Spud vs Snow
"The curiosity over Mall of the Emirates is ending, they're all coming back here."
The happy words of an Ibn Spud restaurateur looking around his re-bustling premises. Poor Ibn Spud mall took a big drop in visitors when the Souq of the Snowslope opened. But the latter's tiny, cramped cafes, lack of restaurants, and generally cavernous, gloomy atmosphere are now being rejected as Dubaians flock back to the more colourful, spacious Battuta.
Mall of the Emirates has shockingly poor cafe facilities. Great outlets like Pauls - situated in a lovely indoor plaza in Mercato mall - are crammed into a tiny corner underneath an escalator in MoE. Despite its vast size MoE has just one modest Starbucks, where it is impossible to find a table. Ibn Spud boasts three.
In terms of shopping, MoE reigns supreme: it has myriad more shops, and a vast hypermarket. But people wanting a relaxing coffee, or food in pleasant surroundings - including al fresco - are far better advised to visit Ibn Spud.
The happy words of an Ibn Spud restaurateur looking around his re-bustling premises. Poor Ibn Spud mall took a big drop in visitors when the Souq of the Snowslope opened. But the latter's tiny, cramped cafes, lack of restaurants, and generally cavernous, gloomy atmosphere are now being rejected as Dubaians flock back to the more colourful, spacious Battuta.
Mall of the Emirates has shockingly poor cafe facilities. Great outlets like Pauls - situated in a lovely indoor plaza in Mercato mall - are crammed into a tiny corner underneath an escalator in MoE. Despite its vast size MoE has just one modest Starbucks, where it is impossible to find a table. Ibn Spud boasts three.
In terms of shopping, MoE reigns supreme: it has myriad more shops, and a vast hypermarket. But people wanting a relaxing coffee, or food in pleasant surroundings - including al fresco - are far better advised to visit Ibn Spud.
Labels: ibn battuta, shopping
23 Comments:
Well ...
After just walking couple of Ks to a shop that you intend to visit, you need a coffee!
Sadly, too few opportunities, except around the plastic slopes.
An Emarati friend, known connoiseur of the coffee shops, says "it does not feel right" I believe him. The man knows his coffee!
it may be cramped SD but the shopping is way better at MOTE. Ibn B's simply an amusement park, and once you get past the cavernous halls, the selection of shops is abysmal.
I don't have much money to serve the real purpose of any malls, but what I like about IB is that if you park your car at china court and take a quick walk to the other end and come back, you'll definitely burn some calories. To be fair, it's a nice air conditioned walking track for me.
MOE is supposed to be a bigger replica of City Centre but it looks like the architects and internal desingers never had enough time to make a mature design. It lacks identity and definitely needs more lighting inside.
Anyway, malls are major sources of entertainment here in Dubai(at least amongst cheap ones)and I respect all the mall-makers... I want more malls.. more and more
Oh, Shadow, you'll go, you'll go: the infinite lure of malls will draw you in despite your best ideas. And once there? The shiny shiny lights, the goods the goods the goods, you'll never know what hit you.
My 19yr old son returned here for a vacation at Christmas, having been away from Dubai for more than a year. He told me that his old High School hangout (Mercato) was deserted at night and all the Jumeirah teenagers had moved to MOE.
Personally I find MOE a more useful mall for day to day shopping, but I agree with anonymous that Ibn B is great for mall-walking. I have been told (never checked it out) that some people were jogging there during the summer.
Interesting how all the malls seem to develop their own particular clientele.
Was at MoE last night. It was heaving. Last time I drove all the way down to IT it was empty. IT is good if you're coming from AD but not from Dubai. It's just that bit too far.
Both of them suck.
Until they begin distributing segway scooters to shoppers they will continue to do so.
Do I look like I want to drop a sweat "walking" in the "air conditioning" from one side of the mall to the other?
i hate malls.
especially those stuck up gelled lebos at Zara.
:)
Ibn Battuta has a second hand bookshop. 'Nuff said.
nothing beats deira citycentre.
minus the traffic.
nothing beats deira citycentre.
Ibn B's mall is alot better for sure. They have a Woolworths.. and no mall is complete without a Woolworths.
What does MOE's have? A Ski slope.
A freakin Ski Slop! How many times have I needed a Ski Slope in the past 5 months?
we must not forget that these malls target their customers.. for example wafi is known for the posh high spenders. mulla plaza, the first mall in dubai is for the lower class. city center is a tourist attraction therefor the shops that open up there know the budgets of their clients.. ibn is closer to city center where as MOE is an upsized city center ..
I can sum up the Dubai shopping situation this way: same stores, different malls. How many Mangos and Zaras do you really need in Dubai? How about bringing in something new?
I totally agree with anon's comment @ 10:19!!!
Ibn Battutta is a place to walk around, drink coffee and watch people or read. They have a magrudy!
I didn't go to Ibn Battuta last few weeks, did they open Godiva?
MOTE is the place to go 'shopping', because I can find almost everything I want there, the sad thing is whenever I go there I can't figure out where I spent my money! oh yeah, and they have good food choices. :D
http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/business/10016203.html
any comments on this?
I am weary...
of everything that surrounds me..
of what my life is turning out to be...
of what I am losing as I give up my dreams for practical rationale decisions...
someone's gotta pay the bills...kill the dream, sacrifrice it...
seems like more and more only the rich can "afford" to dream...
I feel lost. Lost because I know my dream is gone.
I had so much hope...as a child I grew up thinking I could do the best I can...
then, the world showed me its viscious ways and showed me my foolishness...
I have just awaken form my dreams...now i am sobered...now, there is only stark, gray reality...sometime highlighted by joy but mostly just days on end of working to live, living to work and a balance between the two...
I didn't go to Ibn Battuta last few weeks, did they open Godiva?
Hmm. I have this vague sad memory that it isn't opening at all. I hope I'm wrong.
I think the worst thing about MoE is the permanent, pungent haze of second hand cigarette smole that permeates its atmosphere. Went for the first and last time last week. The place just reeks ! Too bad - nice ski slope...
Yes - that is very true. Surprising, since the ceilings are so high, but it really is a fug of fag-reek in there.
Expect humankind to have established a colony on the sun before Dubai Municipality manage to ban it in public places though. It's arguably the most shameful third world phenomenon in this otherwise fairly developed country.
Bur Juman is a little ahead - at least they make an attempt (much appreciated) to keep smelly smokers away from the civilised crowd. But public smokers tend to be such a dumb, inconsiderate crowd, that probably a mean looking anti-smoking guard armed with a cat o' nines would be required for enforcement.
Well, I think now that Dubai is expanding...its a good idea to have a shopping center that has most goods under one roof to cut down on traffic.
The thing I dont get though is why make it HUGE...its just too painful..there is one prayer room in IB mall...so clearly the person who built it didn't have that in mind (I dont what that reflects)..
I agree...smoking should be banned, I hate the smell, and ofcourse the s/e...but SD you dont have to be so harsh about your cooments.."Expect humankind to have established a colony on the sun before Dubai Municipality manage to ban it in public places though"...cause for a relatively new country...we are doing REALLY well...but as usual its easy to find faults.
And yes, every mall has its clients,
Wafi seems to attract the rich and those who have nice cars...
Burjuman is for middleclass families.
Mercato for the gay and trans.
MOE teenagers and teeangers fans.
IB I could not figure out yet...
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