Dubai Food Festival starts on Feb 26

Organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), the annual 18-day Dubai Food Festival (DFF) is now in its seventh year, and includes the Foodie Experiences Programme, Dubai Restaurant Week, the Etisalat Beach Canteen, Hidden Gems and brand-new to DFF 2020, “Home Edition” and “Tasty Tunes”.

To mark the festival opening, revellers should head to the Etisalat Beach Canteen at 8.30pm on February 27 – for a beachside fireworks display.

For the second year running, a key element of the event is Foodie Experiences, a carefully curated series of incredible, one-off culinary experiences designed to stimulate all the senses. There are more than 80 opportunities to take part in either a MasterClass, a Chef’s Table or an Experiential dining experience – some of which are exclusive events for one night only.

If you love making food, the Foodie Experiences MasterClass series is for you. Taking place right across the city, these classes will leave visitors filled with awe and knowledge, including the chance to try their hand at everything from vegan Vietnamese dishes to dim sum; cake decorating to MasterChef-style cooking challenges.

The Foodie Experience Chef’s Table series brings guests up close and personal with some of the city’s top chefs. Indulge in a one-off Japanese Italian fusion night; a unique sustainable tapas experience or a 14-course journey into modernist, molecular Indian cuisine. For an even more Experiential occasion, why not try Bedouin desert dining; Emirati dining under the stars atop a traditional coral house in Al Bastakiya.

Tickets for all Foodie Experience events are available exclusively via PlatinumList.net.

Dubai Restaurant Week (DRW), which runs from March 5 to March 14 is offering the chance to indulge in gourmet global food at very special festival prices.

The 2020 edition of Dubai Restaurant Week (DRW) features 36 outlets, and exclusive menus at Dubai’s best restaurants, including five associated with celebrity chefs - Gordon Ramsay, Vikas Khanna, Akira Back, Greg Malouf and Mathieu Viannay.

Two-course lunches are being offered from as little as Dh75 ($20.4), while three course dinner experiences start from just Dh150 ($40.8). All Dubai Restaurant Week dining experiences must be booked in advance, exclusively through official booking partner Reserve Out via its app and website.

Etisalat Beach Canteen, behind Sunset Mall on Jumeirah Beach brings together some of the best homegrown and international food concepts at this family-friendly event. Visitors can look forward to incredible food trucks, pop-up shops, talks, events, cooking demonstrations and live music.

Running throughout the festival, the Etisalat Beach Canteen also includes a new-for-2020 gaming park, a Beach Game alley, a kid’s play zone, and the chance to watch and learn from leading chefs and culinary experts including Chef Vinu Raveendran from Carnival by Tresind and representatives of the International Centre for Culinary Arts (ICCA) Dubai training centre.

Look out for the Lacnor Garden where one can try exciting food concepts like Emirati company DPS, Wafflypops and Keventers thick milkshakes.

Dubai Hidden Gems highlights the unsung heroes of Dubai’s ever-evolving food scene. A shortlist of 40 restaurants, cafes and food outlets has already been selected by Dubai Food Festival in collaboration with Zomato – and this year’s lip-smacking list includes truly global cuisine, from Emirati to Japanese, Uzbek to Ethiopian.

Hidden Gems restaurants all offer authentic tasty food at affordable prices - every outlet on the list offers on average, a dining meal for two at no more than Dh165 ($44.9) – with some feeding two people for as little as Dh30 ($8.1).

Foodies can vote for their favourite Hidden Gem from the list at dubaihiddengems.com, with a Top Ten Hidden Gems 2020 list being unveiled at the Etisalat Beach Canteen on 14 March. There’s a chance for those voting to win, with 20 lucky voters each receiving a Dh500 ($136.1) gift card plus a Zomato Gold Annual Membership, (winners will be selected at random). Voting began from February 19 and continues to March 11. Additionally, diners at this year’s Hidden Gems can win a five-star staycation for two people, just by visiting any five Hidden Gems and getting their Hidden Gems passport stamped at each unique outlet.

Finally, Home Edition brings the city’s supermarkets and hypermarkets into the excitement of Dubai Food Festival. For the first time this year, shoppers spending Dh250 ($68) or more at a participating outlet - Lulu Hypermarket, Spinneys, Waitrose, Carrefour and Union Co-op – will be placed in a weekly raffle to win vouchers valued at Dh50,000 ($13,610.4) per week during Dubai Food Festival.

Branches of each hypermarket and supermarket across the city are taking part in Home Edition 2020 –where shoppers can also experience food tasting sessions and live cookery demonstrations.

Winners of the Home Edition raffle will be chosen at random and declared in a weekly raffle draw to be held on March 7 and 14 at the Etisalat Beach Canteen main stage.

Another brand-new initiative to Dubai Food Festival 2020, is Tasty Tunes. Top dining destinations across the city will be turning up the volume as the sound of music fills the air thanks to Dubai Food Festival's Tasty Tunes. Check out a host of new spots showcasing sensational singing acts alongside their signature dishes to make it an even more vibrant experience.

More rewarding experiences can be found in this year’s Dine and Win promotion run in collaboration with the Dubai Shopping Malls Group and featuring 19 participating malls and various other F&B outlets across the city. Upon dining for just Dh50 ($13.6) at any of the participating venues, including outlets at the airport, customers are entitled to a raffle coupon to win an array of fabulous prizes and the grand prize of a GAC sedan GA8 by Gargash Motors. DFF diners will also have the opportunity to win instant scratch-and-win rewards.

Limited Edition Coffee Series is back for Dubai Food Festival 2020! For the second year in a row, both Dubai homegrown brands as well as international coffee brands will be offering a limited-edition coffee – only available during the festival period. The list of those offering the exclusive beverage includes Boston Lane Café, Café Frei, DOH, Oiso Café and Minimart, and Costa Coffee, to name a few. Plus, there will also be a coffee passport available whereby you will be able to collect stamps as you go!

Fireworks will also mark each weekend of the event, starting from February 27 at Etisalat Beach Canteen at 8:30pm at Dubai Festival City Mall on March 6. On March 13, a firework display takes place at The Pointe on Palm Jumeirah at 8.30pm, while a closing ceremony marked by fireworks will be held at the Etisalat Beach Canteen on March 14 at 8.30pm. - TradeArabia News Service