FooDiva on the Dubai restaurant scene & Samih Sawiris’ bucket list 🎧
Plus, a Ramadan collaboration we have our eyes on!
THE LIGHTHOUSE CONVERSATIONS
Ace food critic Samantha Wood needs no introduction, although you may know her better as FooDiva. Her independent review site celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. This episode of The Lighthouse Conversations is brimming with life learnings. Join host Hashem Montasser and Samantha as they talk about the restaurant review process from start to finish, the two MOST IMPORTANT skills one must possess to leave a lasting impression on serious foodie audiences, and the review in FooDiva’s first year that became so ‘hot’ it crashed her site.
Fab Collab: BOCA x Frying Pan Adventures
Our eyes popped out when we learnt that home-grown concept Boca is collaborating with Frying Pan Adventures, Dubai’s first food-tour company. This will translate to a daily iftar throughout the month of Ramadan inspired by the flavours of the Frying Pan Tours. Anticipated dishes include versions of the Chili and Sumac stuffed falafel, home-made labneh empanadas, charcoal grilled mackerel and pomegranate molasses and a slow-cooked Moroccan Tangia too. We do love seeing a good collaboration that helps support our local businesses!
The eight-dish sharing menu is priced at AED160 per person, available daily from sunset until 9 p.m. You can book a spot by emailing hola@boca.ae, or reserve a space online.
Samih Sawiris: “I’m not competitive at all, contrary to what people might think”
WHAT I DID NEXT
The Sawiris brothers are so well known that their first names are all that’s needed as an introduction. Sit down with Malak Fouad this week as she talks to Samih, who founded Orascom Development Holding, which operates 33 hotels with over 7,000 rooms and spread over 100 million sq.m. of land. Although he’s perhaps best known as the person behind El Gouna, a tourist resort town on the Red Sea coast of Egypt.
Now that he is no longer involved in the day-to-day running of the Company, he is spending time developing his passions and checking off his extensive bucket list.