DUBAI If you thought the Global Village was all about shopping and entertainment, then chances are you have just missed out on a subtle but diversely scrumptious culinary affair that’s brewing everyday in the huge melting pot of cultures this time.
Food is as much a part of this unique annual tourist extravaganza as anything else - from authentic Greek souvlakis to Dutch mini-pancakes to Palestinian filafils – there’s a taste from almost every corner of the world for every palette under one giant roof.
The Global Village opens at 4pm every day, so you could start off with their trademark Karak afternoon chai (strong tea) and a stick of hot chips – the usual suspects every year. The intricately spiralling chips come in salt, cheese, barbecue, black pepper and ketchup flavour – all for Dh10.
A healthier option, also an old Global Village favourite, could be roasted chestnuts from Turkey. A Kestaneci or chestnut vendor straight from the streets of Istanbul sells seven pieces for Dh15 or a baker’s dozen for Dh25. ‘Scored’ on a bed of heated coals, the nuts smell and taste just like they would on a cold wintry night near the Bosphorus. With temperatures dipping these days, it surely keeps you warm.
As the evening wears on and you need a break from your shopping, head over to the food court where, among a slew of old-timers, Pita Souvlaki – the taste of Greece burns bright in stylised green letters. They are the debutants and the only representatives of the Hellenic Republic at the Global Village this edition, so a stopover is definitely worth your while.
Classic Greek Salads (Dh26) and Cheese Pies (Dh16) are remnants of a Greek street side joint as are the Pita Gyros Chicken/Beef (Dh15/17) – a different take of a shawarma where the meat is cooked in a slow-moving gyros over charcoal. “There are a few of us from Greece and we make sure our food tastes as authentic,” says the chatty Stelios Petrakis, 30, from Athens who waits on the busy tables there.
If there’s appetite for dinner still, you will be spoilt for choices. From the ever-present American fast food burger and pizza joints to a plethora of multi-cuisine restaurants, every base is covered – Far East Asian, sub-continental, Mediterranean, Indian snacks, kebabs and grills. In all there are over 27 restaurants serving local cuisines and international dishes.
If quick grub is your kind of food, you could also try the curiously named 3D burger. “It stands for delicious, delicious, delicious,” explains the man busily flipping the burger patties in a crowded stall. For Dh20 and Dh30 a meal there is also worth a try.
Last but not least, look around for the quaint yellow cottages with brown country-style thatches if dessert is what you’re looking for next, because that’s where you will get heavenly freshly made pan-cakes. Ten for Dh25, they come topped with cheese, honey, powdered cinnamon, strawberry or chocolate sauce at Holland Mini Pan Cakes. A first timer not just in the Global Village but also in Dubai, these are what happy endings are made of.
So next time you go to the Global Village, spend a day just following this unique gastronomic trail, it’s a treat you can’t let slip.
