What’s the score?
Between the Bridges, or Bain Al Jesrain in Arabic, is draped across the last scratch of desert scrub before the mainland gives way to Maqta Creek and, subsequently, the island of Abu Dhabi. Taxi drivers and local shopkeepers have yet to accept it as a part of the city; the capital is still a distant province, indicated by a wave of the hand towards some undetermined destination. The area grabbed the spotlight with the opening of the snazzy Shangri-La Hotel in August 2007, though the surrounding suburbs have been a bubbling hub for some time. The community situated around the Sheikh Shakhboot Benbuti mosque feels a little like a frontier town, and gives some indication as to what Abu Dhabi may have been like 30 years ago.
Where to shop
The popular choice is the Souk Qaryat Al Beri, which is to Arabian souks what caviar is to seafood: overpriced and slightly disappointing. The souk is still a long way from achieving full occupancy (the second floor is almost deserted), and the shops that currently rent space feel like an extension of the Shangri-La itself. Many are touristy and ultimately non-essential. That said, there is a handful of interesting outlets.
Interiors
Heritage Touch brings the carpet souk indoors for a little air-conditioned bartering. They deal largely in Kashmiri handcrafts, and the handmade chain-stitch rugs that hang from the walls are remarkably well-priced, even before the haggling starts. Continuing in a similar vein, Toshkana sells exquisite rugs, though the prices are a little more in keeping with the location – expect to pay anywhere between Dhs15,000 and Dhs98,000 for the larger pieces. On the lower floor, Gallery One specialises in the work of UAE-based British artist Gregg Sedgwick, selling prints, canvases and picture boxes, all with an Arabian theme. They also work in G-Portraits, which subject your digital photos to a kind of pop-art process before printing them out on canvas – so that’s grandma’s birthday present sorted, then.
Fashion
Unless you’re in the market for a pricey abaya, the fashion choices in the souk are somewhat limited. Vendors of random trinkets, such as Bashayer and Exquisite Antiques Gallery, do the usual line in pashminas, but this souk is ultimately bling to the power of three. Dior, Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana are all well represented, and that’s before you’ve even left the sunglasses stands (La Moda), while diamond-encrusted watches (Dhs21,600 to you, madam) keep the crowds gawping at Rivoli. Upstairs you can add a luxury London apartment to your collection of status symbols at Real Estate LLC. The souks of Cairo and Muscat would blush at the ostentation.
Where to eat
If there’s one thing the souk does well, it’s dining. City favourites such as Noodle House, Ushnar, Sho Cho and The Meat Co have Thai, Indian, Japanese and South African cuisines covered respectively. Newcomers such as Certo (Italian) and Mombasa Grille (African international) are also fairly promising, largely thanks to the romantic creek views that come into their own at dusk. Clubbing is also an important feature on this stretch of the waterfront, with Left Bank and Pearls & Caviar (part restaurant, part club, located in the Shangri-La) doing swift business.
Also worth noting is the outpost of Abela, the popular supermarket chain, known here as The Deli. Things are more expensive than your average grocers, but it has well-stocked shelves devoted to a variety of international goodies, and the bread is, frankly, wonderful. The mini-restaurant, complete with free Wi-Fi, is a pleasant touch, but we were most enamoured with the pickles shelf, where we stocked up on the kind of sandwich fillers usually unavailable outside of a Miss Marple novel.
As always, the final word is brown, sticky and very sweet. Choco-La, the hotel’s own chocolatier, has an outlet in the souk that teases, pleases and even educates (lessons from the hotel’s pastry chef are once a month, costing Dhs200 – book via the hotel).
Feeling good
The Shangri-La’s very own Chi spa is well known for its curiously colour-coded treatments as well as its rather plush Jacuzzi. There’s a beauty salon, too (Pace e Luce), which lurks on the edge of the souk, although, when Time Out visited, we were told by a jolly group of people drinking coffee and shooting the breeze to come back when the staff were about. We’ve yet to discern who they were…
Elsewhere
Ascend from the rarefied heights of the souk and stroll past the Shangri-La. Keep going until you have the creek running past your right shoulder, and you’ll very quickly find yourself regressing through several decades of local history. Initially it’s all manicured lawns, heavy date palms and panting joggers (perhaps one of the few decent jogging stretches in the city to rival the Corniche). Cut in through the houses, where you’re no one unless you have a motorboat on your driveway, and you’ll find yourself in the lap of opulence. The villas are more like minor palaces, and it’s largely quiet and family friendly – other than when the local petrolheads choose to make it their own private racing circuit.
Odd, then, that the row of shops that flank the Bain Al Jesrain Cooperative Society (a large supermarket or a small mall, depending on your disposition) are so downtrodden. The English language soon becomes a worthless commodity – a smattering of Arabic is necessary if you choose to do business with one of the 10 tailors we counted. You’ll have more luck at Gulf Pastry, where we tasted some great Egyptian mushaltat (bread with cheese and honey) and ordered a cheap pizza takeaway (yes, he delivers), or the Arabian Star Salon, where gents can have their locks chopped in private booths (why?) for as little as Dhs20. The whole row can’t stretch much more than 200m, yet it still manages to house no less than four decent shawarma stands – some kind of record, surely.
At the far edge of Bain Al Jesrain, around the corner from the all-new Traders Hotel and the Fairmont (coming soon), a private paradise awaits for anyone mad on motors. From BMW to Jeep, the showrooms are all here, and Abu Dhabi Motors is an easy one-stop shop for both new and second-hand vehicles. If you don’t find the idea of driving around in a whopping great billboard too offensive, Inmotion have an outlet here offering cars for hire for a ridiculously cheap Dhs10 per day. The catches are twofold: you can’t take the car beyond city limits and, er, it will be spray painted with an outlandish advert. Eye-catching doesn’t even come close (seriously, wear shades), but when a car is available for less than pocket change, who’s complaining?
Need to know…
Taxi: Ask for the Shangri-La Hotel or Souk Qaryat Al Beri
Daytrippers: Families with young kids can make the most of the free abra trips that run from the Shangri-La to the new Traders Hotel. At the very end of the ride, there’s a great playground, so the little ’uns can have a good leg stretch. Further away from the hotel complex is Maqta Park. With all the restaurants the hotels and souks have to offer, you’re unlikely to starve, but you can always keep it cheap by popping into the dreaded Starbucks.
Living there: Much of the property in this area is fit for kings (or, at least, aspirational princes) and, subsequently, villa prices start high and get higher. Recent figures suggest that Dhs350,000 per year for a villa (six bedrooms, natch) would be something of a bargain.
