There are few better places in the world thank Abu Dhabi when it comes to food and with the return of Abu Dhabi Culinary Season it just got even better.
The annual event, organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, shines a spotlight on the amazing restaurants, dishes and experienceson offer in the capital.
This year, it explores the relationship between art, craftmanship and food and will run until December 15.
Running for the entire duration of the event is Chef’s Table’s Art On A Plate season, featuring ten of the city’s favourite restuarants serving limited-edition five-course menus featuring artistically styled vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes designed to elevate the dining experiences across all restaurants by taking guests on an exploration of the senses.
Hidden Gems is also running until December 15 and focuses on some of the under-the-radar restaurants across the capital. Included are venues such as the Middle Eastern Al Dhafra Restaurant on the Corniche, Balkan venue Bosnia Hut near Burjeel, Ethiopian spot Kifto in Khalidiya, Japanese bakery Yamazaki and loads more.
Marriott’s More Cravings is also is offering discounts at Marriott restaurants across the city including 25 percent of brunches and buy one, get one free on main courses in places such as The Grill, Kuzbara, Velocity, Up & Below, Li Jiang and Market Kitchen.
Yas Flavors is taking place from November 8 to November 28 and includes 45 restaurants on Yas Island (and nearby) offering special three-course set menus to try from a range of cuisines including Italian, Japanese and Thai.
The menus come in three different price points and package starting with the Taste Makers package for Dhs99, the Foodie Vibes package for Dhs129 and the Gourmet Goals package for Dhs149. Restaurants participating in the Taste Makers Dhs99 menus include Black Tap, Mr Miyagis and Urban RetrEAT. In the Dhs129 Foodie Vibes category you can enjoy three courses at venues including Belgian Café, The Scene and Stars N Bars. Finally, the Gourmet Goals Dhs149 packages are available at venues including Filini Garden, Amerigos, and Iris.
Sweetest Things runs from November 13 to 28 and includes more than 40 restaurants, bars, cafés and lounges offering the chance to try their mouthwatering desserts and sweet creations at special prices and with limited time combinations.
A photography challenge in collaboration with Zomato will run until December 15. Keen food photographers can win prizes by taking snaps of their dish, drinks, restaurant, kitchen or chef or by spending Dhs100 or more through Zomato.
Coffee lovers are in with a treat with the Huntr campaign by highlighting speciality roasters across the capital. Keep an eye on the hashtag #AbuDhabiLovesCoffee for more information.
Mirzam Chocolate Makers, based in Qasr Al Hosn are serving a blend of Abu Dhabi Ghawa, 62 percent dark chocolate infused with organic rose, aromatic saffron, cloves, cardamon and locally roasted coffee for Dhs29 per cup. The cups themselves are also extra special, designed by Emirati watercolour artist Moaza Matar.
“The history of ghawa preparation in the Emirates is so embedded in the culture, with recipes varying from family to family, and spice mixes differing in each one. Using a family recipe shared with us from Abu Dhabi, we’ve crafted a rich spiced ‘Abu Dhabi Gahwa’ drinking chocolate with saffron, rose, cardamom and coffee,” said Kathy Johnston, chief chocolate officer at Mirzam.
If you’re an ice cream fan keep an eye out for UAE brand The Brooklyn Creamery turning up to your office, as there will be drop-offs across the city during the Abu Dhabi Culinary Season.
Finally, Time Out is teaming up with Abu Dhabi Culinary Season once more for Chef Studio, a pop-up cooking school taking place from December 3 to 15 and featuring top chefs from across the city teaching six lucky pupils how to make one of their star dishes.
“As a key part of DCT Abu Dhabi’s drive to improve the emirate’s hospitality sector, this year’s Abu Dhabi Culinary Season will deliver inspirational F&B moments for the huge community of foodies across the nation,” said His Excellency Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi.
“As we continue with preparations to welcome international visitors back to the emirate, everyone can be assured of our unwavering commitment to globally-recognised health and safety measures that will ensure exciting and safe food experiences, celebrating the multinational brilliance of Abu Dhabi’s iconic food scene.”
Various venues across Abu Dhabi. Until Dec 15. www.adculinaryseason.ae.
