Marcus Thorne

Marcus Thorne arrived in Dubai from Manchester in 2019, initially on a short consultancy contract that turned permanent once he realised the city had become home. Over the past five years he has eaten his way through more than 400 Dubai restaurants, from hole-in-the-wall shawarma joints in Deira to tasting-menu evenings in Burj Khalifa. He writes about food and hospitality with the same rigour a film critic would apply to cinema: no free meals, no sponsored coverage, no averages rounded up.

At ting.ad, Marcus covers the full sweep of Dubai dining and local lifestyle — restaurants by cuisine and neighbourhood, cafe culture across JLT and Downtown, boutique hotels versus the mega-resort chains, and the seasonal openings that reshape the dining landscape each October when temperatures drop and terrace season begins. He also tracks practical detail that review sites often omit: reservation lead times, kids-friendly policies, parking validation, and whether the kitchen can genuinely accommodate dietary restrictions.

Marcus holds a WSET Level 3 Award in Wines and contributes occasionally to regional food media. His coverage at ting.ad aims to give Dubai residents and visitors the honest, specific information they need to choose well — whether that is a neighbourhood brunch spot or a special-occasion dinner.