Dubai, a multicultural home for all…
On a recent trip to Dubai, a memorable visit was the one to The Growhouse by One Life situated within Alserkal Avenue, the Dubai Design District dedicated to art, design and fashion.
Sitting down to lunch with the head chef and managing partner of One Life, Kelvin Kelly, he describes Dubai as a melting pot of cultures, and he couldn’t have been more spot on.
Kelvin is from South Africa but has spent the last decade living in Dubai creating a menu that celebrates fresh produce with his creative spin on his favourite dishes with no focus on any particular cuisine.
The Growhouse restaurant is in an industrial warehouse featuring an indoor urban farm upstairs and beneath 90 seats where both locals and visitors can appreciate the vibrant flavours, his vision and have a good giggle at the names of his dishes.
The wood-fire pizzas are great, and we loved the refreshing pan-fried seabass with a crisp skin dressed with a lemon dill and charred grapes. Exploring the rest of Alserkal Avenue, you will find over 70 galleries, including Green Art Gallery and Ayyam Gallery.
Old town Dubai is where you can explore Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, including the traditional wind towers known locally as ‘barjee’. Walking through narrow alleys where much of the original infrastructure is preserved and intact, it presents itself as a more authentic side of the city, and we were fortunate to have Mr Hammad Abbasi as our tour guide, who shared the deep-rooted stories of the spaces we walked.
Learning about their way of living back in the day, tasting traditional Arabic coffee and seeing the Bedouin tented camp were just some of the highlights.
To get a taste of their cuisine … Arabian Tea House Restaurant & Cafe serves traditional Emirati dishes of machboos, or majbous, which is a group of rice dishes with a variety of meat or vegetables cooked slowly to perfection.
Pair this with some speciality teas and a few more side dishes of Emirati Kebab Laham, falafel, and Arabic salads, and you will be having yourself a delightful feast.
If you enjoy a good market … Dubai’s traditional souks hold its own cultural buzz of excitement.
Dubai Gold Souk is one of the largest gold markets in the world. You will find hundreds of stalls, and while browsing … it will be difficult to miss the Guinness World Records most famous gold ring weighing around 64kg displayed in the window at Najmat Taiba.
The Dubai Spice Souk is adjacent to the gold market, where you walk and get a whiff of various aromatic aromas. You will find premium saffron as well as the loveliest blended teas.
It is also a great market to test out your negotiation skills for a good bargain and pick out some lovely gifts and souvenirs.
Seeing the city from a bird’s-eye view is best done standing on top of the world’s tallest tower, looking down and soaking up the breathtaking views.
You can search At the Top experience Burj Khalifa and scroll through hundreds of images, but the feeling at the top overlooking the city’s skyscrapers is one that will stick with you forever. It’s the moment you truly appreciate the grand ultra-modern architecture of Dubai.
Heads up … you will need to be patient as there are long queues, as this is a widely popular tourism destination. While situated at Dubai Mall, you might as well clock in your steps for the day as there is so much more to see.
Think Dubai Aquarium, The Dubai Fountain evening shows and the Fashion Avenue with high-end shops and a fancy restroom to match.
One thing that is noticeable while walking the streets, browsing the mall or even while dining out is that you interact with so many different people from all over the world, and very few are local Emiratis. Unpacking Dubai is discovering a city where old world meets future world, and yet both bring in a beautiful mix of culture that can be enjoyed by people from all walks of life.
While driving past the various areas, you will still notice the UAE flag proudly displayed throughout the city as a sign of collective pride and unity by the Emiratis.
