Eat on the beach
Dubai Food Festival’s latest event is this weekend’s Beach Canteen, a collection of 16 pop-up restaurants on three Dubai Beaches, running for 10 days from Thursday February 27, daily from noon-11pm. It’s the food version of the recent fashion pop-up market that took place in Burj Park, with brands selling out of refurbished shipping containers.
On Jumeirah 1 Open Beach, you can also expect arts and crafts, picnic tables and food and drinks from Cafe2Go, La Creparie, maneesh from Beach Road outlet Lebaneesh and Roti Mum Café. On Kite Beach, it’s a more upbeat scene, with DJs, graffiti, table tennis and free yoga, and food from Bikers Café, Coffeol, Extreme Shawarma, Italian gelato and pasta spot Giolitti, Hadoota Masreya (an Egyptian restaurant), Loca, Saladicious, Power Burger and Seaview. Finally, Sunset Beach has Arabic music and an Emirati food focus from Barjeel, as well as Japanese from Kyo Café, French from La Provence and Ines Paris and coffee from Raw Coffee. The last day is Saturday March 8.
New farmer’s market in Abu Dhabi
There will be fresh produce to buy every Saturday starting March 1 at The Collection at the St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort. It will be open from 10am-4pm in the central courtyard, running weekly until the heat begins, with locally grown fruits, vegetables, dates and honey from 1,250 farms in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region, as well as arts and crafts. It’s organised by Abu Dhabi Farmers’ Services Centre.
Pancake Day/Mardi Gras
Before Lent begins on Wednesday, have some fun and feast with a rather sedate British take on Mardi Gras at Reform Social & Grill. The Lakes restaurant will be serving pancakes (crepes) all day on their outdoor barbecue area, with sweet or savoury toppings and fillings. Tuesday is also film night at the bistro, with with The Full Monty screening in the garden at 8pm, free to view. Pancakes from Dh45, noon-late. Call 04-4542638. Meanwhile Ruth’s Chris Steak House has a New Orleans Mardi Gras, with a traditional Louisiana themed party on Tuesday, with a Cajun set menu, Dh195 per guest, with king cake, masks, hats and whistles. Call 04-4549538.
Eat at Burj Al Arab for Dh180
The hotel group’s annual eating out celebration ties in with Dubai Food Festival this year, running March 7-15 with nearly 40 Jumeirah restaurants serving three-course set menus for affordable prices. Casual restaurants’ menus are Dh12; signature restaurants Dh180. Diners can eat at Burj al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Mina A’Salam, Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Al Qasr, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Jumeirah Creekside Hotel and Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, and Noodle House, Urbano, The Ivy and the Rivington Grill outlets. Those wanting to learn the tricks of the trade can join masterclasses at
Tortuga (Madinat Jumeirah) and Alta Badia (Emirates Towers); restaurant chefs from Tortuga, Alta Badia and Noodle House can also be cooked to cook for you at home.
The full list of restaurants is:
Burj Al Arab:
Junsui
Al Iwan
Jumeirah Beach Hotel:
Carnevale
Der Keller
D&A
La Parrilla
LaVeranda
Villa Beach
Waterfront
Madinat Jumeirah:
Honyaki
Tortuga
Segreto
Al Hambra
Khaymat Al Bahar
Al Rukan
Barzar
Emirates Towers:
Alfie’s
Al Nafoorah
Alta Badia
The Rib Room
Tokyo@TheTowers
Jumeirah Creekside:
Blue Flame
Jumeirah Zabeel Saray:
Voi
Lalezar
Amala
Al Nafoorah
Plaj
Noodle House restaurants: Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai International Finance Centre, Burjuman, Gloria Hotel Media City, The Dubai Mall and CityWalk.
