Take a Mad (X) food trip

Inspired by the Hollywood cult movie Mad Max: Fury Road, another ‘Last Exit’ in Dubai has recently opened its doors to food lovers. Although you’ll be surrounded by war rigs with roof-mounted machine guns, monster trucks and bullet-riddled abandoned cars, make no mistake that this is not a post-apocalyptic war zone but a food destination.

Far from being a dystopian wasteland, there are 11 food trucks serving gourmet fare at Mad X, from American burgers to Chinese buns, Pad Thai to Indian street food and southernstyle fried chicken. Food joints such as 800 Degrees Pizza, Burger Pit, Dirty Dog, Johnny Rockets, Pad Thai and Jaldi Jaldi are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Mad X — the fourth food park developed by Meraas and located opposite the first Last Exit E11, along Sheikh Zayed Road in Jebel Ali towards Abu Dhabi — is both a gustatory and visual delight. Every corner is perfect for your social media, whether you’re a fan or not of the dystopian sci-fi Mad Max film series which director George Miller first brought to the screen in 1979, followed by 1981’s The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985 and latest one, Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015.

At Mad X, seats and tables are made of oil drums; trucks are reinforced with spikes and chains and mounted with machine guns; blown-up cars are displayed to create a menacing environment; and stretched limos brandish death grilles and weaponised kitchen appliances.

But unlike in the movie, where the future is harsh, toxic and barren, Mad X actually presents a paradigm that something beautiful can be created out of the ruins. That no matter how horrific the circumstances are, there is always something worth salvaging like how the developers created Mad X by upcycling scrap metals, wires, cables, pipes, recycled wood, cars and heavy equipment trucks.

So, whether you want to visit Mad X for its food or to take pictures, make sure to enjoy all the facilities as you recharge in the dine-in areas before you hit the road and continue your journey.

SKULL AND SPIKES.. An abandoned car at the post-apocalyptic world in Dubai which is filled with war rigs, monster trucks and many more — not to mention some great food trucks serving street food.

HELL’S KITCHEN... Don’t be intimidated by the giant slicer, this food truck, Hot Chix, actually serves an amazing grub for burgers.

UPCYCLED TRUCKS... Jaldi Jaldi fuses zesty flavours, yummy food and blast of colours from India.

PIT STOP... A visitor at Poco Loco that offers Japanese-Peruvian cuisine known as Nikkei.

THE WAR RIG... Every corner is perfect for social media selfie.

REST FOR THE WEARY... Loads of fun to share and enjoy.

HOW TO FIND... Interchange 11 opposite the Last Exit E11 freeway.