Celebrate Eid with a dash of Japanese Cuisine

Japanese cuisine, also known as Washoku, is a culinary tradition that has been refined over centuries. Its cultural and historical significance is deeply ingrained in the Japanese way of life.

One of the hallmarks of Japanese cuisine is the emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients. This philosophy is known as shun, and it is an integral part of Washoku. During Eid, when Muslims around the world gather to celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan, it is traditional to prepare a feast for family and friends. Incorporating seasonal ingredients into the meal is a way to honor this tradition, and Japanese cuisine offers a wide variety of fresh, seasonal ingredients to choose from.

Japanese cuisine has become increasingly popular around the world, and its unique flavors and presentation can be incorporated into any festive meal and this Eid, Sumo Sushi & Bento has curated special dishes that is ideal for big celebrations with Japanese food lovers.

One dish that would be particularly appropriate for an Eid celebration is sushi. Sushi is a staple of Japanese cuisine and is typically made with vinegared rice, raw or cooked seafood, and vegetables. While it may seem simple, there is a great deal of skill involved in making sushi, and the presentation is often as important as the taste.

Sushi can be customized to suit any taste and meet many dietary requirements, made with a variety of seasonal ingredients, incorporating either raw or cooked items or both.

Sumo Sushi & Bento has curated beautiful sushi presentation in the form of a sushi cake, and this would look great at any table and will impress guests visiting during Eid. The Matsuri Box is a colorful addition to any big celebration and comes with 50 pcs of sushi.

Another popular dish in Japanese cuisine is tempura. Tempura is a deep-fried dish that typically features seafood and vegetables. The batter used to coat the ingredients is light and crispy, and the dish is often served with a dipping sauce. Like sushi, tempura can be made with a variety of seasonal ingredients, making it an ideal addition to any Eid feast.

Finally, no Japanese meal would be complete without a cup of green tea. Green tea is an integral part of Japanese culture and is often served alongside meals. Its earthy, slightly bitter flavor is the perfect complement to the fresh, delicate flavors of Japanese cuisine.

Japanese cuisine is hence is perfect for adding colour to your Eid table during the celebrations. With its emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients and beautiful presentation, it makes it an ideal addition to any festive meal. From sushi to tempura to green tea, there are many dishes in Japanese cuisine that can be customized to suit any taste and budget. By incorporating these dishes into an Eid feast, one can honor the traditions of both Japanese and Islamic cultures and create a memorable meal that will be enjoyed by all.

Celebrate Eid Al Fitr at Sumo Sushi & Bento

DUBAI, UAE: Sumo Sushi & Bento, the originator of family friendly sushi dining in the region has a special offer during Eid Al Fitr where on purchase of any Bento and a drink, diners get a free roll. Diners can select their free roll from Crunchy Crazy, Veggie Roll, California Roll and Sweet Potato Crunch with offer until 27th April 2023.

Celebrate festive spirit with Sumo Sushi & Bento’s matsuri box with all-time favourite rolls in one box for AED289/- available at all locations. Treat friends and family to a fabulous feast with all-time favorites featuring 50 pieces of sushi, enjoyed while celebrating togetherness after a month of fasting with loved ones.

With so many choices to select from, the Matsuri Box, is perfect for Eid and for gifting family and friends. This offer is valid until end of April. Both offers are available for take-away, delivery and for Dine-In (without the box) and available on the Sumo Sushi & Bento website and Mobile app.

Featuring the finest Japanese cuisine and fun activities that caters to all age groups and suits different taste buds, Japanese food connoisseurs at Sumo Sushi & Bento can also indulge in sushi sandwiches, poke bowls, Bento boxes and other Japanese specialty rolls.

For regular patrons,Sumo Mobile App is a most simple and convenient way to earn loyalty points. Collect Kenji Coins for every order and redeem them for FREE food and drinks (1 AED= 1 Kenji Coin). You can redeem the rewards without any minimum spend. Enjoy!

The special offers are available from 11am to 11pm at all Sumo Sushi & Bento outlets. For Booking, visit https://sumosushibento.com, download the Sumo Sushi App or call 800-7866(SUMO)

Enjoy 30% discount offer at Sumo Sushi & Bento

Valid until 19th of April for orders on mobile App

Dubai, UAE: Diners at Sumo Sushi & Bento can get 30% off for orders on mobile App. Featuring the finest Japanese cuisine and fun activities that caters to all age groups and suits different taste buds, Japanese food connoisseurs at Sumo Sushi & Bento can also indulge in sushi sandwiches, poke bowls, Bento boxes and other Japanese specialty rolls.

This offer is available from until the 19th of April 2023 for dine-in, takeaway and delivery. It is ideal for diners looking for a variety of meals especially during iftar and suhoor. Sumo Sushi & Bento also has a selection of curated platters to choose from for Ramadan.

For regular patrons,Sumo Mobile App is a most simple and convenient way to earn loyalty points. Collect Kenji Coins for every order and redeem them for FREE food and drinks (1 AED= 1 Kenji Coin). You can redeem the rewards without any minimum spend. Enjoy!

The special offers are available from 11am to 11pm at all Sumo Sushi & Bento outlets. For Booking, visit https://sumosushibento.com, download the Sumo Sushi App or call 800-7866(SUMO)

Icons only: Winners of the 2023 World Car Awards


Shereen Shabnam

Being an automotive Jury the last few years for global motoring awards has been a key highlight of my life. This year, car enthusiasts around the world eagerly awaited the announcement of the 2023 World Car of the Year awards winners, held at the New York Motor Show.

A jury of 100 distinguished international automotive journalists from 32 countries selected the winners by secret ballot based on their evaluation of each eligible vehicle as part of their on-going professional work. The vote results were tabulated by KPMG.

The award recognizes the best cars released in the past year, based on a number of factors including design, performance, safety, and innovation. As Jury, we drove numerous cars throughout the year and a large number of nominated cars in Los Angeles last year, the competition was fierce, with a number of impressive new cars from new and established automakers.

The World Car of the Year 2023 ceremony, powered by Brembo, was held in New York City with a crowd of journalists, car industry experts, and enthusiasts gathered witnessing the announcement of the winner.


The awards concluded with a triple win for the Hyundai Motor Company as the Hyundai Ioniq 6 won the overall 2023 World Car of the Year title, the 2023 World Electric Vehicle as well as the 2023 World Car Design of the Year awards. This is the second consecutive triple win for the Hyundai Motor Group.

Highlight for our team was having SangYup Lee, Executive Vice President, Head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design Center, Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) on hand at the awards ceremony to participate in a Q&A with media and receive his 2023 World Car Person of the Year trophy. The short list of finalists for the 2023 Top Three in the World were the Hyundai Ioniq 6, the Range Rover and the Lucid Air. The 2023 World Luxury Car is the LUCID AIR. The LUCID AIR was chosen from an initial entry list of sixteen (16) vehicles from all over the world then a short list of three finalists.

In the 2023 World Performance Car category, KIA EV6 GT emerged as the winner while the CITROEN C3 is the 2023 World Urban Car. The Citroen PSA Group has won three World Car Awards to date.

All vehicles eligible for other World Car award categories are automatically eligible for World Car Design of the Year award. This year there were seventy-eight (78) eligible vehicles in total.

A panel consisting of six highly respected world design experts was asked to first review each of the 78 candidates, and then establish a short-list of recommendations for the jurors’ final vote.

The design experts are in alphabetical order:  Ian Callum (United Kingdom – Director of Design, CALLUM), Gert Hildebrand (Germany – Owner Hildebrand-Design), Patrick le Quément (France – Designer and President of the Strategy Committee – The Sustainable Design School), Tom Matano (USA – Academy of Art University, Former Head of Design – Mazda), Victor Nacif (USA – Chief Creative Officer, Brojure.com and Design instructor, NewSchool of Architecture and Design) and Shiro Nakamura (Japan – CEO, Shiro Nakamura Design Associates Inc.).


 All of the World Car Award trophies were created this year by legendary automotive designer, Ian Callum’s design and engineering consultancy CALLUM. All seven of the new CALLUM designed trophies were produced by REPLIQUE using the first fully encrypted 3D printing platform that offers OEMs a secure and sustainable means of providing parts on demand, anytime, anywhere.
The Road to the World Car Awards is an annual journey that follows 100 international jurors as they test-drive, and vote on, the eligible vehicles for the 2023 awards. The jurors’ road-test journey is captured virtually on World Car TV as the jurors provide viewers with reviews and commentary on the awards’ eligible vehicles in six categories.

Win this Ramadan with Northern Emirates Malls

Celebrate the Holy month with mall deco, henna and craft art events and performances at Lulu Mall Fujairah and Mall of Umm Al Quwain

The shopping mall and management division of Lulu Group International, Line Investments & Property (LIP) will celebrate the holy month of Ramadan with themed mall deco, art activations, festive ambience for photo opportunities across the mall and a spend and win promotion from April 1st to  24th of April 2023 leading up to Eid celebrations.

To participate in the spend and win promotion at Lulu Mall Fujairah and Mall of Umm Al Quwain, shoppers can spend AED 100/- at any of the malls or AED 200/- at Lulu Hypermarket as there will be 20 winners for AED 1,000/- and grand prize winner for AED 5,000/-.

The malls will also have live events on the weekends 7th, 8th and 9th April as well as 14th, 15th and 16th April after Iftar featuring henna art, oud player, qanun player, calligraphy artist, pencil sketch artist as well as children’s art and craft activities.

Shoppers are welcome to join in for the celebrations and create memories with loved ones during the holy month.

Enjoy Ramadan moments with Sumo Sushi & Bento

Diners can enjoy three meal options at Sumo Sushi & Bento during the holy month

Dubai, UAE: Sumo Sushi & Bento, the originator of family friendly sushi dining in the region offers three types of dining options (Iftar Platter, Ramadan Meal for two and Ramadan Family Meal) to be served during Ramadan for dine in and for delivery by ordering via Mobile App or online.

The Ramadan specials are available all day with the iftar platter costing AED 115.00, Ramadan meal for two available at AED 140.00 and Ramadan family meal offered at AED 180.00.

The iftar platter is served with complimentary two Miso soup and two Iced teas. The Ramadan meal for two includes edamame, teriyaki chicken, steamed rice, yakiudon and two servings of miso soup and cucumber crabstick salad. The meal also includes four pieces of prawn tempura and chicken gyoza.

The Ramadan family meal includes three servings of miso soup, yakiudon and salad with edamame and two servings of salmon nigiri and seared garlic salmon. The meal also has four pieces of prawn tempura, crunchy crazy and crunchy California plus eight pieces of sweet potato crunch.

Chef Gilbert Oraa, Sumo International Inc. LLC said, “We would like to recommend our dessert lovers to try our delicious tempura ice cream which is fried vanilla ice cream encapsulated in crispy panko shell and chocolate brownie, a delicious melt in the mouth brownie served with a scoop of ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. We wish you and your family a Blessed Holy Month of Ramadan.”

For regular patrons,Sumo Mobile App is a most simple and convenient way to earn loyalty points. Collect Kenji Coins for every order and redeem them for FREE food and drinks (1 AED= 1 Kenji Coin). You can redeem the rewards without any minimum spend. Enjoy!

The special offers are available from 11am to 11pm at all Sumo Sushi & Bento outlets. For Booking, visit https://sumosushibento.com, download the Sumo Sushi App or call 800-7866(SUMO)

Plan your group iftars this Ramadan at The Deck

Enjoy quality time with friends and family with stunning views of the West Beach between iftar and suhoor

Dubai, UAE: Embrace the Holy Month of Ramadan with dishes inspired by the flavours of the Mediterranean. The deck, a vibrant environment friendly beachfront dining restaurant at the voco Dubai The Palm on West Beach, Palm Jumeirah offers unparalleled views of the West Beach with a relaxed ambience, perfect for a picturesque breaking fast experience in a laid back atmosphere.

During Ramadan, The Deck will offer a ramadan package that includes sharing dishes for iftar and Suhour featuring an eclectic mix of dishes. The meals include starters, choice of a main course and dessert with dates and soft drinks.

The venue offers a perfect place spending time with friends and family while embracing the spirit of the holy month and indulging in Iftar and Suhoor dishes specially curated by the resident chef, Ganesh Raja.


Offer 1: Iftar & suhoor meal package at AED159 per head with dates & soft drinks

Offer 2: Iftar and Suhour meal package for a group of 10 and above at AED129 per head with dates and soft drinks

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Date:  23rd March to 21st April 2023.
Timing: Iftar at sunset and Suhoor until 2am

Colors for Peace exhibition opens at Silicon Central

Artissima Art Agency displays drawings from 135 countries across five continents.

Dubai, UAE: The global Colors for Peace’ exhibition that showcases the drawings of 4-11 years old children from 135 nations representing 5 continents opens at Silicon Central, Dubai’s latest lifestyle and shopping destination as part of the mall’s Ramadan programme.

Colors for Peace Association, founded in 2015 in support of the National Peace Park of Sant’Anna di Stazzema, is a non-profit association that promotes children’s art internationally to reduce cultural, social and economic distances between rich and poor countries.

The aim of the exhibition is for “the adult of tomorrow” to become the conscious bearer of a universal culture of peace, rejecting any logic of war and division of people. In pursuing its goals, Colors for Peace is faithful to the values of equality, respect for the neighbor, solidarity and justice.

The event was attended by Dr. Humaid Mohamed Redha Alansari, Art Patron & Legal Advocate, Dr. Robert Noriega, Art Patron & Diplomat from Venezuela, K P Thamban, Regional Director, Lulu Group International and Marcello Larizza, General Manager of Silicon Central.

Dr. Humaid Mohamed Redha Alansari, Art Patron & Legal Advocate said, “It is a pleasure to be part of this event and witness the work of children who are our future as we have to pay attention to the messages of peace they put forward so they can look forward to a world that advocates the values of this exhibition.”

Mr. Salim MA, Director Lulu Group said, “Ramadan is the perfect time to host this exhibition as it sends the powerful message of peace to the world.  We hope you enjoy the exhibition and reflect on the messages of peace in the drawings. For Ramadan, our events team have curated events and activities to create memorable moments for shoppers at the mall.”

Aurela Cuku, Vice President of Colors for Peace said, “Having our Colors for Peace exhibition that sends the message of Peace from all over the world is ideal for Ramadan which promotes the same values. Our mission is to shape the adults of tomorrow and inspire the adults of today in the universal culture of Peace, through art, hope, and solidarity.”

Children visiting Silicon Central will have a chance to draw about peace and submit it to customer service and three artworks will be selected at the end of the exhibition to be showcased in other countries. The Peace for children project, Colors for Peace has the High Patronage of the Tuscan Regional Council, the Tuscan Student Parliament and the European Parliament.

The Deck Long Table in voco Dubai The Palm to host Michelin Star Chefs, Miguel Angel de la Cruz and Fernando del Cerro

Provacuno, premium sustainable beef from Spain to feature in specially curated menu

Dubai, UAE: The Deck, a vibrant environment friendly beachfront dining restaurant at the voco Dubai The Palm on West Beach, Palm Jumeirah welcomes Michelin Star Chefs serving dishes with Provacuno, premium sustainable beef from Spain for only two nights on Tuesday and Wednesday,   14th and 15th of March 2023.

Social dining is at the heart of the experience at The Deck for people looking for a place to unwind and have fun and Provacuno Chefs have curated a special menu with tapas and three glasses of paired house beverages at AED 199/- per person.

Serving on The deck long table will be Chef Miguel Angel de la Cruz who has One Michelin Star, One Green Star and Chef Fernando del Cerro who comes with one Michelin Star.

The picturesque beachfront dining venue, The Deck is the perfect place where patrons can be themselves in a laid back, chilled environment with friends and family as the sun sets over the horizon while they enjoy the specially curated menu next week. Enjoy The Deck’s exquisite vibe while listening to tunes curated by music expert Big Rossi and the sound of the waves for entertainment,

A Hidden Gem: Tunisia

Shereen Shabnam

I recently went driving around Tunisia in the new Hyundai Venue and visited some of the nicest places around the Tunis city. Naturally those who venture off the beaten path in Tunisia see many more beautiful places, but I am lucky I was able to visit beautiful places like Sidi Bou Said reminiscent of Santorini, drive by the intense desert landscapes and the historic areas full of bustling markets and street food.

Tunisia has rich diverse history and natural beauty that goes beyond the beaches and traditional souk type stores. The city is vibrant and yet has coastal roads that are a pleasure to drive on, mountainous greenery, and sparkling coasts. It truly is a hidden gem that offers one of the coolest travel experiences.

The suburb of the city is overflowing with natural beauty, architecture, culture, and welcoming locals who took great pleasure in introducing us to the local cuisine. I loved the maze of ancient streets and alleyways, especially as we wandered in the medieval Medina which has many shops and stalls selling crafts, clothes, souvenirs and artisans at work.

The Carthage area in Tunis is a must visit. The UNESCO World Heritage site is steeped in history and the Byrsa Hill ruins are fairly well-preserved. The Bardo Museum houses the world’s most renowned Roman mosaic collection as well as a collection of marble statues located in an opulent Tunis palace. It is full of treasured displays of mosaic art excavated from Tunisia’s ancient sites.

The Islamic Department contains, in addition to famous works such as the Blue Qur’an of Kairouan, a collection of ceramics from the Maghreb and Anatolia which is fascinating.

For food, I enjoyed the exquisite dinner at le Golf which has the best entertainment and had terraces facing the water. Visitors must try the pastry called Bambaloni and dishes that feature tuna which are special to Tunisia. The Residence Golf Course is another place that is great to spend an afternoon and have some snacks by the water.

For retail therapy, I highly recommend the Zephyr Mall. It was ideal for Ramadan clothes shopping with rich velvet abayas and had outfits for people of all sizes.

Overall, Tunis ticked all the boxes as a tourist destination by offering the best of resorts, shopping, food, cultural excursions and beautiful architecture. It is definitely a place to visit with family and friends.