Tag Archives: emirati

© 2015 . All rights reserved.

When sorrow over Safa Park strikes, distract yourself with this food trail.

After being in the food tour business for two years, I don’t know what on earth I’ve been doing writing about one-off restaurant experiences in backstreet here, or hidden alley there. I eat, live, breathe food trails every day of … Continue reading

© 2014 . All rights reserved.

Nigerian cow’s tail, fishy cookies, camel meatballs and other food moments to celebrate.

Since my last post on greasy comfort-laden strips of Turkish doner, I’ve had a couple of memorable food discoveries that I have to share with anyone who cares to know. These are food memories that have connected me ina deep, fulfilling … Continue reading

© 2014 . All rights reserved.

Tahtah Malleh – Preserved fish and rice made by the gifted hands of an Emirati mother.

In Emirati lingo, Malleh means preserved fish – from the word ‘Milh’ or salt. It was the natural way of preserving fish back in those days when desert dwellers didn’t have refrigerators. And while I’ve eaten malleh a few times … Continue reading

© 2014 . All rights reserved.

Popular Emirati dishes served up in a dusty overlooked corner of Qusais.

I escape the blinding rays of an urban desert sun and falter into the hushed, dimly lit restaurant. Dazed, burnt, colour-blind. A few faces hover around the waiting area, all men, one familiar, two unfamiliar peering out of a pitch-black kitchen window. … Continue reading

© 2013 . All rights reserved.

Don’t ask me what you can eat in Old Dubai, ask me what you CAN’T.

The past few weeks have been a train ride of food experiences in the city. Everything from Emirati and Egyptian to Korean and Pakistani have made it to my plate, so here’s a summary line-up of a few of the … Continue reading

© 2012 . All rights reserved.

Putting shawarma on the back-burner for UAE National Day, and eating at Al Mallas instead.

Did you eat hummus to celebrate UAE National Day? Maybe falafels? Or mandi? Or shawarma? Well, that’s all yummy enough. But none of them are really Emirati. Here’s one of the few places where you could have really tasted true … Continue reading

© 2012 . All rights reserved.

Finally. A place where you can have your Emirati breakfast and win a Vespa too.

I walked into Bikers Café with the selfless goal of unveiling one of those rare places in the city where you can enjoy an authentic Emirati breakfast. I walked out of Bikers Café with my goal having devolved into a … Continue reading

© 2012 . All rights reserved.

Machboos, Dosa, and Disco Tea. Plotted on the Oversimplified Food Experience Graph.

You’d think that my life is all about Oscar-winning food experiences. You’d think that I have fabled fish curries and epic meatballs* wherever I go. You’d think that the chefs just know when there’s a fryingpan in their midst, and pull magic … Continue reading