Now that visitor season is starting in Dubai, I've been thinking about what recommendations to make to friends and family, so that they can make the most out of their Dubai trip. I've already covered indoors and outdoors activities for kids, in two separate posts, as well as provided a detailed description of the desert safari. But visiting a place is more than just sight seeing and entertaining kids, no?
There's also just plain walking or hanging around, preferably in places where one can observe locals and their way of life. I personally always like to visit the supermarkets, particularly the food sections to check out what's on offer for the locals. It's interesting to see the various flavours Lays chips have in different parts of the world, isn't it? And shopping! Though I am not enthusiastic about buying stuff, I love to visit the markets just to see what is selling.
So I thought I should do a post which covers some of this stuff.
Eating in Dubai is a pleasure. You find cuisines from all over the world. Indians of course have no dirth of options. I like Maharaja Bhog for their thali for vegetarian Rajasthani/Gujarati food and Gazebo for North Indian non-vegetarian food. Good lebanese food is to be had almost everywhere. My favourite is the family-run Bait Maryam at JLT and I also like Ayam Elezz at The Mall near Kite Beach. The decor is cute and the food is really good and not very expensive. There are few restaurants that serve local Emirati food as well, I've heard good reviews of Al Fanar at Festival City from friends. Serious foodies may consider splurging on a food tour called 'Frying Pan Adventures" run by Arwa Ahmad, a food journalist and critic who writes about food in many publications. It's fairly expensive, so go only if you're really into this sort of a thing. Al Reef Lebanese bakery is a well-known basic joint in Karama, which has very good shwarmas.
If you're in a mood to experiment, try Filipino and/or Sri Lankan cuisines. After Indians, the next largest population group in Dubai is the Filipinos, so they do have a lot of restaurants catering to this community as well. If you want to really, really splurge for a special occasion, visit Tresind at Hotel Nassima Royale on SZR for their weekday set menu lunch. This fancy place offers fusion food, Indian cuisine with western twists, jazzed up by molecular gastronomic touches. It is quite a performance and the food is really good too.
It's a good idea to go to Global Village, so you can combine some shopping for knick-knacks and eating, and if you're lucky, a good show or two, and fireworks. My idea of a good time is to graze on small portions at stalls of various countries till I'm full, rather than sit down at one restaurant for a full meal.
Dubai is a horrendously expensive place to shop. I really wouldn't shop here unless there's a sale with deep discounts. But if you want to pick up souvenirs or small things representative of Dubai or rather the middle East, I'd rather hit the food sections of hypermarkets like Carrefour, Lulu or Union Co-op. Here you can buy dates (you'll be surprised by how many varieties are there), olive oil from Syria or Jordan, olives with different stuffings, harissa paste, bottles of tahini, halawa, various white cheeses that are used in the Middle East, date products like date vinegar, date syrup (a decent substitute for maple syrup on pan cakes) and date jam, pomegranate molasses, saffron from Iran, Arabica coffee beans, middle eastern spices like zatar and sumac from the roastery section, boxes of baklava, some exotic stuff like camel-milk ice cream, and there's even caviar.
When touring the Bastakiya districts and the Spice souq, I'd maybe buy lavender petals to make into sachets or pot pourri, or some saffron flavoured tea. But Bastakiya is more for feasting the eyes rather than exercising the wallet. Camel milk soap is very expensive, I've never had the courage to buy it.
'Sheesha', or what we know as 'hukkah' in India, is very popular and many Dubai restaurants offer it. I went to a place where the locals hang out and it was thick with smoke, but also had some board games that are local to the MENA region. Though personally I always steer clear of the smoke. Another thing that is popular as an experience is a 'Moroccan hammam'. This is a beauty treatment that entails you lying on a heated marble slab while a therapist scours your body clean with a black-coloured Moroccan soap and a glove. Bear in mind that soap and the glove are uber-abrasive to clear off all your dead skin and that this treatment is not for the delicate and the faint-hearted. Women have been known to come out of this with sore backs and wondering, what is wrong with Moroccan women?
Incidentally, you can buy this Moroccan soap and glove at the supermarkets if you want to do a DIY Moroccan bath at home. Bear in mind that the soap smells evil, even if it is good for exfoliation. Another local beauty product you may want to try is a colouring shampoo called 'Henna Speedy', a shampoo which colours your hair. There are many shades available and I am told it does work.
I visited the Iranian mosque for the pictures, and it turned out to be a cultural immersion experience. The mosque staff was so happy to see us, that they invited us to be a part of their celebrations for the birthday of Fatima, the prophet's daughter. I recommend going to this mosque, even though it is small, for the beautiful mosaics and for the friendliness of the staff. If religion is your thing, you can also visit the Hindu temple at Burdubai and the gurudwara at Discovery Gardens.
Hanging around in the parks is a good way to observe the locals. At first I used to find it strange to see huge Emirati families, carrying a good deal of paraphernalia, such as mats, chairs and huge metal pots of biryani! Now I feel a lot of affection at their love of life, togetherness and un-self-consciousness. Another place where you see locals in actions is at the sales, the ones frequented by the locals, such as the CBBC Big Brands, which are organised at the World Trade Centre. You'll see ladies with carts piled up with perfumes, cosmetics and other things, as if they're buying groceries.
Hope that this gives you a deeper sense of Dubai than the guidebooks and helps you experience it in a more authentic way. Enjoy your visit.
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