UAE food news: Kanteen, Bite Me Burger and Get Plucked are Dubai's newest restaurants, and See’s Candies comes to Abu Dhabi

Plus: Dine with chef Jose Avillez at Tasca in Dubai; and save food at Hakkasan's anti-brunch

Mini burgers at Bite Me, now open in DIFC 

Japanese cuisine in a lively ambience is what Kanteen, which will open in Millennium Place, Dubai Marina on Tuesday, February 18, promises. Three happens to be the number of perfection in Japan, and the restaurant will offer the first 33 patrons three free drinks on February 18, 19 and 20.

The menu features dishes such as shrimp, calamari, enoki and seasonal vegetable tempura, robatayaki options, sashimi, duck and iceberg salad and Japanese potato salad; plus desserts such as yuzu cheesecake lollipop, popcorn snickers and black sesame ice cream.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with See’s Candies

The American-born confectionery shop, known for its “retro-style candy and chocolates” and quaint, black-and-white interior, has opened its first branch in the UAE in Abu Dhabi’s Nation Towers. There are more than 100 varieties of candy and home-made chocolates in assorted flavours, fudge, truffles, sugar-free bars, toffees, brittles and more. The shop also puts together gift boxes for special occasions (did someone say Valentine’s Day?). Other sweet treats to try include peanut brittle, chocolate walnut fudge and Victoria toffee products, which are prepared using the original recipe by founder Mary See.

Try new burgers at a ‘fusion’ restaurant in DIFC

British brands Bite Me Burger and Get Plucked have been operating as ghost restaurants in Dubai, but are now set to launch a permanent, dine-in fusion restaurant in Gate Avenue, DIFC on Thursday. Bite Me Burger Co serves a diverse range of beef, chicken, duck, lamb and veggie mini burgers with signature sauces, and guests are sure to get a kick out of flavours such as the (non-­alcoholic) Bloody Mary and Jack Daniels burger. Meanwhile, vegetarians can try out the Vegan Me, a chickpea patty with tahini, or the Vegetari Anne (with a portobello mushroom patty and Brie). Meanwhile, Get Plucked serves chicken wings and burgers, and even an Instagram-worthy chicken waffle cone.

Dine with chef Jose Avillez at Tasca in Dubai

Chef Jose Avillez, whose restaurant Belcanto in Lisbon holds two Michelin stars, will create an eight-course menu at Tasca, his first international restaurant, located in Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai, on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 11 and 12. The meal takes in some of the chef's most celebrated dishes, including el bulli (which translates to "exploding") olives; roasted chicken with avocado cream, cottage cheese, piri piri sauce and lemon; and roasted octopus for starters. For mains, there's red shrimp with black rice; and steak cooked over coal and served with sauce. Dessert is a lemon and lime globe with yuzu foam or a cheesecake enfrascado note. The meal, which takes place from 7pm to 11pm, will be served by Avillez himself and is priced at Dh500 (or Dh750 with grape pairing).

Have an Arabian Nights experience at Shangri-La, Qaryat Al Beri

The Abu Dhabi hotel recently unveiled its Hikayat (which translates to "tales") Arabian Nights, set to take place on every first and last Saturday of the month from 6pm to 9pm. Enjoy a majlis setting and indulge in Middle Eastern classics (think bonfire chicken mandi, charcoal flame lamb ouzi, camel with rice, jallab and qamar al-din, an apricot drink), alongside entertainment by belly dancers and tanoura dancers. Henna artists will also be on hand. The package starts from Dh169 per person, including food and soft drinks; children below 6 eat free.

Head to an anti-brunch at Hakkasan 

The Dubai outpost of the Cantonese restaurant is pushing back against brunch culture with Dim Sum Fridays, an "anti-waste, anti-brunch" from 12.30pm to 3.30pm that offers guests a basket of steamed, fried or baked dim sum for Dh58. With guests ordering exactly how much they would like to eat, the idea is to curb the excess food that is part of brunch and buffet culture. The offer is available alongside the restaurant's Taste of Hakkasan three-course set menu, which features specialities such as jasmine-tea-smoked beef ribs and black pepper beef, and is priced at Dh338. An a la carte menu will also be available.