ICE CAFE IN DUBAI
First Time In Dubai's Ice Cafe
Deep-freeze dining debuts in Dubai.
Temperature at Dubai's Times Square mall will crash to
sub-arctic levels as the Middle East 's first ice lounge, Chillout, opens
this afternoon.
Frost things first
Almost everything at the restaurant is sculpted out of ice.
Diners will sit on ice benches or chairs, eat at ice tables, out of ice
plates, drink from ice glasses served from a bar made of ice.
" We want Chillout to be part of people's lifestyle and not just
a unique experience that will fade away with time. Spokesman, Sharaf
Group "
It even has an ice gallery showcasing Dubai 's landmarks.
Complimenting that is an ice portrait of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad
Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and
Ruler of Dubai. Freezing at minus 6 degrees Celsius the dining area is,
well, biting cold.
A whopping Dh9 million investment, the restaurant is Dubai-based
Sharaf Group's enterprise while technical inputs came from Canada-based
Iceculture Inc, who are credited with building ice lounges around the
world, informed a spokesperson for Sharaf Group.
"We want Chillout to be part of people's lifestyle and not just
a unique experience that will fade away with time," he said.
"It was a special operation which took a year and a half to
carry out."
Chillout specs
The 2,400 sqft restaurant has three areas. The lobby and the
lounge areas are separated by what is called the Buffer Zone. Once in
the lobby, visitors will be given thermal gear to protect themselves
from the chilly conditions. It comprises a hooded parka (a heavy
jacket), disposable woollen gloves and a pair of shoes.
Visitors are = advised to first spend a few minutes in the Buffer
Zone to get acclimatised. The temperature in the buffer zone is set at 5
degrees Celsius which gives the body time to adjust to the sharp drop in
temperature in the dining area.
Cold and beautiful
Once inside, the first thing I learnt was that, contrary to my
fear, nothing was wet or dripping. I touched the walls, the sculptures,
the tables and chairs to see if they were wet. They were all made of ice
all right, but wet they were not.
"It is a popular misconception that furniture at an ice
restaurant is wet. It is the moisture on the surface of ice that gives
it the wet feel. There cannot be any moisture at minus 6 degrees. Every
bit of it turns to ice," explained the spokesperson.
The restaurant, which will serve cold cuts, cheese, juices, ice
creams and mocktails, can accommodate 40 guests, including relatively
intimate table-for-two arrangements for couples.
Seats are cushioned and acrylic-topped tables are adorned with
decorative pieces sculpted from crystal clear ice. Vapour-mouthed
visitors can feel secure in the knowledge that there are sheepskin
throws for the asking should things get too nippy for their comfort.
A looming chandelier in the middle of the lounge is made out of
ice blocks strung together by cables, as are ice-beaded curtains in the
couples' section.
Impressive lights
In addition to the fact that this is a non-alcoholic restaurant,
what makes Chillout different is that the lighting here is amazing. "It
almost makes the ice a secondary feature," said Julian Bayley of
Iceculture Inc.
And it shows. The diffused lighting is constantly changing
colours as it filters through clean blocks of ice, filling them with
low-lux hues of varying patterns.
"As far as the ice component is concerned, there are several
features that are exclusive to Iceculture Inc. Also, the ability to
produce portraits in ice with nothing more than food colouring and snow
is something I don't think has been done before, to my knowledge," added
Julian.
First-timers must be cautioned that the only thing hot in this
restaurant is the samples of spices framed with ice blocks and embedded
into the wall - of course, made of ice - providing a curious backdrop to
the juice bar.
Coming as it does in the hottest part of the year the timing of
the coolest place in Dubai couldn't have been better.
Trivia
The ideal time to spend inside an ice restaurant is 30-40
minutes. While in other countries people are asked to leave after that
period, Chillout will not follow that policy.
There are no toilets inside the restaurant.
The workforce comprises people from cold countries such as
Romania and Russia to ensure they can withstand sub-zero conditions.
Workers at the restaurant are instructed to step out to normal
temperature at regular intervals.
Special lights called LEDs have been used. They do not emit heat
hence do not cause the ice to melt.
All the ice work was done by Iceculture Inc in Canada and was
shipped to Dubai in temperature-controlled reefer containers.
The flooring of the restaurant is made of special anti-skid
ceramic tiles.
Chillout is claimed to be the only ice restaurant in the world
to serve food round the year.
Other countries that have ice bars and restaurants include the
UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Cool facts
Location: Times Square mall, between the 3rd and 4th
interchange on Shaikh Zayed Road
Opens: Thursday, June 21
Timings: 2pm to 10pm (Saturday to Wednesday and 2pm to midnight
on Thursday and Friday)
Tel: 04-341 8121
Cover charge: Dh60, includes thermal gear and a free mocktail
Cold cuts: From seating to glassware to cutlery and crockery,
everything is cut in ice
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