Eat your heart out

Love food? Taste of Dubai is more than just a food festival - it's an explosion of flavour and fun

Dubai's gourmets had better start building their appetites up for a belly-busting food experience at next month's Taste of Dubai festival.

Sixteen of the city's best restaurants - covering a range of the world's cuisines - will give diners the chance to taste some of the top food in the city at an amazing price.

Ever wanted to eat a meal devised by Gary Rhodes or Gordon Ramsay? At Taste of Dubai, you'll be able to sample a few of their signature dishes for a fraction of the price you'd pay in a restaurant.

And best of all, the chefs themselves will be giving a demonstration of their world-class cooking skills right in front of you.

The Taste event, which will be held outdoors at the Media City Amphitheatre from February 6-9, has already been held several times in London and Edinburgh in the UK, and is planned for Sydney and Amsterdam.

Pick your food
"It's for people who love dining out, who love food and have an appreciation for fine food. It's just a great day out," says Casale Sheriff, the event's organiser.

"There are 48 dishes in total, which you go around and sample. These include beautiful starters, mains and desserts. You simply mill around and pick your way through the show."

The dishes on offer are small, two-to-three bite plates - a taste of the best of each chef's work.

The selection of chefs and restaurants is a reflection of the dining scene in Dubai, with flavours from the best of the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa.

"We've got 16 restaurants, and they're all serving different cuisines, so you can have Italian, Persian, Thai, Chinese, whatever you like," says Sherif. "The key to this show was getting the best restaurants involved, and I think we've done that. We even have a vegetarian selection."

Meet and eat
When the chefs and their teams are not preparing dishes in the purpose-built kitchens dotted around the park, they're milling around the crowds or doing demonstrations in the cooking theatre.

It's the ultimate chance to meet them and learn the tricks of the trade. And during each demonstration, a competition will be held, with a giant hamper from Spinneys up for grabs.

"We're planning to have five celebrity chefs, including Rhodes, Sanjeev Kapoor and Margot Janse. She's the most prominent chef in South Africa," says Sherif of Janse, who is the head of the reknowned Quartier Francais restaurant in Franschoek, near Cape Town.

"What we're trying to do is bring in chefs from all over the world so it's a reflection of our city."

Another exciting aspect of Taste is the gourmet produce stands, where the most exclusive and unusual foods can be found, for you to recreate the dishes yourself at home.

'foodie heaven'
Says Sherif: "You can go round and sample olives and cheeses and beautiful homemade biscuits, and buy kitchenware and chef's tools. It's foodie heaven!"

"We have made a purpose-built chef's theatre, where world class celebrity chefs and local chefs will be performing for half an hour, on the hour. So there's food you can eat out – from the top chefs – and food you can make at home," Sherif adds.

Need a break from all that eating? Take a break on the grass and listen to the Coast Bandstand, who will be supplying live music and entertainment.

Those in need of some serious relaxation can head to the Chill-Out Zone, a calming environment with a Moroccan flavour provided by Almaz by Momo, the North African restaurant and café in Harvey Nichols, Mall of the Emirates.

How does Taste of Dubai work?
Taste of Dubai is not your typical food festival. It's all about the best of the best offering a sample of their signature dishes to foodies, while lots of other food-related activities go on all around, in a relaxing park setting.

Entrance to the event, at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, is in five-hour sessions, over four days. Pick either an afternoon or evening session on your day of choice, and pay Dh150 for an entrance ticket.

You'll then need to stock up on the Taste of Dubai currency, which you can use to sample the dishes on offer from the participating restaurants and also use at the Gourmet Food Market.

Most dishes are priced between Dh20-35.

For parents wanting to introduce their children's tastebuds to something new, the Friday brunch session, from 11am to 4pm, is the ideal time.

Restaurants to try at Taste