Taste of Dubai 2011

My my my.. The minute I set foot onto the green grass and laid my eyes on the overwhelming crowds of people, I thought to myself, "Why is this my first time at Taste of Dubai?!" I instantly decided I'm going to love it. Talk about being really optimistic, huh?

I took my mom along with me because I knew that even though she was feeling a little reluctant to come along (she had a long week and wanted nothing more than to just relax on the sofa) she was going to enjoy the festival. I decided that we should waste no time standing around and begin with the eating!

First up came the Peking Duck from The China Club - Traditional Chinese. I'm a big fan of duck and particularly enjoy eating it this way especially because of the Hoisin Sauce that Chinese restaurants use. To my disappointment the pancake was undercooked, the duck not as tender as I would have hoped and the hoisin sauce almost non-existent.

Moving on to something slightly less disappointing and more on the sweet side of life is Al Hambra's churros with a side of chocolate ice cream and a light drizzling of chocolate sauce. Can you spell d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s? Seriously, I have nothing better to say about the doughnut-y goodness complimented by the cold, creamy and ever-so-chocolate-y ice cream. Mmmm-mmmm!

We continued to walk around and see all the many cool stalls/stands that were set up. A pretty cool stand-mixer like stall caught my eye. I thought it was a creative way for Kenwood to display themselves. Nothing fancy, just right to the point :)

And then I caught a glimpse of a stand with poles wrapped in hot pink tissue paper. It looked like a giant gift box, I couldn't resist not taking a closer look. To my delight, it was from a company called La Maison Du Macaron. Now, thanks to my friend Noreen, I have a new found love for macarons. Ever since she took me to Ladurée, they have sneaked into a little corner of my heart and stayed there. La Maison Du Macaron's macarons were.. A bit disappointing as well. My mom wanted to buy a box of six simply because she loved the box so much. The box was probably worth the money more than the macarons themselves; they had the almond powder after-taste which showed that they were neither ground all the way nor baked right. Not very pleasant, in my humble opinion. Nevertheless, they were pretty to look at. Plus, we get to keep the box! :)

We then sampled some of Gourmet Point's beautifully fragrant and pungent oils. My mom and I had fallen in love with the White Truffle Oil. Might order some for her soon, mother's day is coming up after all!

The highlight of my day was when I got to meet and greet with Suzanne Husseini. She had a post for book signing but since I still haven't bought her book, I decided to just speak to her AND get my picture taken with her. Wohoo!

She was wonderfully down-to-earth and super friendly. I noticed that she was wearing whisk earrings, which I've been looking for for a very long time. She said that she got her jewelry custom-made from a silver shop in Canada. Look at these rings that she was wearing which are actually a fork and a spoon that were bent to fit her size. Brilliant!

We continued walking around and taking in all the activity and excitement for food. Which is probably what I loved most about this event: we're all gathering, mingling, experimenting and enjoying simply because of our love for food. It doesn't get any better than that.

Taste of Dubai, an event which I'm now going to be attending every year. It's definitely worth your time and money. Don't miss it next year!

Mango Tree in Souk Al Bahar

I often like to be adventurous when it comes to food, it's usually a big YES that comes out of me when it has to do with a different combination of flavors. So to my delight, a couple of us foodie bloggers from Famished in Arabia were invited by the lovely PR folks from Taste of Dubai to go try out the new lunch menu in Mango Tree at Souk Al Bahar! (Red Panda enjoys being treated, and who doesn't?!)

The new lunch menu has been developed by Head Chef Paul Kennedy who was very welcoming and enthusiastic about serving up a storm for all the hungry foodies at the table. We all had our game faces on from the start so we were ready for what was to come.


First up were our Starters to get our taste buds going:

Right: Salmon Phla (Fresh salmon salad with lemongrass, red onion, chili & lime dressing)
Left: Som Tom Tod (Deep fried crispy green papaya salad)

The Salmon Phla was my personal favorite out of the entire menu. I'm a big fan of salmon, especially when it's served in a non-fussy way with a beautiful marinade to help bring out its flavor more. Delicious, it was! And yes, the salad on the right IS deep fried. Nope, I didn't think that was possible either.

Soup was also part of the starters but for some reason, I can't find the snap I took of it. The soup was called Tom Sap Gai (Thai style hot & spicy chicken soup with vegetables). I will say it out loud and clear: I took the tiniest sip of that soup and the spiciness touched my tongue and continued to hit the back of my throat which then proceeded to send signals to my brain that just screamed, "FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING GOOD, DON'T DO IT!" So, like a good little girl, I smiled politely and set it aside. I'm a wimp when it comes to super spicy food, yes I am.

Next up were the Mains to fill up our tummies:

Khow Phad Pak (Vegetable egg fried rice)

Nua Nam Man Hoi (Wok fried USA rib eye beef with kale, ginger and spicy soy sauce)

Bok Choi (Steamed bok choi in light soy sauce)

Tom Yum Pla Kra Pong (Tom yum steamed sea bass served with spicy lime sauce)

The Steamed Sea Bass and Rib Eye Beef were my favorites. They were both cooked to perfection with the sea bass being soft and melting right in your mouth while the rib eye beef was cooked my favorite way: Medium.

Last, but most definitely never least, is the Dessert:

Home-made Chocolate Mousse with Mango Compote

Chocolate mousse. I can never say no to chocolate mousse. I'll be honest though, the chocoholic within really wished this mousse had a stronger chocolate flavor in it. It was more of a creamy mousse than anything else really. It was partnered with the mango compote which wasn't an overpowering element and a great compliment to the mousse.


Don't forget to check out Taste of Dubai for more about their upcoming festival on March 3-5. I'll be there, armed with my camera and hungry palette!