Dubai: Hundreds of diners took the concept of dining out literally at lunchtime on Friday when they joined the Dubai Long Table, a 1,000-seat table along Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown Dubai.
Families, couples and friends faced each other across the table as jugglers and unicyclists wove their way around waiters and chefs along the 800-metre set-up. The one-off lunch was an initiative of Emaar and part of the Dubai Food Festival, which began on Thursday and runs until March 12.
“We have this long table idea since the end of last year,” said Alma Au Yeung, group director of lifestyle events at Emaar Hospitality Group.“The long table comes from Germany, where it’s used for celebrating carnival and [festive events].”
“We wanted to replicate something of our own, and the Boulevard is a great location.”
At the start of the lunch, 12.30pm, there were 992 registered for the event, although in true Dubai style, there were many latecomers and no-shows.
Nonetheless, Au Yeung’s concept is a test run for more long-table lunches in the future.
“We are already thinking and planning as a team, the next event, possibly in [the fourth quarter of 2016]. We will have a longer table, and that’s the time we will break some records.”
Preparing food for 1,000 people sounds like an extreme logistical challenge, but if it was, diners didn’t notice; the family-style sharing dishes were served punctually and were substantial. The sharing concept also meant getting to know one’s table neighbours was compulsory, and conversations quickly went beyond “pass the salt.”
“We pulled five Address hotels and the Vida and Manzil [hotels’] culinary teams to design a nice menu,” a relaxed-looking Aviash Mohan, executive chef of The Address Dubai Marina, said as chefs plated up the final course — a cheesecake.
“The whole idea behind the menu is that we see so many people of all cultures. So we wanted an international menu, with the local flavours.”
That translated into starters such as aubergine topped with spiced chickpeas and yoghurt; cured salmon; and crudites with basil houmous; and mains of slow-cooked lamb and shish taouk with oriental rice.
“For us at The Address Marina, it’s OK,” said the chef of the challenge of preparing food for so many people. He regularly caters large events, including annual iftar buffets that feed hundreds.
“But this one is a totally different experience, with so many people around, setting up a satellite kitchen.” So will he be back for seconds?
“This is not going to be a one-time affair, we want to make it a phenomenon. We want to take it to the whole world and show them what Dubai can do.”
Dubai Food Festival runs until March 12.
