A Taste of Dubai!

The end of the Dubai Food Festival was disappointing for many a foodie, but they can find another reason to celebrate with the Taste of Dubai at Dubai Media City. The VeggieBuzz team headed out on a windy Thursday evening to check out the event’s opening day and to try out some tasty treats!

Having soaked in the atmosphere of the event, we settled down to have vermicelli noodles with vegetables from Noodle House. The noodles were delicate and paper thin, mixed in with thin strips of mixed vegetables. Lime leaves added fragrance and freshness to a simple but tasty dish. Continuing on with the Asian theme, we got vegetable dumplings from Royal Orchid, which weren’t quite so great. The filling was bland, the dumplings doughy and the flavors weren’t mixed together very well.

From there we moved Westward to have some Mexican-style corn on the cob at Perry & Blackwelder’s Smokehouse, which was perfect for BBQ fans with its strong smoky flavor. Gaucho, an Argentinian eatery, had crisp cheese & onion empanadas, delightful little turnovers filled with juicy caramelized onions and gooey cheese. Dessert lovers would die for the dulce de leche and hazelnut cheesecake. There was another stall with Brazilian cheese balls that were nothing too special, and not quite as comforting. And of course, there was a Mexican place that had tortillas and salsa along with guacamole. You just can’t go wrong with that.

Modernist Indian bistro Tres Ind offered a fine dining take on classic Indian street food. They had an amuse bouche in the form of a ‘deconstructed paani puri’, which was a spoonful of mint chutney and tamarind sauce with a sprinkling of tiny gram dumplings. It was a good mix of textures and flavors that got the palate roaring for more. We followed up with their bite-sized rotis, done in the style of an Indian pizza or bruschetta, topped with onions, black olives, mint chutney and tomatoes. Once again, the flavors worked really well to create a vibrant dish. Indian fusion restaurant Patiala offered a nice palate cleanser with their mango lassi shot – creamy and refreshing.

Tabasco had a little stall where they were offering free canapés made with different varieties of Tabasco pepper sauce. These included a lovely labneh tartlet with jalapeño sauce, focaccia with garlic pepper sauce and a cold rice salad with red pepper sauce. They even had dessert with a spicy whipped cream topping. Each dish had a rich flavour complemented by a slowly rising hot aftertaste. All of that was washed down with a shot of Bloody Mary mix that had just the right combination of heat and tanginess. Wafflicious had nice warm waffles, not too sweet, with a topping of whipped cream.

For those looking to work their culinary skills, there were even food demos such as how to make smoothies with old fruit and a pasta cooking demonstration at the Barilla stall. The Food Network UK’s Chef Andy Bates, known for his shows on street food, did a demonstration late in the evening where he made a refreshing salsa verde and an indulgent white bean mash. We were even lucky enough to have a taste after the show!

Other assorted sights and bites included a stall selling quinoa bread near the entrance, juice and fruit stalls, the Vida food truck (there can never be enough food trucks), and various little canapés being given out as samples. A fantastic fireworks display in the late evening and live music kept everyone in good spirits, and some stalls even broke out into impromptu dance routines! As things were wrapping up, we walked out to the sound of Bon Jovi playing out the night.

So if you’re looking to spend the weekend trying a sample of some of Dubai’s finest cuisines, then head on over to the Taste of Dubai and check it out. There’s plenty to see, taste and enjoy for all foodies and veggie food addicts.

By Arpan