country-lovin giants Austin Reed has us puzzled. Is Abu Dhabi ready for a tweed explosion? We foresee a fun game of ‘spot the English gentleman’ occupying Marina Mall rats of the future. And as for Snoworld – the city’s first indoor skiiing venue – we remain as excited as we were when we first heard it announced. But back in October we were told it might be open in March. We’re still waiting. It’s snow joke!
Foodwatch: The tower now boasts the stylish, revolving Tiara, but look out for the recently opened Tyng, a stylish Asian fusion restaurant. Its location, occupying the darker recesses of Snoworld, doesn’t promise much, but the food looks good.
Abu Dhabi Mall
Homemakers rejoice! The main joy on the horizon is the addition of Abu Dhabi’s first branch of The White Company, a shop which is to clean linen what hair gel is to Cristiano Ronaldo – all over it. Of course, the newly opened Zara gave a brief high-street fashion boost, but more homely offerings are available from two new Canadian womenswear stores on the block: Cartise and Xanaka.
Foodwatch: Nothing much new, but a new branch of mall favourite Biella promises some average Italian at decent prices.
Khalidiya Mall
Italian pen specialists Visconti are the pick of the new crop at Khalidiya. Things tend to happen slower here, but this new jewellery and pen store has a touch of class about it. Elsewhere, Tchico, a clothing and department store in one, offers something of an all-rounder, though the recently opened Lulu Exchange is probably the most sought-after addition. These days, you’d struggle to find anywhere that doesn’t have a Lulu of some variety. Up your game, Spinneys!
Souk Qaryat Al Beri
There is clearly a theme developing at the souk; recent months have seen the addition of two excellent chocolateries: Choco-la and Choco-Beri, as well as Nougatini, a shop which specilaises in the three C’s: chocolate, cakes and cookies. The addition of the Abela Deli was another treat – their bread is some of the best in Abu Dhabi. Although, the addition of new perfumery Adam and Eve and new ladies store Verona at least lends a bit of variety.
Foodwatch: The recent opening of Ushna offers good competition to the city’s better Indian restaurants, but more recent additions include the impressive looking Mombasa Grill and the souk’s first Italian restaurant, Certos (now open).
Mazyad Mall
Offering a dose of civilisation to the barren wasteland otherwise known as Mohammad Bin Zayed City, a Lulu (yes, you guessed it) Express was the first to arrive. However, the opening of a Fitness First gym is a welcome sight, especially given the array of fast food outlets setting up shop here. Meanwhile, usual mall fare such as Damas Jewellery, Pure Gold and the cheerfully named Mega Fashions make up the bulk of the shopping, although a Lifeline Pharmacy is a particularly handy addition.
Foodwatch: The opening of a La Brioche Café is always welcome, but the rest appears to be fairly standard: Hatam, Café Nero and J4Juice being the higher end of the scale. Certainly, the thought of a new Fresh Chicken King is unlikely to excite the city’s gourmet community.
Bawadi Mall
The biggest news on the shopping front is surely Bawadi Mall, Al Ain’s new two-story mall on Meyzad Road. It officially opened its doors at the very end of April with a Marks & Spencer, H&M , Zara, New Look, Dorothy Perkins and close to 400 shops. Fashion loving ladies will be delighted with the announcement of a new Mango store set to open sometime soon. But as well as the heritage souk, cinema and entertainment centre, we’re particularly looking forward to ‘Fun Ski Village’. Let’s just hope it’s more punctual than Snoworld.
As for the rest…
Al Wadha Mall earned our wrath when huge gadget shop Eon disappeared from its upper floor, so imagine our unbound joy when we found out that it will be replaced by the equally large and cumbersome gadget-haven E-City. There is little in Al Raha Mall to get our blood pumping, although the addition of a Lulu Express is at least handy for locals. Al Ain Mall also has little on the current shopping horizon except an extension set to be complete in spring of 2010. We can wait. If you’re feeling adventurous then pop over the border into Dubai and check out the Ibn Battuta Mall. It’s only just outside of the city limits and offers a totally different shopping experience with a traditional travel theme.
