What we didn’t eat in Dubai
Dubai was one of the most expected and excited about trips, that we ever took.
The list of things to do and to see is so big, that we decided to stay 10 days.
When we are travelling to a new city, country, region, we are eager to find a lot of things about their culture, people, traditions, history, the local hidden gems and of course their food.
At the moment the plane landed, all we wanted to eat was Emirati Cuisine.
At the hotel we were staying, they were serving Continental/American breakfast and for the night (with reservations only) Indian food, prepared by a super fancy chef.
We knew that Dubai is an expat paradise, but a lot of cities are and also keep their roots.
We explored the city from the oldest to the newest, from the crowded area to the emptiest one, night and day, by foot or by our rented Chevrolet Aveo, and unluckily we didn’t find Emirati food.
The city is full of Indian, Pakistani, Iranian, Lebanese, Chinese and Filipino restaurants. We did even find a small Romanian place. If you go deeper in the modern area, you will probably eat something French or Italian, or some fast-food.
We had to travel to Abu Dhabi
One day in our itinerary was reserved for Abu Dhabi. Because it is a more traditional city, we could finally taste their food.
In a small, family oriented, traditional restaurant, we indulged in a three-course meal for lunch, just to have the opportunity to taste it.
We ate lamb skewers, grilled chicken wings marinated in their traditional ways, Tharid ( a slow cooked vegetable and meat stew) and for dessert Luqaimat and a traditional Arabic coffee.
If you take a cruise: Dhow Cruise in Dubai Marina, you will also be served dinner.
At dinner we did find Tabouleh, Hummus and some traditional sweets, but the main course was pasta.
So, in my opinion, Dubai is not so traditional food friendly. Perhaps if we searched deeply and longer or at the high-end restaurants, we would probably find some more.
I appreciate the involvement of making the expats communities feel at home, and bring their contribution to the big amazing city that is and it’s still growing.
Dubai, traditional food wise is not that…
Travelicious.