Muscat Eats: Culinary fest opens doors after a year to become the one-stop destination for all things food

Muscat Eats is back after nearly a hiatus of one year. An event conceptualised by young Omani entrepreneur Sara Al Balushi, this year’s Muscat Eats taking place at Al Mouj Golf’s GCM lawn has over 150 food outlets participating in the fair. The event was first introduced in Oman in 2017 and featured popular international cuisine. 

This year’s Muscat Eats is held under the patronage of Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism and is supported by several private organisations. There is an entry fee of RO 1, and is open to all who have been vaccinated. The proof of vaccination through the health ministry app on the mobile phone is verified at the entrance. This being the concluding week of Muscat Eats, the organisers have put on a variety of food and entertainment different from the previous week.

Fish and chips, sushi rolls, shuwa and spicy ice cream

Sara says that this year’s participation from the food outlets has been exceptionally enthusiastic ensuring a delightful gastronomical experience for visitors. From typical Omani food consisting of shuwa (meat and rice dish) and mishkaak (grilled meat on skewers) to the very English fish and chips and Japanese fare of sushi rolls and a variety of burger meals, the Muscat Eats has a range for the gourmets and gourmands of Muscat.

Quirky eats such as spicy ice cream and Indian desi fares from Punjabi Daba had a lot of fans.

Live band and fairy-lamps-lit lawns by the sea

The event which is open only on Thursday, Friday and Saturday is open for visitors from 4pm till midnight. Muscat Eats is spread across two weeks and is open typically only on weekends and this is the final week. Apart from the food, there are entertainment shows as well in the form of live bands, open-mike karaoke sessions, dance shows, powerbrokers show and raffles. This event, which is happening after a gap of a year is enjoying whole-hearted participation from people as well as from food outlets. The entertainment line-up for this week is different from what was staged last week.

The location of Muscat Eats at Al Mouj Golf, which is part of the premium gated community of Al Mouj, is another attraction of the event. Set close to the beach, and with the cool evening breeze that at times brings a pleasurable chill, the timing of the event adds up to a perfect combo.

Avaantica Ashok, a resident of Muscat says, “I was born and raised in Oman and I have seen and been to a lot of similar events and can clearly say that this event is different. The organized set-up, ambience and the mix of things inside the venue are all very professionally done. I was here last week and I have called my friends who were missing the action last week to be here this weekend. I have asked my parents too not to miss this, as they can sit in breakout areas and chill with their food and music. The local boy band that’s playing is good and so is the spicy ice cream on sale in one of the stalls.”

Protocols in place

The COVID-19 protocols are in place too with entry permitted only for vaccinated visitors. The staff at the participating outlets, performers and volunteers are all vaccinated. The visitors must wear a mask and adhere to social distancing, with checks in place to control the crowd.