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ELLEpioneer
BUTHAINA
& NOOR
London and is currently working in
strategy and investments. The two
friends appear to have contrasting
interests; however, their shared passions
for food, design and fashion have driven
them to think bigger, better, and outside
the box, which has yielded the success of
The Dinner Club by N°57.
Curious about their supper club turned
entrepreneurship, I dug a little deeper in
my research, which lead me to liken the
base concept of The Dinner Club by
N°57 to that of the infamous Bohemian
Club, an exclusive gentlemen’s club in
the US. The girls share with me the
creation of their exclusive supper club
that began several years ago: "We
decided to go into business together and
started planning our restaurant. The
process was taking longer than expected
and because we are both so interested in
food and design, we decided to launch
The Dinner Club to introduce people to
our brand, aesthetic, and menu. Since
then, The Dinner Club by N°57 has
evolved into its own business." We love
the concept and even more so the name.
It resonates a very distinct tone: maybe
eet Buthaina Al Mazrui
and Noor Bani Hashim:
two Emirati friends who
envisioned the region’s
first underground
supper club. The Dinner Club by N°57
is an exclusive invitation-only, enigmatic
venture created by the fabulous duo.
Joining the league of dynamic women
from the region, the two tenaciously
pursued their dreams of hosting the
region’s most notorious and swank
dinners, as well as launching their own
boutique café in the capital, Abu Dhabi.
While the initial concept of the ingenious
supper club may have began as a fantasy
notion, the two girls are actually very
level-headed and have their own
respective careers. Noor studied urban
planning at University of California,
Berkeley and completed her masters
from the School of Design at Harvard;
while Buthaina went to university in
Dubai has become a
globally infused city,
giving all who arrive a
chance to do whatever
they desire. An
archetype for pioneers,
Dubai is now
synonymous with such
titles as 'The First', 'The
Biggest', 'The Tallest',
and 'The Fastest',
to name but a few.
Buthaina Al Mazrui and
Noor Bani Hashim, our
ELLE Pioneer Women
this month are
visionaries, "The First"
of their kind in Dubai’s
diverse culinary scene.
174 E L L E
M

2. favourite, too." The café culture is
undoubtedly vibrant across the UAE with
the rise of numerous themed cafes. N°57
fans and guests alike will recognize the
neutral colours, layered textures, and
vintage theme likened to the brand. But
does the opening of the new café mean
the discontinuation of the supper club
that we have grown to love? The girls
assure me that they will keep hosting
Dinner Club events monthly, stating that
The Café and The Dinner Club
complement one another beautifully.
It is quite obvious from what I’ve learnt
from Noor and Buthaina that for a
business to be successful, the partners
involved must also complement each
other, and these two both even like the
same crispy fried food that women covet
for comfort! Initially the girls were quite
hesitant to put their idea into action,
"When we first started The Dinner Club,
we knew we wanted to host our events in
completely unexpected locations which
meant that holding dinner parties for
guests in our own homes wasn’t the best
option. Because we were starting a
completely new concept, we had to
discover and learn everything as we went
along, which was both challenging and
exciting! We thought people would think
our idea was insane, but we are so lucky to
have had incredible support from the
beginning." Now, as part of the flourishing
visionary women of the region, The
Dinner Club by N°57 co-founders advise
others to do what they did: "Once you find
something you’re passionate about, stop
at nothing to make it happen! There will
be obstacles that seem insurmountable,
but anything is possible with a little
creativity and a lot of hard work.
Surround yourself with people who
believe in what you’re doing. Be daring
and forge your own path!"
Poroma Pant
it’s the "N°57" that alludes to Chanel’s
iconic N°5 perfume that makes us feel
that way! Why N°57 then? The girls
matter-of-factly chorus in, "N°57 is our
overarching brand, which ties in both the
café (N° FiftySeven Boutique Café) and
The Dinner Club. When naming TDC,
we were looking for something simple,
refined, and self-explanatory!"
Fancy a gourmet dinner for ten on the
back of a lorry in India? Or perhaps an
exclusive soiree complete with fine china
dinner settings in an empty swimming
pool? The picture these very words
illustrate seem quite impossible but our
girls from The Dinner Club by N°57
embody Muhammad Ali’s "Impossible
is nothing" in their various successful
attempts at bringing something unique to
the already diverse culinary scene in the
UAE. While supper clubs and
underground restaurants are usually held
at the hosting party’s home, the USP of
The Dinner Club (if you haven’t already
guessed it) is the location.
"We want our guests to have a completely
new experience! Nothing is off limits!
We’ve designed dinners in a skate park,
on an empty bus, just steps away from a
private zoo enclosure, and on an empty
floor at DIFC, amongst others. The only
space we wanted that wasn’t available to
use was an oil tanker. It’s still on our list,
though!" Part of The Dinner Club
experience is that invitees have no clue as
to where the supper will be held until the
day of the event which makes it all the
more intriguing. As such, the location
complements the food; Buthaina creates
the menu based on the chosen site while
Noor revamps the surroundings to form
the most picturesque Tumblr-worthy
backdrops.
With the region’s most influential
personalities beating a path to their door,
The Dinner Club became tantamount to
local celebrity status. "We were focused
on finding guests with varied and
interesting backgrounds so that dinner
conversation would never be dull. All of
our previous guests have been ideal – up
for anything and enthusiastic about The
Dinner Club concept! Hosting Christian
Louboutin was a dream come true!" How
could they ever top up a guest such as the
reigning King of the Red Sole, Mr.
Louboutin? The girls envision the likes of
Johnny Depp, Oprah & H.H. General
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahayan
as part of their dream list of invitees.
Over the years, their original dream of
creating a signature boutique café finally
materialised. The café, located on the
water in Al Marasy, Abu Dhabi, will be
open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and
will follow design elements similar to
those found at their dinner club
endeavors. The girls’ gush excitedly about
their new venture. "We’ve taken great
care to source local and seasonal
ingredients for the menu, which includes
several dishes that our Dinner Club
guests have raved about, including coffee
and desserts – you’ve got to try our
signature sweet, the Ermahgerd! It’s our
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