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Everything's Made of Ice at Dubai Bar
Energy consumption in the Emirates runs high for many reasons, particularly because of the air conditioning that cools houses, malls, cars and public places not only during the furnace-hot summers but in the warm winters.
Making matters worse are Dubai's audacious developments. The emirate has transformed itself into a financial and tourism center, building up its name with dramatic projects _ the world's tallest skyscraper, island resorts in the shape of palm trees and maps of the world, even an indoor ski slope that still creates snow amid the inferno of summer.
  The staff work behind the bar made of ice at the Chillout ice lounge in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday Aug. 9, 2007. The US$3 million Chillout, which opened in a mall in June, is the Middle East's first ice lounge and the latest venture in this desert Gulf emirate that has been transformed by a mania for the biggest, first or most outlandish. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) (Kamran Jebreili - AP) PHOTOS |
Mike Ebenezer, business manager at Sharaf Group, which owns Chillout, insists it consumes only as much energy as a cold storage facility for frozen foods does.
"There are hundreds of cold storages in Dubai," said Ebenezer.
Ebenezer said that Chillout is the ninth such ice bar in the world, with others in the U.S., Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, London and Italy.
"It's a cool oasis in the middle of the desert," said Ebenezer.
"We want it to be a fashion and lifestyle statement for the Dubai people," he added. "It's the kind of place where you want to be seen."
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 for the diners' comfort. Cocktails _ which are nonalcoholic in a nod to Muslim culture _ are served in ice glasses that are later discarded.
Hot drinks and food, from an Asian fusion menu, are served in stainless steel thermos containers _ but still get cold within 15 minutes, diners are warned.
Putting on their parkas, newlywed Lebanese couple Yousef and Obeida Bissani, who live in Dubai, said they are used to cold winters in Lebanon but wanted to see what it's like to sit on an ice bench and drink from an ice glass.
"We didn't want to go to Ski Dubai because we have (the Lebanese) ski resort of Faraya," said Obeida Bissani, 23, who works in advertising.
Thuraya Amory, a 24-year-old Moroccan who works in sales, brought her mother, Amina, who was visiting from their homeland.
"It's the first time that I experience cold in Dubai," she said. "It's nice to do it from time to time."
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