Warm sunshine, balmy nights and an ambience that is a heady blend of aromas, flavours, textures and most importantly of cultures. A true melting pot. That's Taste of Dubai for you and the 2011 edition of this prestigious event is knocking at our doors. From March 3-5 the Dubai Media City's Amphitheatre will wear a festive air, what with some of the stars from the culinary galaxy descending upon the venue to share their skills with their fans and audience.
Making the event even more colourful will be musical bands like Vibrancy, a popular band from JAMBASE, and a Robbie Williams Tribute Act that will be belting out the star's number one hits from the past decade. Adding another dimension to your music pleasures will be Bryony, a well-known classical singer from Tasmania and DJs from popular stations Radio 1 and Radio 2.
But if it is food that has got your gastronomical cells in a tizzy, then let us tell you that apart from the veterans of Taste - Gary Rhodes and Vineet Bhatia - this edition also features Chef Jun Tanaka, an extremely familiar face on various food channels on and an author of a cookbook as well.
Adding to the irresistible attraction of these stars are restaurants from the food landscape of Dubai; some of which like Almaz by MOMO, Certo, The China Club, Rivington Grill, Indego, Pisces, and so on have already made an unforgettable impression on the taste buds of Dubai's ever-growing gourmand community.
Making their debut this year at Taste of Dubai are Chi'Zen, Mango Tree, Al Nafoorah, Rib Room, Beachcombers, La Parrilla and Al Hambra, which promise to add more zest to the festival.
To ensure that the mega event is attractive to the young ones as well, this year organisers has introduced The Kids Zone, which is an exclusive play area that also has several entertaining activities, including Little Explorers workshops and Soccer Circus - a mini pitch with an instructor - to keep them busy while you take in the delights of the event.
And delights, there are many. For instance, there is the very popular Chefs' Theatre and Cookery School where you can sharpen your culinary skills with tips and live demonstrations from the star chefs - Jun Tanaka, Gary Rhodes and Vineet Bhatia.
With so much to offer, Taste of Dubai promises to satiate not only your taste buds but ensure that you go away with some happy memories... until next year.
- What: Taste of Dubai 2011 held on 3-5 March, 2011.
- Where: The Amphitheatre, Dubai Media City.
- Cost: Early Bird Cost: Buy 2 standard tickets for just Dh99 or 2 standard tickets (3 day passes) for just Dh199.
- Visit: www.tasteofdubaifestival.com to book tickets and type FRIDAY into the promo code box when you choose your ticket type to avail the discount.
The changes this year
No more Dellas For those of you who've been to Taste earlier, you will know that Della was the currency used to buy the food and beverages. A lot of people felt it was an unnecessary complication. So this year the Della has been done away with. Cash or credit cards will be accepted at the Taste with ATMs onsite.
VIP Access A limited number of VIP tickets is also on sale now - fast-track entry, access to the VIP Lounge, vouchers for four dishes and two beverages, free prize draw entry plus festival guide - for only Dh200 each. And if you wish to come in on all the days of the festival then you can buy the VIP Adult Season Ticket for Dh500.
- Visit www.tasteofdubaifestival.com for feature and entertainment stage timetable
