A Trail of Four Markets – a Friday market hop across Old and New Dubai

The Friday brunch experience to try in 2015 is not the one in a sterile overpriced hotel, but rather the buffet of sensory market experiences that both old and new Dubai have to offer. Save your dirhams and spend a fruitful Friday completing this trail of four markets in the City of Gold.

Google Map Locations: Open https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zOr9LeKZFoJk.k_Pnyxhd0WVU and click the layer in the left box labeled ‘002 Food Trail: Friday Market Hop.’

The Deira Fish and Vegetable Market

Connect with the region’s rich fishing heritage and chug coconut water for a fourth of the price in New Dubai.

Suggested Time: 6:00AM to 9:00AM (the market runs all the way till 1:30PM but the early birds always get the freshest catch). Unlike the rest of the markets in this post, this market is open every day of the week, mornings and evenings.

Descriptive Buzz Cloud: Smelly, chaotic; bustling; ALIVE; authentic; male-dominated; friendly (sometimes too friendly); diverse; plentiful; bargain-worthy.

The Lowdown: Parking is NOT free on Fridays; much of the market holds imports of fish, fruits and veggies – but if you know what’s in season, you’ll know how to look for the local fish; the freshest catch is at the far end of the market; buy sustainably using www.choosewisely.ae; ditch the overfished hammour (orange-spotted grouper) and buy eshkeli (pink ear emperor) instead, which is excellent deep-fried in gram flour batter at the Grill & Shark Restaurant that I’ve described in an earlier post; rehydrate yourself in the veggies section with the cheapest coconut water you will find in Dubai (AED 4 to 5/coconut in the fruit/veggie section of the market (pictured below) as opposed to 15+ on the new side of town); crisp apple-green jujube are in season at the time of writing this post and are being sold right by the coconut water stand at the back of the market – AED 5 will grab you a nice bagful to crunch on for pre-breakfast munchies; ladies, please dress conservatively, unless you enjoy bare nuggets of you being stared at lecherously.

Want a friendly guide to reveal insider info on the market? Join the #unseenDXB photography course with Gulf Photo Plus, a project that I have co-designed. The expert photo instructor lays bare all my secrets about the market, including a super early morning visit for the frenzied wholesale fish auction, my favourite fishmonger’s stall, a visit to the shore to watch my fishmonger’s boats unloading, and loads of great info on how to capture the movement and atmospheric natural lighting in the market with anything from a phone camera to a DSLR.

If photography is not your thing, join meon my morning trail which includes the fish market and a bunch of other Old Dubai food-loving experiences. All photos of the market in this post and at the next one (RIPE) were taken on the #unseenDXB photo trail with Gulf Photo Plus (first launch trail on Friday, Feb 6, 2015).

There, shameless plug over.

The Ripe Food & Craft Market at Zabeel Park

Instagram profusely at this trending New Dubai market and rave about something. Anything. #goodLife #sexySelfie #glutenfreenutsfreedairyfreeBUTcheatwitharedvelvetcupcakeday

Suggested Time: 9:00AM to 10:00AM (the market runs till 5:00PM but the crowd swells a tad bit too much after 10:30AM for my peaceful Friday liking)

Descriptive Buzz Cloud: Strong community feel; positive vibes; family-oriented; westernized; encouraging number of home-grown brands; bustling after 10:30AM; great people-watching.

The Lowdown: Get there early else parking is a nightmare; AED 5.00 to enter the park; unbeatable fun outdoorsy vibe and a wide selection of prepared foods and handcrafted products; even though a market like this one might seem a bit affected after you’ve just left the grizzly fish market, keep an open mind to soaking up the outdoor fair-like atmosphere; there’s a lot of hype around certain stalls in the market, but remember that long lines for food don’t always correlate with taste/value for money on the new side of town; support the friendliest roti-gangsta on the planet – Tahir Shah – and his homegrown brand Moti Roti by buying a wrap with home-style Pakistani stuffings snuggled into a freshly-puffed whole wheat roti + lassi; the Prime Rib rosemary lamb sausage or beef burger might be the best AED 15.00 deal in the market, and they throw in water for free; hats off to all the vendors and their assistants who put in a boatload of effort serving the crowds all day; ladies, dress to impress (…on Instagram).

The Farmer’s Market on the Terrace

Appreciate the seasonal produce of farmers who create green magic despite harsh desert conditions.

Suggested Time: 9:00AM to 11:00AM (be there early for the choicest produce, even though the market does run till 2:00PM)

Descriptive Buzz Cloud: Local seasonal produce; interaction with farmers; friendly; family-oriented; humble; for chefs and the serious/quality-seeking cooking enthusiast; authentic; passionate; Baker & Spice’s simple but scrumptious spinach and eggs on an English muffin.

The Lowdown: Stalk their Facebook page for updates; this is the only farmer’s market in Dubai – people use that term too broadly here, but a farmer’s market is where you can actually meet the farmers who grow your produce and this is the only market in Dubai where you can do that; sells mostly produce + Balqees raw honey (which I unabashedly support) + RAW coffee + Baker & Spice’s grilled breakfast and baked goods + some other prepared foods; no cupcakes sighted thankfully; small market, but focus on quality of produce rather than quantity; go with the belief that if strawberries are not in season, then they don’t need to be at the market; buy what’s in season locally and celebrate ingredients in thoughtful home-cooked dishes; lack of selfie obsessives here – patrons simply care about their food, less about others watching them care about food; engage in friendly, informative banter with Laura Allais-Mare, the queen of the Slow Food Dubai chapter who’s got a stand right by the entrance of the market; grab spinach and runny eggs pinned between tender halves of an English muffin from Baker & Spice and find a grassy patch to kick off your flip-flops and tuck in; while not really local, the olives at the Astraea stand are really worth a taste. Let Kostas (photo below) infect you with his passion and knowledge of his family farm on the island of Samothrace in Greece – and if you buy a jar of precious fruity marinated olives, don’t be an elephant and forget them at the market like I did.

The Lowdown, part 2: To really appreciate this farmer’s market, you have to visit a local farm and understand the challenges of farming in the desert. Contact Slow Food Dubai to get on their mailing list and learn about farm visits. Organic Oasis comes recommended by my Fooderati Arabia friends and you can connect with them over Facebook to find out more details about scheduling a visit. Greenheart Organic Farms (which doesn’t sell at this market) also conducts informative farm visits that I’ve described in an earlier post. Educate yourself by learning from the masters – Sally Prosser, an award-winning blogger at My Custard Pie who frequently inspires her readers by sharing ‘’veggie art’’ on Facebook after her trips to the market and of course Laura, the leader of Slow Food Dubai. Both of them are usually flitting about the market, but even if you don’t run into them, I’ve got them to tell you why they love this market and why you should too:

Take a trail break with a much-deserved afternoon nap, unwind over tea and cookies bagged at the Farmer’s Market on the Terrace and then head over to the final, most hidden market of the trail…

Abu Hail Friday Night Bazaar

Get a real Taste of Dubai at a bustling night market that serves up specialties cooked in the homes of Emiratis, Indians, Pakistanis and Filipinos. 

Suggested Time: After Maghrib prayer time till about 11:30PM.

Descriptive Buzz Cloud: Old Dubai; home-style cooked food from the communities of Old Dubai; live frying and bread (regag) stations; down-to-earth; no-frills; killer chicken tikka; fried foods galore; conservative dress code; not for the fussy eater.

The Lowdown: This real taste of Dubai has no entry ticket and descends every Friday into the parking lot of the Union Coop in Abu Hail (Rashid Road); stalls are owned by Emiratis, some of whom sell food (e.g. harees, margooga) cooked in their homes and some of whom have leased their stalls to Indian/Pakistani/Filipino families who sell their own national foods; queues in Old Dubai usually correlate less with hype and more with flavour, so follow the crowds in this market; the food section is only one small edge of the market, much of it is dedicated to clothes and other knick knacks; dress conservatively – don’t land up in sleeveless shirts, shorts or anything body-baring; don’t  leave without the lemony, immaculately charred chicken kababs (AED 25.00, including bread and chutney) in the last portacabin-like stall at the far end of the market – there’s always smoke billowing out of it and the Emirati man (Ali) who grills the kababs often sings (in Urdu) to passer-by’s (blow-by-blow photo account for your viewing pleasure below);

The Lowdown (cont’d): …deep-frying is the trend here; hot-sellers are nose-tingling whole chillies or onion shreds or potato slabs dipped in spiced gram flour batter and deep-fried to a grease-laden crisp; acceptably crispy luqeimat vendors are challenging to find at this market, the ones I’ve tried are anti-climactically doughy; mediocre karak chai options; be ready to stand your ground and claim your rightful batch of freshly fried goods – in markets such as this, queues are often not defined by straight lines between two points and forceful aunties get first dibs; while there are many families around, don’t go as a single woman or even a pair of women – my outrageously attractive friend (she’s taken boys) managed to garner some unwanted, nauseating attention from pre-puberty school boys; the Union Co-Op customer service is on hand for distressed damsels and can help to nip adolescent adrenaline in its bud; take your own napkins and Purell; don’t photograph local or veiled ladies or you might end up eating your pakodas at the police station.

If you manage to weave through all four markets in one day, I want to hear from you, you little market monster you.

Google Map Locations: Open https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zOr9LeKZFoJk.k_Pnyxhd0WVU and click the layer in the left box labeled ‘002 Food Trail: Friday Market Hop.’