Dubai said farewell to the eighth edition of the annual city-wide food celebration - Dubai Food Festival 2021. The 24-day programme, was held from March 25 to April 17, which showcased dining concepts and food experiences.
With more than 200 nationalities residing in the city, it comes as no surprise that the city featured over 1500 restaurants for residents and visitors alike, while honouring Emirati food entrepreneurs and keeping local cuisine at the heart of it.
Highlights from Dubai Food Festival 2021
Dubai restaurant week:
Dubai restaurant week featured three-course dinners and two-course lunch menus at friendly prices across the cities’ top 40 restaurants, which included COYA, Bread Street Kitchen, Hakkasan, Toro Toro and Nobu to name a few. Speaking of which, Kevin Joshi, group head of Marketing and Communications at Passion F and B (Carnival by Tresind) said: “Dubai Restaurant Week has been amazing for us after a really difficult year. It has really given us a great boost within the team and also in regards to new customers. We wish we could do it more often in the year.”
Supporting the city’s food and beverages industry, Dubai restaurant week alone saw over 12,000 bookings - a 30 per cent average increase across participating restaurants.
Food adventures
With a list of 25 unique curated food adventures across Dubai, were chefs’ tables, masterclasses with culinary experts as well as special promotions at the city’s best restaurants.
Honouring Dubai’s homegrown chefs
To honour and celebrate the city’s homegrown chefs and entrepreneurs, DFF curated a ‘Made in Dubai’ list. They included, fine dining restaurants, casual eating out and cafes that serve Emirati and cuisines from all over the world. Owned by residents, expats and globe trotter chefs, the list saw 20 participating businesses born and bred in Dubai.
Try these authentic Emirati dish recipes:
How to make Luqaimat
Cooking Thereed
How to make Fish Machboos with rice
How to cook Balaleet
Dine and Win
Partnering with a food app, there were a range of prizes up for grabs at across 1000 outlets across the city. The prize also included a chance to win an SUV car among other free membership.
Home Edition
Making a comeback in its third year, the Home edition offered shoppers in the city a chance to win a year’s grocery across 41 locations from select hypermarkets.
Foodcations
A buzz word for the 2021 Dubai Food Festival was Foodcations. A new addition – guests who love staycations and food got to combine their joy. This included unique experiences for guests like private cooking classes, Chef’s table dinners and the chance to dine at some of the best restaurants at popular hotels in Dubai.
Save the best for last – karak chai
Foodies around Dubai also sampled city’s best tea blends and picked a spotlight on local favoutires by selecting the top 10 Karak Chai cafes in Dubai.
Check out these popular recipes that are popularly paired with Karak chai:
How to make Emirati Chebab or pancakes
Singara or Bengali Indian deep fried savoury filled with spiced potato
How to make Onion Pakoras or Fried Onion fritters
Mini Vada Pav or Mumbai Indian style fried potato fritters served between bread
