Cashing in on the winter trend for outdoor nightspots, Jumeirah’s Emirates Towers hotel recently threw together a few pieces of garden furniture and an impermanent-looking bar structure to bring us Clique. The view, even from what is essentially the ground floor, is admittedly impressive, looking out towards the vertiginous buildings of Sheikh Zayed Road and DIFC, lit up like magnificent corporate Christmas trees. But billing it as the hottest new outdoor lounge in the city is stretching the truth a touch too far, considering it was probably no more than a sun deck for the adjacent swimming pool prior to being ‘rebranded’ in the latter part of 2010.

When there’s a larger crowd and the music gets going, it’s easier to see past the smaller things they’ve overlooked, such as the occasional wire trailing the ground and the fact the glowing DJ booth and lights don’t sit right with the tone of the surroundings. Still, it seems almost audacious that though regular drinks are readily available, the sell is on for branded bubbly and bottles – not measures – of Russian beverage, for which the price lists take pride of place on the tables.

With so much competition in the area – Calabar, RED, iKandy and more – we can’t help wondering why they didn’t put a little more consideration into the theme, and make more of an effort with the smaller details.