In this episode of Dubai food series we are out to explore some popular marketplaces and eateries along with our gracious hosts Sachin and Mona. We started the day with a visit to the Naif Market, a popular shopping destination in the city. After spending a brief time exploring souvenirs, perfumes and traditional attires, we straightaway drove to Al Ustadi Special Kebab.
Established by Mohammed Ali Ansari, this iconic restaurant is famous for its Iranian chicken and mutton kebabs especially the yogurt marinated ones and also for the friendly, hospitable and super passionate brothers who now run the show. The interior is plastered with numerous photographs of celebrities who have dined there. It is a testimony to the restaurant's glorious legacy. We were surprised to find one of owners so well conversant in a few Indian languages - Hindi, Punjabi and Malayalam - apart from Arabic and English.
Here we ordered a chicken lentil soup, mixed kebab platter and chicken-lentil curry. The mixed kebab platter was accompanied with Iranian pulao and bread. It comprised of an assortment of some popular Iranian kebab like yogurt marinade based kabab khas, kabab bahraini, cholo kabab and joujeh kabab. Among these, the tangy yogurt kebab is one of their specialties.
They also offered us some Tahdig, which is a slightly burnt crust of rice formed at the bottom of the vessel in which it is cooked. It was crisp, uniquely flavourful and paired well with the rich meat and lentil curry that accompanied it. The scrumptious meal ended with some tahini coated dates and black tea.
The next stop was a stunning tea cafe at
Al Bastakiya named Arabian Tea House
Its beautiful and relaxed ambience is just perfect for unwinding with your own self or your favourite people. Over a cup of milk tea we got to discover a few more things about the city and its culture from our friends.
After this we landed up at The Waterfront Fish Market for some fresh seafood. The enormous area is divided into different sections, such as fish and seafood, fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry and dry goods and spices. Visitors can browse through huge assortment of seafood and can either take the haul home or savour it right there at any of the few restaurants, that would cook it and serve to you. We bought some fresh prawns and sea bass and dropped it at Yahya Restaurant. Here we were joined by our other two friends Nazish and Lalatendu, for a feast. The menu included fattoush, hummus, Arabic salad, lentil soup, fried prawns and Arabic style grilled sea bass. The fresh ingredients and the wonderful company made this experience truly heartening. Watch the full episode for all the yummy details.
About the host:
anubhavsapra.com/
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Texts by Swetaleena Nayak