3. Time Out Market Dubai
For homegrown heroes
At BB Social Dining, habibti bao combines Japanese flavors like wasabi with a steamed Chinese bun containing a soft-shell crab. At Brix, African Power is a dessert that combines a rich cake, made with single-sourced Ghanaian dark chocolate, with luxurious Madagascar vanilla ice cream. Meanwhile, the fiery Nashville Chicken Sandwich at Pickl draws foodies from as far away as Abu Dhabi, a 70-mile drive away. These exquisite dishes can be found under one roof in one of Dubai’s newest dining destinations, which opened in April this year.
Inside Souk Al Bahar, Time Out Market Dubai brings together 17 of the best homegrown food companies in the city, selected for their popularity with diners in the city. Each has its own booth in the 43,000-square-foot space, which also contains three bars, long communal tables, some private dining areas, and a wraparound outdoor terrace overlooking the Burj Khalifa.
At Fulvio’s, a crowd has gathered around Italian chef Fulvio Opalio, who is scraping away a 40kg wheel of grana padano cheese. It is the climax of the theatrical cooking process behind its characteristic black truffle risotto, and the key to its creamy consistency. “It stays true to the Italian way of cooking,” says Fulvio. “Simple, but focused on the best possible ingredients. The most important thing is that it is made with love. “
Next, I venture to Masti, where a steady stream of diners is testament to Dubai’s appetite for contemporary Indian cuisine. “[We] they have challenged people’s perception that dishes are always spicy, making them more accessible, ”explains chef Prashant Chipkar. The Hindi word ‘masti’ means ‘mischief’, a quality evident in Prashant dishes. For example, the pani puri avocado ceviche injects guacamole, a street food favorite, and while it’s citrusy and refreshing, there’s no raw fish here, despite the nod to ceviche in the dish’s name. Meanwhile, the khichadi khakra truffle piles up a cookie-like base with mushrooms and truffle caviar. “Dubai is a melting pot of cultures, so using ingredients from around the world comes naturally after living here for a while,” Prashant tells me.
In other parts of the market, Reif is a popular place for kushiyaki (anything that is skewered and grilled). I defy convention, however, and choose the crabmeat uramaki, a sushi roll in which the sweet, soft crabmeat is offset by crunchy cucumber and crispy rice, all lit up with a small dollop of yuzu-kosho mayonnaise. .
Finally, I pay a visit to Local Fire, where the fizzy Hattem Mattar serves a queue of carnivores with everything from sliced brisket to smoked beef chorizo. Regarded as the world’s first Arab pit master, he has a fanatic following who come for creations like the pastrami reuben. “It takes 14 days to create that sandwich, which reflects our commitment,” he says. With culinary inspiration drawn from sources as varied as his mother’s Egyptian cuisine and an apprenticeship in a Texas smokehouse, Hattem refers to his barbecue as “third-culture cuisine.”