Abu Dhabi: In celebration of Abu Dhabi hosting the inaugural Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards on February 7, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced the launch of 50 Best Week Abu Dhabi — a culinary festival featuring experiential dining experiences, cooking masterclasses and unique collaboration dinners.
Taking place from February 4 to 11, the eight-day culinary festival will showcase the city’s vibrant gastronomic experiences and some of its finest restaurants. Ideal for food-lovers looking to explore Abu Dhabi’s diverse culinary scene, the event will be filled with mouth-watering moments to enjoy, with renowned international chefs coming to the UAE’s capital city to display their skills, and home-grown Emirati talent showcasing their own stellar abilities.
Culinary leaders will provide insights into their food philosophy inspiring food lovers of their dishes, ingredients, stories and experiences.
The esteemed restaurant awards and gala dinner will recognise 50 outstanding restaurants from across the region highlighting their culinary excellence and dining experiences.
Fatima Saeed Al Baloushi, Acting Director of DCT’s Abu Dhabi Events Bureau, said: “We are thrilled to be celebrating culinary excellence across Abu Dhabi, catering to residents and visitors, and both seasoned food lovers and more casual diners offering them a taste of our diverse food, and to experience great dishes by some of the world's leading chefs who are heading to our multi-cultural Capital city next month."
The events include three interactive masterclasses taking place on Friday, February 4, where acclaimed chefs from around the world will showcase their skills while preparing signature dishes in front of a live audience. The chefs - Tim Raue of Restaurant Tim Raue in Berlin; innovative pastry chef Will Goldfarb, and Pía León of Central; and Kjolle, the current holder of the World’s Best Female Chef title - will take visitors on a culinary adventure. Ticketholders will also get the opportunity to interact with the international chefs.
In the Collaborative Dining Series, visiting chefs will team up with Abu Dhabi’s local talent to create a variety of extraordinary dishes. Raue is bringing his own flavour to Cantonese restaurant Dai Pai Dong, blending his signature Asian-influenced creations with regional dishes to create a truly memorable menu, while Natsuko Shoji of Eté in Tokyo, winner of Asia’s Best Pastry Chef title, will showcase her fusion of French and Japanese dishes at Tori No Su restaurant. Also, Julien Royer of Odette in Singapore, two-time winner of the Best Restaurant in Asia, joins forces with LPM to offer a unique collaborative menu that will combine some of the greatest hits of both restaurants for one night only.
Budding barbecue masters can turn up the heat as Dave Pynt, of Singapore’s Burnt Ends, shows off his talent at a unique experiential dining event ‘Playing with Fire’ at Emirates Palace. Meanwhile, León will host an exclusive ‘Peruvian Paradise’ lunch at Zaya Nurai Island.
The showcasing of some of the city’s best regional culinary talent continues with Chef’s Table promotions, taking place across the city from February 4 to 11. In these incredible dining experiences, guests will be treated to bespoke menus created by some of Abu Dhabi’s finest chefs.
On February 5, a live on-stage event, #50BestTalks, will also be open to all food-lovers, featuring leading chefs such as Goldfarb and Kamal Mouzawak presenting and debating current topics and trends, as well as personal stories about their culinary journeys.
For the grand finale, the first ever MENA’s (Middle East and North Africa) 50 Best Restaurants list will be unveiled on February 7 at a glamorous awards ceremony.
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