Look: Dubai Food Festival turns the city into an open-air haven for foodies

“Now sip the noodles as if you are drinking out of a straw slurping so that you show appreciation”

This was the etiquette of eating noodles being taught on the special food tour organised by Frying Pan Adventures as part of the Dubai Food Festival (DFF).

Ever since it kicked off on Friday, April 21, the DFF has turned the emirate into an open aired food haven where unbeatable deals, amazing dishes and exciting masterclasses have become the norm.

The International City Noodle Tour was designed especially for DFF had over 15 participants savouring some hidden gems of 7 noodle bowls across 5 different restaurants. It was carefully curated by tour guides Farida and Xini who explained stories behind each dish, which province they originated from and how they were made. This is the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic that Frying Pan is participating in the food festival.

Tour guide Xini explains how to use chopsticks

“We participated in DFF because we are so proud of and inspired by what Dubai has achieved and is continuing to achieve across the local gastronomy scene,” said Arva Ahmed, co-founder of Frying Pan.

“DFF is a celebration of the incredible culinary diversity and quality that this city has nurtured, which is exactly the message we've been supporting for the past 10 years.”

According to Arva, DFF is a golden opportunity for those in the food industry. “It provides a strong platform for companies like us to develop and test new ideas during the festival because this is when people are willing to go out and try something they haven't before,” she said.

Masterclass

Until May 7, there are several attractions of the food festival around the city. One of them is the masterclass feature which offers food aficionados the opportunity to learn from the best. For Chef Shaw Lash at Lila Taqueria, it is all about serving authenticity on a plate and her masterclass is no different. Lila Taqueria is the UAE’s first wood-fired taqueria to use traditional culinary techniques.

“I give them an inside scoop on how to create authentic, hand-pressed tortillas from Heirloom Mexican corn,” said Chef Shaw.

“They’ll learn all they need to know about the traditional technique, from grinding the corn in-house to making the perfect masa, just how it's done by local taquerias in Mexico.”

According to her, the 2-hour masterclass will be a combination of storytelling, demonstrations and practical execution that will give guests a newfound appreciation for the ancient techniques in the art of tortilla making. “Guests will also get a hands-on experience with a chance to roll up their sleeves in our very own kitchen,” she said.

International chefs

In addition to the chefs in the city, several culinary experts are flying into Dubai, especially for the food festival. Chefs Alvin Leung and Eric Chong from Demon Duck in Dubai are two such experts who have arrived in the city for DFF. The duo will host a four-hands dinner experience during the festival.

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