Dubai Restaurant Week: Inside the Emirati flavours and stories of Gerbou

Dubai: Arriving at Gerbou feels like walking into a living archive of Emirati craft and memory.

The space itself sets the tone long before a plate hits the table: a ghaf reception counter anchors the entrance, camel leather sofas soften the room, and dividers woven from traditional fishing nets quietly reference the UAE’s coastal heritage.

Overhead, chandeliers shaped from ghaf and henna leaf resins light up the room. Inside this setting, we spoke to three voices shaping the restaurant from different ends of the kitchen.

For Restaurant Director of Operations Samer Al Abiad, food begins with familiarity. “There’s nothing favourite, to be honest, because I like food in general,” he says, before adding that he always finds himself returning to Arabic cuisine. His earliest food memory is as simple as it gets: “Sandwiches… it always brings a good memory to grab a sandwich every now and then,” he shares, quickly naming shawarma as “always a winner.”

That connection to comfort food ties closely to how he first experienced cooking. “When I was small, I always used to be in the kitchen with mom… especially when baking,” he says, describing a childhood that quietly shaped his relationship with food.

In Dubai, it was Emirati cuisine that left a lasting impression. “It was quite interesting for me to get exposed to it… lots of flavours, lots of condiments,” he says, recalling his first encounters with dishes like chicken machboos, which remains a favourite.

For Samer, what makes Dubai’s dining scene stand out is its sheer range. “The diversity of the restaurants and the diversity of the people,” he explains. “Whenever something comes to your mind, you will always find it.” He sums it up simply: “Innovative, diverse, and flavorful.”

And despite the recent regional uncertainty, his outlook is unwavering. “Dubai is limitless,” he says. “It’s going to rise stronger than ever… even bigger, more diversified, more flavorful.”

In the kitchen, Head Chef Ninad Naresh Salvi approaches food with a different lens, one rooted in technique and emotion.

His earliest food memories trace back to India and the flavours of home. “I liked chaat a lot… my mom used to make it at home,” he says, recalling how she recreated street food with improvised techniques long before online recipes existed. “That inspired me a lot… she used to involve me.”

Like Samer, he sees Dubai diners as key to that evolution. “They are open to try everything,” he says. “You experiment something and it becomes a trend… Dubai diners are more open to trying different stuff.”

Looking ahead, his focus is on localisation and independence. “We have started looking more into local suppliers,” he notes, reflecting on how recent challenges have reshaped sourcing and creativity. And in the long term, he predicts a shift in the UAE market: “It will be a market for homegrown restaurants more… they understand the people, the market, the resources.”

Adding another layer to the kitchen is Sous Chef Raed Arabi, whose journey is deeply personal and rooted in tradition. Speaking in Arabic, he reflects on a career shaped by family. “I started this profession 25 years ago. My late father taught me everything I know,” he says, a memory that still anchors his work today.

When it comes to food, his preferences lean towards the Levant. “All food in Dubai is good, but Jordanian or Syrian mansaf is my favourite dish,” he shares.

For Raed, the UAE’s food scene is steadily evolving. “The country continues to progress year by year… especially in tourism and hospitality,” he says. What stands out most today is “variety in presentation and creativity in creating new dishes,” balanced by what dining is ultimately about: “beautiful moments shared with friends, family, and relatives.”

If Dubai Restaurant Week is meant to spotlight the city’s dining scene at its most accessible, then conversations like these show us beyond the new openings and ever-changing food trends, there are still stories tied to home cooking, recipes learned from parents, dishes that remind chefs of where they grew up, and techniques shaped through years of trial and error.