The second Taste of Dubai festival opened on March 11 at Dubai Media City to ravenous crowds from Dubai and the neighbouring emirates. Boasting Michelin masters like Gary Rhodes, Vineet Bhatia and Giorgio Locatelli, the festival runs until Saturday, March 14. With a full schedule of events, 22 participating restaurants and a veritable feast of a marketplace, it has something to please every palate and critic.
Dining at Taste
The festival works on the basis of currency tokens or 'dellas'. One della is worth Dhs5 and each of the restaurants serve three dishes - an appetiser, main course and dessert - that could range anywhere from four dellas (Dhs20) to eight dellas (Dhs40). Portions are sample sized.
Visitors are invited to browse the stalls, chat with chefs and have a pick of what to indulge in. For example, begin with a hammour ceviche appetiser from modern Mexican restaurant Maya, then move on to Gordon Ramsay's Verre restaurant for the braised beef topside with sautéed celeriac and cepe veloute and end on a sweet note at Gary Rhodes' Mezzanine that's serving Devonshire clotted cream pannacotta with poached strawberries.
Lucky guests will also have a chance to run into Bhatia and Rhodes who were on hand at the opening ceremony chatting with guests and explaining their menus.
Chef's Secrets
Thanks to the Spinneys Cookery School and the Mark Wilkinson Chef's Theatre, amateur chefs can pick up some handy cooking tips and tricks of the trade while watching the professionals do what they do best.
For those who want to get in on the action at the cookery school with celebrity chefs, Vineet Bhatia of Indego (Grosvenor House Hotel Dubai) fame will demonstrate how to whip up prawns poached in coconut milk and kokum sauce. Alternatively, students can choose to stay sweet with the BBC's star chef James Martin's ginger and vanilla cheesecake with balsamic strawberries.
At the chef's theatre Gary Rhodes will part with his recipe for crisp soft egg with mushroom duxelle and Roquefort truffle toasts, while Giorgio Locatelli, who opened his restaurant Ronda Locatelli at The Atlantis on the Palm Jumeira, shares his technique for potato and mushroom dumplings.
Places in the classes and for the demonstrations are on a first-cum-first-serve basis since they are free. A highlight of the Chef's Theatre is the Chef's Challenge with Paul Lupton from Rhodes Mezzanine going up against Matt Pickop from Ramsay's Verre.
To Market, To Market
One of the highlights of the event is the marketplace as it provides a chance to sample the products before purchasing them. The line-up this year includes everything from cupcakes to organic food, kitchen equipment, gourmet chocolates and coffee.
Generous samples being doled out include mini Sprinklez chocolate cupcakes, smoothie shots at the Kenwood stand, luscious date-infused spreads at Bateel and mini canapés from Lurpak butter.
And The Extras...
In addition to the above there's also a Kiddie's Kitchen offering seminars on cupcake decoration and healthy eating and the MMI beverage theatre that will be profiling wines, beers and spirits. To enhance the outdoor ambience, the Entertainment Stage will keep visitors' feet tapping to live music.
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