After tasting icing-success at Minus5 in Australia and other places like New Zealand, its time for folks in the United Arab Emirates to get something similar at home town too. Chillout, the $3 million new Dubai bar and the Middle East’s first ice lounge, is the latest destination not only for locals but for tourists as well. For the land which has been best known for its deserts and scorching heat (reaches as high as 45 degrees) too, apart from the recent sky-rising real estate mania, this is an ideal place to chill out. It took 40,000 tons of ice to build the decor of the 2,400-square-foot restaurant. Every item was designed, carved, and cut at a studio freezer at Iceculture Inc. in Canada and then shipped to Dubai. Diffused lighting, from low-heat LED bulbs, constantly changes colors as it filters through the ice blocks. Sheepskin rugs cover the seats to give little warmth when seated. Cocktails, which are nonalcoholic in a nod to Muslim culture, are served in ice glasses that are later discarded. Unlike at Minus5, they serve the only vodka! What’s unexpected is that they do manage to serve hot drinks and food from an Asian fusion menu in stainless steel thermos containers. However, it goes cold in a few minutes which is excepted.
More pics follow……
There is a $17 cover charge, which includes one drink, rental of a hooded parka, woolen gloves and insulated shoes to keep visitors warm.
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