{"id":543569,"date":"2022-02-08T03:51:45","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T03:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2022\/02\/08\/this-morning-its-finally-getting-warmer-zooba-among-menas-50-best-restaurants\/"},"modified":"2022-02-08T03:51:45","modified_gmt":"2022-02-08T03:51:45","slug":"this-morning-its-finally-getting-warmer-zooba-among-menas-50-best-restaurants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2022\/02\/08\/this-morning-its-finally-getting-warmer-zooba-among-menas-50-best-restaurants\/","title":{"rendered":"THIS MORNING: It\u2019s finally getting warmer + Zooba among MENA\u2019s 50 best restaurants"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, friends. It\u2019s hump day, and our reward is pleasantly busy news morning <\/strong>\u2014 a relief after something like 12 days of drinking from a fire hose. We\u2019ve got something for everyone this morning, from fintech to the restaurant business by way of solar power and pharma.<\/p>\n

PSA #1- Say goodbye to single-digit weather.<\/strong> Cairo is finally warming up a bit as winter seems set to draw to a close. The national weather service<\/a> is predicting warmer days and nights to come. Expect highs to reach up to 22\u00b0C through to Sunday, and lows of around 10-11\u00b0C at night. There\u2019s no rain in the forecast before Friday, 18 February \u2014 a long way out and plenty of time for the forecast to change.<\/p>\n

SMART POLICY-<\/strong> Dubai moves to outlaw plastic bags:<\/strong> Dubai will introduce a tariff on single-use plastic bags with a view to banning them completely within two years as the emirate looks to reduce plastic waste, Emirati state-owned news agency WAM reports<\/a>. From 1 July, businesses will charge customers AED 0.25 for each bag in the initiative\u2019s first phase.<\/p>\n

Abu Dhabi could follow suit:<\/strong> The emirate could impose a ban on single-use plastic bags by the end of the year, an official from Abu Dhabi\u2019s environment agency told the National<\/a> last month. A similar tax on single-use plastics has been adopted in more than 30 other countries, and a partial or total ban has been enforced in 90 nations, according to WAM. The news comes barely a month after the UAE moved to a 4.5 day, Monday-Friday workweek<\/strong>, getting in step with the business in Europe and North America.<\/p>\n

<\/a> SPEAKING OF THE EMIRATES- Our friends at Zooba have made the<\/strong> inaugural edition of <\/strong>the <\/strong>Middle East and North<\/a><\/strong>Africa\u2019s 50 Best Restaurants ranking<\/a><\/strong>, putting the spotlight on a homegrown brand that has gone from one restaurant in Zamalek a decade ago to eight branches in Egypt and international locations in New York and Riyadh. Founders Chris Khalifa<\/strong> (My Morning Routine<\/a>) and chef Moustafa El Refaey<\/strong> were recognized an event in Abu Dhabi last night, where Zooba\u2019s ranking at #38 was announced in front of an international audience of chefs, culinary experts, food critics and restauranteurs.<\/p>\n

Zooba was one of four Egyptian restaurants included <\/strong>on the list. Izakaya<\/strong>, the popular Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant and bar in Sheikh Zayed, was ranked at #48. Restauranteur Ayman Baki\u2019s Japanese restaurant and bar Kazoku<\/strong> took #19, and his flagship restaurant Sachi<\/strong> came in at #5 on the list, earning the title of Egypt\u2019s best restaurant for 2022.<\/p>\n

#1 on the list is Dubai\u2019s uncharacteristically unflashy, reasonably priced<\/strong> (by UAE standards) homegrown restaurant, 3 Fils, known for its superior food and casual, friendly atmosphere. The list also included 6 restaurants in Israel. Tap or click here<\/a> for the full ranking and profiles of the restaurants and founders.<\/p>\n

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MORNING MUST-READ- Janet Heckman, the former Egypt and regional boss at EBRD<\/strong>, responds to FT democracy criticism: <\/strong>Heckman, a former managing director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), isn\u2019t impressed with criticism by an article<\/a> in the Financial Times last month (which we picked up in What We're Tracking Today<\/a>). The piece called out the bank for working with governments in Africa and Asia that it said have lackluster democracy credentials. In a letter to the FT<\/a>, Heckman (My Morning Routine<\/a>) defended the lender\u2019s \u201coutstanding\u201d work to increase private sector involvement and transparency in the region, highlighting among other things its involvement in our Metro projects<\/a>, which she indirectly supervised.<\/p>\n

PSA #2- International flights to and from Morocco <\/strong>resumed<\/a><\/strong> yesterday<\/strong>, ending a two-month ban on all flights into the country that came into effect<\/a> after the emergence of the omicron variant.<\/p>\n

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IN THE HOUSE TODAY- <\/strong>The House of Representatives is meeting in plenary session. It reconvened on Sunday, but the big-ticket items appear to have been saved for today\u2019s final session. They include:<\/p>\n