Taste of Abu Dhabi 2016 | Zayed Sports City

The third instalment of Taste of Abu Dhabi opens today at its new home in Zayed Sports City. The three-day outdoor festival offers lots of fun for all the family with delicious taster sized signature dishes from the capital’s best restaurants, live cooking demonstrations and masterclasses, top professional chefs in action and entertainment that starts tonight courtesy of Abba tribute band Björn Again.

The non-stop entertainment kicks off from 4pm today and promises another mighty weekend of foodie fun for all the family. This year’s restaurant line-up will be offering a range of cuisines to suit every palette from returning favourites and some new comers from the local restaurant scene. Food lovers will be overwhelmed by choice, East meets West fusion at Teatro, Japanese tastebuds tantalising bites from Sho Cho, seafood lovers can tuck into grilled jumbo prawns and fish taouk with Lebanese salads from Flooka and special fusions of gourmet seafood from Catch. Add some spice to your life with a modern take of traditional North Indian cuisine from Punjab Grill, don’t worry you will still find a tangy butter chicken on the menu.

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Fans of American style cuisine won’t be disappointed either with the inclusion of two outlets from recently opened Marriott Downtown Abu Dhabi, classic wings and burgers from sport’s bar Velocity and JW Steakhouse tempting diners with premium juicy steaks and braised beef cheeks. Staying stateside with the dishes from Irish-American gastropub The Sportsman Arms who will be serving up Jacks BBQ beef sliders, cajun chicken and a very yummy sticky toffee pudding.

Emirati favourite Al Fanar will be offering authentic cuisine and make sure you stop off at Melius too for more local flavours. If you are a fan of all things Mexican you won’t be disappointed by popular Dubai outlet Loco, guacamole with tortilla chips, various meat tacos and vegetarian quesadillas will all be sizzling for your delight. Organic and healthy dishes are the order of the day at Bakers Kitchen, from vegan beetroot soup, salad bowls to a range of German breads and cakes.

Three restaurants will be representing Abu Dhabi’s newest hotspot The Hub. Flavoursome and fiery Latin American-inspired cuisine from BU!, trust me their Dulce de Leche cheesecake is worth a visit alone, spicy Indian inspired seafood and meat delicacies from Tamba finished with another notable cheesecake the Lady Chatterjee, rich in flavour and topped with popping candy. Finally Original Fusion will bring its own form of culinary art, fusing Emirati cuisine with European influences, feeling hungry yet?

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Fancy yourself as a bit of a chef? It’s time to step up and impress your friends, sign up for the Delicio & Noor Cooking Challenge and take your place in the kitchen alongside the various celebrity chefs, all dishes will be judged at the end of each session and winners declared.

Top chefs will be in action throughout the weekend at the Etihad Chefs Theatre. It’s your opportunity to see top chefs such as Jenny Morris, Sanjeev Kapoor, Ed Baines, Joshua Stanzl and many more in action with demonstrations, culinary challenges, tutorials and Q & A sessions – check the Etihad Chefs Theatre schedule here to make sure you don’t miss your favourite.

As well as all the amazing food at this year’s Taste of Abu Dhabi you can relax with some bubbles in the Etihad VIP lounge or hang out at the alcohol-free Tea Club Premier Lounge, hone your skills and get hands on in a cookery class or sit back and watch the masters at work on the professional chef stage. Walk around first and have a good look at all the dishes on offer is my top tip, saves on the food envy in the long run when your friends come back with that dish you may have missed.

Bjorn Again, 20th Anniversary tour, live at Hammersmith Apollo, 18th December 2008
Don’t delay there’s some great ticket offers for this year’s event, grab some friends and family and make a day of it, actually just give your taste buds a treat and make a weekend of it. I will be at the front tonight for Björn Again unashamedly giving my best rendition of Waterloo and Dancing Queen, I won’t be offended if you choose to avoid me 🙂
Taste of Abu Dhabi
Location: Zayed Sports City
Date: Thursday 10th November until Saturday 12th November
Festival Opening Times: Thursday 10th November: 4:00pm – 11:00pm (Björn Again live on stage from 9.30pm), Friday 11th November: 12 noon – 11:00pm, Saturday 12th November: 12 noon – 10:00pm
Click here to download the full festival guide
For more information about Taste Festivals around the world click here
All views are my own. Unless otherwise stated, all photos on this page © Jo Brett 2016. All rights reserved. Photos used courtesy of tasteabudhabi.com
The original version of this article first appeared in Abu Dhabi World Magazine – 3rd November 2016
Read more about Taste of Abu Dhabi on previous posts Taste of Abu Dhabi 2015 and Oh What A Night – Taste of Abu Dhabi 2014

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