Food Adventures in Dubai

My trip to Dubai was very pleasant, but food was somewhat of a disappointment. I being a foodie, food is a major attraction of my vacation. From that perspective, this vacation was less than satisfactory. The traditional Middle Eastern cuisine can be summed up by saying that, it is a creative use of salt and pepper in various ways to flavor meats and fish, period. So is most of the American cuisine. But in there, the saving grace is the fat they use. They use a lot of butter, fatty meats and cheeses, which covers up for the lack in cooking creativity. Of course I am exaggerating a bit or maybe I am not!

In our stay in Dubai we tried to mainly focus on the local cuisine. We had Shawarmas(lamb and chicken) and kabobs (again lamb and chicken) a couple of times in food courts. And I thought, hmmm…they could do better, but ignored the feeling and gobbled it down. After some uneventful eating here and there, I was suggested a place called, WAFI Gourmet for good Middle Eastern food, by a local relative. This time it was not so much the food that struck me, but the service surprised me and not pleasantly. This was a fairly upscale restaurant, with food counters as well as ala carte menu. Prices were high but the service was average. This is not uncommon in Dubai, as tipping much is not a norm. When you come from India or even USA, where the waiting staff is extra polite 80% of the times, you feel the difference more. I will have to agree that the food was as good as Middle Eastern food can get. The khoobj or the freshly baked flat bread was an absolute delight. Hummus was sour, a little heavy on tahini. Meat quality was above average. I noticed an interesting addition here. Along with the grilled meat pieces there were grilled pieces of lamb fat. Since I like most fats, it was a welcome addition. Did I mention that the food prices in Dubai were pretty high! That is worth mentioning again.

A friend took us out to dinner in the Abra area, one of the nights. This was an authentic Arabic eating place where you see all the locals coming. Service was fast, prices were reasonable and food was good. They had brain, liver and tongue sandwiches, which I wasn't brave enough to try. Their Irani biryani was mild and flavorful. I still believe that the best Middle Eastern eateries are found in the West. One of my all time favorites is in downtown San Francisco. Their Shawarmas are to die for. Dripping with their heavenly sauce and loaded with meat. But that is America for you (abundance). Some of the Indian Hummus can give the Arabs a run for their money, at a fraction of their price that it would be in UAE.

On other days we had a couple of trips to Burger King and KFC. These are places where you expect the food to be standard. But there too it seemed, just ok. Burger King Burgers were slathered with insane amounts of ketchup. This was the experience on 2 separate occasions. KFC fries were limp and unseasoned. An 8” pizza in Pizza hut was covered only on the centre 4” part with cheese. I had my fill on my favorite Garrett popcorn, straight from Chicago, just the way they should be.

I bought a lot of good spices at the Spice Souk (market). I wish they would use some of those in their foods too. Just kidding! It was overall a good experience. An absolutely different culture, as compared to the West or Asia. Locals are on the ruder side, no matter what color they are. A mix of the whole world in one place at one time, even more than London or New York City. Tall buildings, huge malls, lots of gold, a mecca for shopping, and all the popular restaurants and brands from world over are here. Display of some of the best modern architecture at a short trip from India.