A story from the Instagram of Mert Turkmen, the General Manager of a restaurant GÅL Dubai in Downtown, Dubai, took the Internet by storm with an image of a bill of Dh 620,926 ($169,067) for a table of 18 guests. The caption of the story on Instagram said “not first, not last” tagging the restaurant.
The story took the internet to surprise, which went viral, shared by thousands of users edited as memes, and whatnot. The image shows the order that included an expensive 1942 wine and a Dom Perignon champagne for Dh 10,000 ($2,722) and Dh 175,000 ($47,649) respectively. The order comprised of mostly beverages that guests enjoyed with the stunning view of Burj Khalifa and its new year’s fireworks on this New Year’s Eve.
GÅL Dubai, formerly known as the Galliard, offers Turkish-Mediterranean cuisine with an open-kitchen experience. It provides an extensive cellar and a sophisticated cocktail bar on an open-air terrace with a jaw-dropping view of the iconic Burj Khalifa. With 77.3% five-star reviews at tripadvisor.com, it is considered to be one of the best experiences in Downtown Dubai if you can afford it.
A similar huge bill was seen when Charlie Sloth, a British DJ, who shared his bill at FIVE Palm Jumeirah Dubai Hotel on Instagram of Dh 1,014,973 ($276,363) captioned “When flexing and showing off goes wrong… 1 MILLION AED…” on November 16, 2020.
Another time when this time of invoice shocked everyone was when Salt Bae, A famous chef and food entertainer who rose to fame with his unique meat preparing and salt seasoning techniques went viral back in January 2017, shared a huge bill, on November 18, 2022, of a jaw-dropping Dh 615,065 ($167,474) captioning “Quality never expensive”. Dubai has been a center for such visitors who are willing to spend for a unique experience and ultra-royal dining.
Downtown Dubai reported 100% bookings this New Year’s Eve with hotel rates doubling to cope with the demand. Most people coming to Dubai included “CIS countries, India, the GCC, and UK”, mentioned Joseph Karam, Group Director of Operations Ishraq Hospitality.
