Incredible (and edible) scenes…

From TV highlights to wuthering brunch heights, belly-led chortles to relaxing portals – we’ve got your Abu Dhabi weekend well and truly rounded up.

Friday, June 23

Three comedians walk into a bar

This month, famous funny people on Selfdrive The Laughter Factory bill include Khaled Khalafalla, Liz Miele and Scott Bennett, a hilarious line-up of headliners for the ‘So Many Jokes, so Little Time!’ tour. Miss it and the joke really is on you.

Park Rotana, June 23 from 8pm, tickets from Dhs160, thelaughterfactory.com

Spirited story telling

The Abu Dhabi EDITION’s Library Bar is dropping a new chapter in its commitment to creative cocktail collaborations. This time, the guest ghost waiter is Caitlin Hill of the Rémy Cointreau Group. The gang have put together six mixology masterworks for your degustation pleasure and tipples will surely be worthy of the tallest sorts of tales.

The Abu Dhabi EDITION, Al Bateen, from 7pm Fri June 23. Tel: (02) 208 0000, @abudhabiedition

Talent pool

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr is an enduring capital favourite for a reason. It has a sparkling array of restaurants, luxe rooms and a pool/beach complex that screams ‘wait, lemme take a selfie’. It’s the latter part of this triumphant triumvirate that’s stealing headline space here — their Monday to Friday pool pass deal is Dhs149 but you get a decent chunk of Dhs100 in change to spend as F&B credit. On Saturday and Sundays it’s Dhs199 with Dhs100 back as F&B credit. But if you are planning a Saturday trip, you may as well make use of their… The Ultimate Brunchcation. It’s, as you may have guessed from the name — a hybrid of brunch and a daycation. The brunch element arrives on your plate with that premium Fairmont pedigree, more than eighteen live stations, and 145 different dishes across a culinary ensemble of Asian, Indian, Mediterranean, Japanese, Italian, and British cuisine. After brunch you get a day pass to kick your feet up at the hotel’s gorgeous pool complex or pull up a lounger on the beach for a post feast R&R fest. 

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Khor Al Makta, very Sat in May and June 1pm to 4pm, soft Dhs295, house Dhs420, bubbles Dhs595. @fairmontbabalbahr

Saturday, June 24

The Big LeBowlski

Strike Out bowling is a bijou four-lane, family friendly, fully-licensed strike shack can be found at Abu Dhabi Country Club, and it’s karaoke bar adjacent — so even if you fail to drop pins, you can still drop the mic on a virtuoso vocal performance. That’s how we roll.

Abu Dhabi Country Club, Al Mushrif, midday to 10pm, Dhs21 per player per game – or lane rental from Dhs105 per hour. Tel: (02) 657 7777, @adccuae

Yum cha cha slide

In our opinion, dim sum is one of the most delicious ways to brunch, and Dai Pai Dong is one of the best in town. Past the enormous dragon sculpture in Rosewood Abu Dhabi, you’ll find elite-tier prawn with truffle dumplings, beef short ribs, barbecue chicken puffs and killer crispy shrimp wontons, as well as Cantonese roasted duck rolls, non-halal sui mai, and a barbecue live station. Show up on a Sunday with an entourage and go slow – yum cha brunches are a marathon not a sprint.

Rosewood Abu Dhabi, Sun noon to 6pm (three-hour slots), Dhs298 with soft drinks, Dhs428 with house drinks. Tel: (0)2 813 5588. @daipaidongad

Sale of the sentry

Retail Abu Dhabi, the elite fashion and retail unit within the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced that the Abu Dhabi Summer Shopping Season (ADSSS) is returning for a 2023 session. So now it’s back, in pride of place, with a bunch of deals in Abu Dhabi to wipe that sad look up off your face. We should have sold those NFTs, paid off our credit card monthly, and now that ADSSS is back we’re never going to save money. Go on now go, right out the door, because with savings at 25 malls it probably covers your favourite store, and weren’t you the one who said you’d never miss a good freebie? Well masterclasses are back too, and some of those are likely free.

June 23, to September 10. @abudhabiretail

Professional Zeal

This 35,000 square foot entertainment zone at Dalma Mall includes a bowling zone (from Dhs30 per game), virtual relaity experiences, racing and rollercoaster simulators, pool tables, arcades and a network PC gaming room with 25 high spec computers. There’s also a shisha lounge and a restaurant on site.

Dalma Mall, 10am to 11pm. Tel: (02) 672 4922, @zealentertainmentcentre

Sunday, June 25

The invasion will be televised

With Marvel series and movies, animated Disney and Pixar classics, feature premieres (Avatar: The Way of Water just dropped), Star Wars films and series, shows like Bluey, The Bear, Modern Family guy, The Simpsons, Family Guy and Welcome to Wrexham, keeping up with exceptional content Disney+ (Dhs29.99 per month with no fixed contracts *winks salesmanlike*) can feel like a full time occupation. And in keeping with the task mastering workaholic profile we truly represent, it gives us great pleasure to announce that, the job got a little harder this week, with two brand new Marvel series that have just arrived on the Platform. Stan Lee, is an emotional investigation of the life, loves, cameos and creative super powers of the Marvel founding father, architect of an entertainment dynasty. We also have the exciting prospect of Secret Invasion, with Samuel L Jackson’s Nick Fury spearheading the investigation into an alien-led insurrection. We’ve only got the first episode so far, but it’s heavy with all the drama, action, heart and humour that are a trademark of an MCU project.

NAS to see you, to see you…

Ahead of their grand opening this August, the Nord Anglia International School (NAS) is throwing a fantastic scholastic preview of their academic offerings this weekend. Taking place in the Sorbonne University’s Main Atrium between 10am and 1pm, on Sunday, June 25. Attendees can expect a fun and interactive introduction to the NAS way of inspiring young minds, with world class workshops and demonstrations on how the school plans to foster its key six Learners’ Ambitions – Creative, Curious, Collaborative, Critical, Committed, and Compassionate.

Sorbonne University, Hazza Bin Zayed St, Al Reem Island, 10am to 1pm Sun, June 25, free. Registration is essential.

Un-beet-able deals on fruit and veg

Yep, this is going to be one of those pun ones. HeroGo has taken on a mission im-peas-sible – to save the UAE’s surplus fruit and veg from the grocery injustice of food wastage (follow their IG for some great reci-pea suggestions). You can make an absolute kale-ing in savings too, but that’s just an an-celery benefit. HeroGo is offering weekly box deliveries to your house with three size options and a choice between fruit, veg or mixed supply drops, and they’ll be uniquely filled with fresh produce that is either surplus to requirements, or too una-pea-ling (yep third time we’ve used it) to make it in the high fashion, superficial world of supermarket baskets. Not all Heroes wear grapes. Prices start from just Dhs50 and you can pause your subscription at any time. Plus you’ll be content in the knowledge that you’re doing the right thing, and at the end of the day, what’s the point in a life where you don’t carrot all?

herogo.ae

Wu Shang Clan

The daycation package at Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri includes access to the hotel’s seductive ensemble of five-star facilities between 10am and 6pm,  including the pool and beach. All this for just Dhs250 on weekdays, Dhs300 on weekends — and the amount is fully redeembable, kids under six are free and those aged between six and 11 gain access to amenities for half price.

Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi, Khor Al Makta, 10am to 6pm daily. Tel: (02) 509 8555, restaurantreservations.slad@shangri-la.com

Images: Provided/Getty