Rosemin Madhavji Opgenhaffen is considered one of the Middle East’s most influential forces in fashion. The Canadian born, Dubai based entrepreneur, fashion expert, TV presenter and influencer describes the United Arab Emirates as the best of East meets West. “It blends the Middle Eastern values of family and hospitality with the best restaurants, shops and service in the world”. Here she gives us her favourite spots to see and be seen in Dubai.
Shopping
Dubai Mall is massive, but a place where you can find every designer you’ve ever dreamed of. So wear flat shoes! I’ve worked with so many brands here, but the highlight of my career was opening the Tom Ford store after having worked for him. It was such a full circle moment. Mall of the Emirates is my personal favourite – it’s close to my home in Palm Jumeirah – there’s a ski hill inside! Don’t miss THAT Concept store. It has an excellent curation of home and fashion, with everything from Ginori to JW Anderson. Be sure to check out Rami Al Ali, the Syrian-born couturier who has dressed Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Naomi Campbell, his studio is on Al Wasl Road. I wear his clothes for evening events.
The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Photo: Nikada/Getty Images
Restaurants
Best Lebanese Food: Al Nafoorah at the Al Qasr Hotel – when you’re in this region you have to eat good Lebanese food. It’s comfort Arabic cuisine, the grills, kebabs and salads. This hotel is one of the best in the world: the service, the views from the restaurant looking over the water.
Best Greek: Gaia – this is a special homegrown brand from Dubai. Now they’ve opened in Monaco and they’re the new hot restaurant in London. It makes me proud to see these great restaurants go to the U.S. and Europe.
Best Italian: Borro – you’ll find me eating dinner here at least once a week. It’s my home away from home, I have my birthday dinners here and it was where I had my engagement dinner. The original restaurant is in Florence and is owned by the Ferragamo family.
Best For a Fun Night Out: Aretha, St. Regis. It’s located on the Palm, where I live, and has delicious food as well as live music. Now that I’m in the 40s age bracket I find the lounge vibe here perfect. I don’t want to go to a nightclub after I’ve finished dinner, but on a Friday night I still want to get dressed up and hang out with friends, and Aretha is such a nice mix.
Beach Life
Baoil, J1 Beach, Dubai. Photo: Dubai Tourism
The whole city is on the waterfront and there are lots of beach clubs where you can go to enjoy the warm waters of the Persian Gulf. My favourite is Summersalt at the Jumeirah Al Naseem hotel; it has a very laid-back Mediterranean vibe with rattan chairs, blue and white throw cushions and whitewashed driftwood floors. If I want to go to the beach and swim, I always go to a Jumeirah property – they have the best water as they’re owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s royal prince and ruler.
J1 Beach is the latest, buzziest place to hang out by the gulf. It’s just opened and has renowned restaurants with beach clubs from all over the world, including Baoli from Cannes, Kaimana from Waikiki and Gigi Rigolatto from Paris – there are DJs and live music.
Culture
Alserkal Avenue is a community of contemporary art galleries, as well as performing arts. This is where I go to discover Dubai’s emerging artists. Another must is the Al Quoz neighbourhood, which has art galleries and niche cafes.
Getting Around
I recommend the Careem or Wheely app as Dubai is not a walking city. Careem’s a local service owned by Uber. The cars are super clean – even the economy cars are Lexus – standards are so high here!
Don’t Miss
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Dubai. Photo: Photography by Daniel Frauchiger, Switzerland/Getty Images
The beautiful and serene capital city Abu Dhabi is only 140 kilometres away. Dubai is an adrenaline rush and Abu Dhabi is an arts and culture hub. The Guggenheim is opening next year; the Louvre is already here. Book a tour of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the third largest mosque in the world – it has 82 domes, columns embedded with lapis lazulis and amethyst, and Swarovski chandeliers.
