Dubai Food Festival from February 1

DUBAI - The Dubai Food Festival, a signature event of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), is all set to once again give taste buds a treat.

By Staff Reporter

Published: Thu 29 Jan 2009, 1:35 AM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 1:43 AM

Beginning at UPTOWN Mirdiff on February 1, the two-week event will see a host of culinary activities and cuisines from around the world. Over 20 restaurants from across Dubai are participating in the event.

This year, the food festival will bring out the essence of a market place that will be the centre of action as more stalls will join the square. Fresh and local produce will be on offer, with everything from top quality ice-cream to fruits and coffee, in addition to food markets, cookery workshops and tasting sessions.

Yousif Mubarak, chief operations officer of DSF Office, said, “The Dubai Food Festival is a celebration of not just cuisines but of the different resident cultures in Dubai.

“Food is an element that brings people from various backgrounds together and this is very much in line with the ‘One World. One Family. One Festival.’ slogan of DSF.”

The activities include:

World Record Attempt

In an attempt to break the world record, the festival along with the ECG (Emirates Culinary Guild) will create a dessert buffet of 2,009 items on February 13. This will be part of the DSF’s new initiative — Dubai Records.

Sampling Sundays (February 1 to 8, 5pm to 7pm):

Visitors will get the chance to sample a variety of cuisines for free.

Buffet Tuesdays (February 3 and February 10, 7.30pm to 9.30pm).

A choice of 40 delicious delicacies will be on offer for Dh40.

Live Cooking Tents:

Since its inception, the Dubai Food Festival has encouraged a broad range of restaurant participants. A diverse variety of foods — from calzones to shawarmas, biryanis to burgers — will be on offer.

Food Market:

The festival isn’t just about eating. It’s also about the entire experience while strolling the streets of the festival. The Food Market will be a great place for amazing buys.

Demonstration Area:

This area is a marquee set up at the festival; it hosts a rolling programme of cookery demonstrations between 6pm and 10pm everyday, along with some additional tastings. This area will also host various competitions during the food Festival.

Competitions:

A popular annual event, these are aimed at young chefs who are keen to demonstrate their abilities. All ingredients will be provided and participants will have to prepare a dish from start to end.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com