Food festival in Abu Dhabi loses flavour due to power outage

Abu Dhabi - Jazz Reyes, owner of Koshari Plate selling Egyptian food, said he has been waiting since morning for electricity.

Ten-day food feista Flavours Festival opened at the Umm Al Emarat park in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, tempting foodies into a world of mouth-watering delicacies.
But the inaugural day has left a bitter taste in the mouth of many participating food outlets as a power outage on selective outlets ruined their business.
"I have to throw away 70kg of chicken, 30kg of beef, 20kg of garlic plus all the salads and juices because there is no electricity for the freezers. We do not even know when the electricity will be restored," Nizar Hamidi, owner of a burger outlet, told Khaleej Times.
"I paid Dh20,000 for the stand for the full festival, and I have already lost more than Dh4,000 on the first day itself."
According to the organisers, a short circuit on Thursday morning caused the outage.
"Our technicians are trying to fix it and we are hoping that power will be restored later in the evening or by tomorrow, said a staff of Lion Rise Exhibitions Management, the organiser of the event.
When Khaleej Times visited the festival, a dozen stalls near the entrance did not have power supply, however, food trucks and stalls on the other side were not affected by the outage.
Jazz Reyes, owner of Koshari Plate selling Egyptian food, said he has been waiting since morning for electricity.
"No one is even telling us when we will the electricity be restored. It is a big loss for us that we cannot do any business on the first day," said Reyes who had prepared falafel patties, pasta, rice and sauces for the festival.
Manager of Eighties Restaurant, Rex Arnaiz, said he had to trash 15kg of beef and chicken plus frozen hotdogs and fries.
"The stall costs Dh1,500 a day and my losses just for today is much more that. Today I won't be able to make a penny."
But despite the power outage hassle, the culinary festival managed to woo foodies in droves during the first day.
Dozens of food trucks and stalls selling an impressive variety of food, did manage to pull the crowds.
Emirati Matar Salem Al Mansoori, was selling Emirati delicacies like lugaimat, jabab, mahalla from his truck named Ahla Mahla. "We hope people will try Emirati food. All my chefs are trained by my mom. So my food is authentic," said Al Mansoori.
The riot of flavours offered at the festival varied from Jamaican Jerk chicken to momos and sushi, traditional Emirati food and Iranian kebabs, to pasta, burgers, and Turkish ice-creams.
The festival will feature over 100 food tents and street trucks by homegrown F&B brands and businesses. The main highlight of the festival is the 'Flavours League' competition, the biggest head-to-head food competition in the region which will feature best competitive eaters in the Capital flexing their appetite for the title 'Flavors League Champion 2017' and a grand prize of Dh5,000. Burger lovers can indulge in the first-of-its-kind Burger Grand Prix, a lap challenge where the only clue to win is that there aren't too many burgers for a real burger lover.
Festivities begin from March 30 to April 8 from 2pm to midnight daily
anjana@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi