Smiles and bellies grew on Tuesday night as this year’s Gourmet Abu Dhabi kicked off with more than 700 people flocking to the newly-opened Ritz Carlton on the inauguration of the 16-day event.
The event, now in its fifth year, will aim to delight foodies with scrumptious offerings from across participating hotels and outlets.
“With a total of 56 participating hotels including 24 international guest chefs, we are expecting 7,000 guests throughout [the event] where visitors are welcome to attend master classes, a charity dinner, luncheons, dinners, brunches and of course the Emirati Fusion Dinner by the UAE’s very own, Chef Khulood,” said Noura Al Dhaheri, Leisure Products Development Manager for Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA-AD).
“I flew here from Germany especially for Abu Dhabi Gourmet. I had read about it in the newspapers and have been vacationing in Abu Dhabi for the past two years, so my wife and I decided to come to taste the wonderful dishes prepared for us by the chefs,” said German police officer Thomas Ali Osman Windhoff.
“Everyone came with their game on today,” added Canadian guest Lindsay Madden-Nadeau.
Madden-Nadeau described the event as “fantastic” and said that she particularly relished the ceviché,marinated seafood in citrus juice.
“I’m really impressed with the event because it brings our focus to what we have in Abu Dhabi and it showcases a lot of the properties we have here since Abu Dhabi is so spread out,” she said.
Wednesday will feature a murder mystery comedy show at Yas Viceroy titled ‘Murder by Chocolate’ where guests are invited to guess the identity of the killer, earning them a prize from Valrhona. Gianluca Fusto will be the host venue chef for the four-hour show.
Full day master classes will be available with unlimited seats over the course of two days running from 10am until 4pm going at Dh150 for a day and Dh200 for two at the Westin Hotel.
“We are here to show the chefs that the UAE is full of ingredients. This visit acts as an opportunity for us to take them around the city. One chef even decided not to bring any ingredients along with him as he found what he saw here more than enough for making the dishes he was planning at Abu Dhabi Gourmet,” Al Dhaheri said.
Among some of the things to look forward to during this fortnight event is a charity dinner for ladies only at the Emirates Palace to be held on February 9, with proceeds going to the Make a Wish Foundation for children with life-threatening diseases.
Dubbed by the BBC as the Irish Cooking Queen, TV celebrity chef Rachel Allen will host a dinner at the Fairmont Hotel on February 10. Meanwhile, the Emirati Fusion Dinner with Khulood Al Atiq will feature a five-course gourmet Emirati meal at the Monte Carlo Beach Club in Saadiyat Island on February 11.
A Valentine’s Day dinner will also be available, hosted by Royal Catering at the Arabian Nights Village located in Abu Dhabi’s desert complete with a Valentine’s day menu for lovers willing to get a second chance at trying gourmet Emirati fusion cuisines.
*For a full schedule, go to gourmetabudhabi.ae. For reservations, call 02-4181401
