A culinary oasis
Featuring more than 100 cuisines and 200 nationalities, Dubai is set to become the next great food destination
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES—“Are you willing to revisit your position?” asks Nasif Kayed, managing director of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Cultural Understanding.
It’s a valid question. One that we — a hodgepodge of visitors from Canada, Europe and Asia, as well as expatriates — try to digest with potent shots of coffee brewed with cardamom and saffron.
One of the best ways to learn about a culture is through its food. So I assumed this guided traditional Emirati buffet, and a Bedouin meal I had earlier, would be a good foundation to knowing the city.
I was wrong, of course. Dubai can’t be distilled to one or two plates.
This cosmopolitan city is progressive in practice but conservative in nature.
It’s a place where sophistication meets tolerance, complete with an appointed minister who handles that portfolio. With100-plus cuisines and 200 nationalities, it’s a multicultural hub that might even rival Toronto.
I realized this sitting cross-legged on a cushion in an open courtyard in the historic Al Fahidi district, a labyrinth of narrow streets and wind towers. I mulled on it some more over an exquisite afternoon tea at the Skyview Bar atop Burj Al Arab — the world’s only seven-star hotel.
At the guided Emirati buffet we break bread — in this case, khamir to sop up chicken saloona (stew) — as our dynamic speaker tackles misconceptions; gender roles and expectations; radicalism and cultural misunderstandings.
There was a question about the Sunni and Shiite divide. There were criticisms of the Gulf States in the Syrian refugee crisis, despite the fact Dubai has been recognized by the Red Cross as the top global contributor. An open conversation on citizenship left many of us envying Emirati privileges.
To address an inquiry about cultural dress, my fashion-forward friend Justine Iaboni jumps up to volunteer to try on a niqab for a demonstration.
“It’s empowering,” she confesses afterwards, referring to the anonymity she felt under the niqab.
Kayed argues its practicality: “You don’t need to spend a lot of time getting ready to go out.” Sold.
Thanks in part to a fast-growing tourism industry, Dubai is poised to be the world’s next culinary playground. Discerning palates have thousands of restaurants and cafés to choose from. As expected, many focus on luxury.
We dine like royalty on flavourful Moroccan — including an ethereal icing sugar-dusted kenaffa — at Tagine, before sashaying down to swanky Jetty Lounge for flutes of brut rosé.
At Pierchic, our bergamot butters-wathed sea scallops and black truffle-kissed yellowtail filet are enjoyed, al fresco, from a table hovering over the Arabian Gulf.
Friday brunch at Thiptara, inside the prestigious Palace Downtown, puts all brunches to shame.
From our unobstructed view of the Dubai Fountain’s choreographed show, we indulge in caviar and every crustacean imaginable, lifting our heads only to watch water jets wiggle their way out of the shadow of Burj Khalifa.
We take advantage of Dubai Restaurant Week, feasting on prix fixe meals at London’s outpost of the Ivy, and Michelin-honoured Jason Atherton’s Marina Social, for a fraction of their regular menu price.
“Abu Dhabi has oil — Dubai has ideas” Ganesh Naidu, our guide from Arabian Adventures says, alluding to the city’s ongoing role in trade and innovation.
We experience that entrepreneurship when we head to Kite Beach for Dubai Food Festival’s Beach Canteen. It’s a one-stop shop to try homegrown restaurant concepts like fast-casual Moshi.
Developed by founder Rahul Sajnani, the fusion-style memos and sushi are an acquired taste, but locals line up out the door for cream cheese-filled maki rolls coated with crushed Chips Oman. The paprika-spiced potato chips become the country’s unofficial national dish when rolled with processed cheese and hot sauce in a hot paratha.
For expats like Kim Thompson, coowner of Raw Coffee Co., the region’s first organic coffee roastery, working the early years without salary was tough as she created new networks to find and service expensive, hightech equipment, train staff and educate consumers. The company has committed to ethical business practices, including working with women’s collectives from Ethiopia and Yemen. It has a café, barista training program and is beginning to export its beans.
Even the contrived-sounding Intersect by Lexus proved to be a surprise.
Tucked under the Dubai International Financial Centre, the brand’s retail concept shows how art, design, lifestyle, culture and technology can mingle in an inviting culinary space.
From the stunning Wonder wall-designed bamboo window grid (made to resemble the vehicle’s grilles) wrapped around the library lounge, to the gallery of fashionable-yet-functional lifestyle items, you get to experience the luxury brand without getting behind the wheel.
Chef Tomas Reger peppers a largely organic and share-friendly menu with crowd-pleasing terms such as artisanal, heirloom and kale, plus vegan and gluten-free options.
Just like Dubai, spending time at Intersect by Lexus could get expensive, but both exceed expectations.
Like my treasured box of macadamia nut-stuffed khalas dates from premium vendor Bateel in the Dubai Mall — I didn’t realize dates could be so costly, or delicious. I want more. Renée S. Sun was hosted by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, which didn’t review or approve this story.