Talking Taste

Now known as 'The Taste Department', the restaurants division of the Jumeirah Group signs a license agreement with TECOM Investments that will see four restaurants open in the Dubai Outsource Zone.

Dubai, June 22nd 2008: Jumeirah Branded Restaurants, part of the Jumeirah Group, the dynamic Dubai-based luxury international hospitality management group, has launched its official name, The Taste Department, to reflect its tasty, fun and successful casual dining restaurant concepts which are rapidly expanding worldwide. In line with the division’s drive for continued expansion, The Taste Department has signed a license agreement with TECOM Investments that will see four restaurants open at the Dubai Outsource Zone in September this year: two existing concepts, Sana Bonta and Bytes as well as two brand new concepts, The Flaming Revolution and Rice & Spice.

Steven Grey, The Taste Department’s General Manager Chief Taster said:

Ismail Alnaqi, Executive Director of Dubai Outsource Zone, added:

The noodle house, a vibrant casual dining restaurant where chefs prepare aromatic South East Asian dishes within minutes over an open flame and in full view of the guests, was the first restaurant brand to be developed by Jumeirah’s dedicated division and will be growing exponentially over the coming years with master license agreements already signed in the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon and India. The noodle house provides a unique combination of wholesome food and an energetic ambience that very few restaurants have been able to perfect.

A second concept, Sana Bonta, which literally translates to ‘wholesome goodness’ in Italian, was launched in April 2007 with the very first outlet open in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and master license agreements about to be signed in two locations outside of the UAE. This modern eatery with stylishly informal ambience is undoubtedly Italian where you can make your own menu, choosing from a wide selection of fresh, high quality ingredients cooked to perfection to create a multitude of antipasti dishes, fresh pasta, giant salads and wood fired pizza exactly to your liking.

The third concept, Bytes, The Taste Department’s ‘grab and go’ deli concept mirrors the urban cool of a New York City deli. It is serving busy Dubians everyday with five outlets open or under construction in Dubai as well as a license agreement in Bahrain.

A brand new concept, The Flaming Revolution is a modern trendy and fast service rotisserie style restaurant that will bring back memories of how good food used to taste with uncomplicated food and natural wholesome flavour. Rice & Spice is a fast, noisy and authentically buzzing casual restaurant with eclectic cuisine inspired by the North and South of India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

Visit us at: www.thetastedepartment.com

Notes to editors

Jumeirah Group

Jumeirah properties are regarded as among the most luxurious and innovative in the world and have won numerous international travel and tourism awards. The Dubai-based luxury international hospitality management group encompasses the world renowned Burj Al Arab, the world’s most luxurious hotel, the multi-award winning Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Madinat Jumeirah and Jumeirah Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa in Dubai, the Jumeirah Carlton Tower and Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel in London and the Jumeirah Essex House on Central Park South in New York.

The Group’s activities are, however, not restricted to hotel and resort management. The Jumeirah Group portfolio also includes Wild Wadi, regarded as one of the premier water parks outside of North America; The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, the region’s only third-level academic institution specializing in the hospitality and tourism sectors; The Taste Department, the company’s dedicated restaurant division; global spa brand Talise; Jumeirah Living, the Group’s luxury brand of serviced residences offering effortless living in luxurious surroundings; and Jumeirah Retail, with its fourteen stores and dedicated luxury retail website www.jumeirahcollection.com.

Building on this success, Jumeirah Group became a member of Dubai Holding in 2004, a collection of leading Dubai based businesses and projects, in a step that aims to initiate a new phase of growth and development for the group.

Jumeirah has extensive expansion plans to grow its portfolio of luxury hotels and resorts into key gateway or letterhead cities and aspirational resort destinations worldwide. Currently, the Group has several luxury five-star properties under development, including five in Dubai and others in Abu Dhabi, Aqaba, Doha, Phuket, Bermuda, Argentina, Mallorca and London. The Group is eagerly anticipating the grand opening of Jumeirah HanTang Xintiandi in late 2008, Jumeirah’s first hotel in China and flagship property in the Asia Pacific region.

For further information please contact:

Jumeirah Group Corporate Communications
Anne Bleeker – Director of Corporate Communications
PO Box 214159
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 4 3647970
Fax: +971 4 3016655
E-mail: anne.bleeker@jumeirah.com
Visit us at: www.jumeirah.com

About Dubai Outsource Zone

Dubai Outsource Zone (DOZ), member of TECOM Investments, is the world’s first ’free zone’ dedicated to the outsourcing industry. It is the perfect base for companies that provide mid-to high-end business processes outsourcing (BPO) services and back office operations. DOZ offers these companies a comprehensive efficient infrastructure and a business friendly environment to set up hubs that service local, regional and global markets. DOZ’s offering includes 100% exemption from taxes; arguably the world’s most reliable technology and communications infrastructure, a one-stop-shop of support services and the best possible working environment. One of the key features of DOZ’s infrastructure is a Plug and Play Centre that will provide a ready infrastructure for BPO service providers to set up their operations and start providing their services. For more information: www.doz.ae