48 Hours in Dubai: The Melissa Phair Edit
Neighbourhood restaurants, Sunday pastries, beach clubs and dinners worth dressing up for. My guide to 48 hours in the city I call home.
Dubai has a reputation for doing everything bigger, taller and more extravagantly than anywhere else. I love a little luxury, but some of my favourite places here are the ones you could walk straight past.
Since making Dubai my home and building PHAIR here, I've found a different side to the city. Independent restaurants, small cafés, creative neighbourhoods and some of the best food I've eaten anywhere.
If I had 48 hours to show you my Dubai, this is where we'd go.
Day One, Saturday
8:30am. A slow start at Kite Beach
Hire a bike and ride the Kite Beach track, stopping for a coffee on the way. You'll catch the Burj Al Arab, watch the city wake up and see a much slower side of Dubai. It's my favourite way to start a weekend.
11:30am. Lunch at Koko Bay, Palm West Beach
By late morning it's time for the beach. Palm West Beach is made for easy afternoons, and Koko Bay is where I'd go for a long lunch with my feet almost in the sand. Fill the table with small plates, from prawn skewers on the grill to bao and crispy chicken. Come for a few hours and stay until sunset. Dubai is very good at making you forget the time.
Wear: The One Shoulder Tassel Swimsuit and The Ivory Satin Tassel Sarong
8pm. Dinner at Amazonico
Low light, a lively room and a menu that moves from Latin America to Japan. Order the tuna tartare and a margarita, and settle in. This is a night for something a little more dramatic.
Wear: The Melissa Mesh Mini
11pm. Cocktails, depending on the mood
Honeycomb Hi-Fi is effortlessly cool. A Japanese-inspired listening bar with vinyl, low light and a soundtrack that matters as much as the drinks.
Salmon Guru is the opposite. Playful, colourful and a little eccentric, with inventive cocktails and a crowd to match.
Both are worth it. Perhaps not on the same night.
Day Two, Sunday
9am. Coffee and something buttery at BKRY
Sunday mornings here are made for good coffee and better pastries. At BKRY in Alserkal Avenue, my order is the Beans and Pod, bitter and sweet and perfectly balanced, with a pastry on the side. It's the kind of place you end up staying longer than you meant to.
10:30am. Art and design in Alserkal Avenue
Stay and wander the independent galleries and creative spaces. Alserkal is one of the most interesting neighbourhoods in the city: art, photography, design and something new every time. As a designer, it's where I go when I need ideas from somewhere other than fashion.
1pm. A long Italian lunch at Arrogante
Arrogante in Downtown is glamorous enough without trying too hard. Beautiful interiors and Italian food made for sharing. Order a few plates and make an afternoon of it.
Wear: The Satin Tassel Top and The Niamh Trousers
4pm. Old Dubai
No weekend here should be only beach clubs and restaurants. Wander Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, with its wind towers and narrow lanes, then take a wooden abra across the Creek to the souks. It's the Dubai that existed long before the skyscrapers, and the best contrast to everything else.
8pm. Save the best dress for Maison Revka
If Dubai does one thing exceptionally well, it's an extravagant dinner. Maison Revka is theatrical and glamorous, and it turns an ordinary Sunday into an occasion. This is where I'd wear the dress I've been saving, order something indulgent and settle in for the evening.
Sometimes dressing up is the occasion.
Wear: The Saorlaith Dress and The Maggie Bag in Zebra
The Local Edit
More than anyone could fit into two days. These are the places I keep coming back to.
Pull Me Pizza, JVC
My favourite pizza in Dubai, full stop. You can buy it by the slice, which is dangerous. The kind of place locals keep to themselves.
Ergon Agora, Downtown
A little piece of Greece in BLVD Heights, with a restaurant, bakery and deli all under one roof. Order the wood-fired flatbread with poached eggs and chilli butter. It was unreal. Take home some olive oil and honey on the way out.
City Social, Grosvenor House
A really good steak with béarnaise is one of life's great pleasures, and this is where I go for one. Beautiful interiors, skyline views and no rush to leave.
Milos, Atlantis The Royal
Beautiful Greek seafood and some of the most amazing views on the Palm. Book a table by the window and take your time.
3Fils, Jumeirah Fishing Harbour
One of my absolute favourites. Incredible Asian-inspired food in a setting with no fuss at all. Proof that great food doesn't need a grand entrance.
Orfali Bros, Jumeirah
Founded by three Syrian brothers, it mixes Middle Eastern roots with inventive cooking. Creative, unexpected and worth booking ahead.
Three Bros, Jumeirah
The more casual sister to Orfali Bros. Perfect for a relaxed lunch and a table full of dishes to share.
Kumo, Al Wasl
A very specific recommendation: the quinoa and kale salad. I know, a salad. But it's the dish I keep thinking about, and the perfect lighter lunch.
Bordo Mavi, Jumeirah Fishing Harbour
Fresh seafood and a coastal feel, a little removed from the city's grander dining. Beautiful for a long lunch.
What to Pack
What I love most about Dubai is how easily a day moves from a morning by the sea to a very glamorous dinner. My suitcase would hold a swimsuit, oversized sunglasses, a headscarf, a few easy resort pieces and at least one statement evening look.
For the beach, something relaxed, like the One Shoulder Tassel Swimsuit with the Ivory Satin Tassel Sarong. For long lunches, the Satin Tassel Top with the Niamh Trousers. And for Amazonico or Maison Revka, something more dramatic: The Melissa Mesh Mini or The Saorlaith Dress.
There's always somewhere worth getting dressed for in Dubai.
Dubai rewards curiosity. Go beyond the obvious, find the smaller neighbourhoods, try somewhere you've never heard of and leave a little room for spontaneity.
These are the places I love. I hope you fall for a few of them too.
With love,
Melissa x