A fair to savour: Masterchefs, new menus and live music at the Taste of Dubai

Some of the new restaurants at this year’s Taste of Dubai Festival include Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay, Bistro Des Arts and Catch Dubai. Photos courtesy Taste of Dubai

Thousands of foodies will flock to Dubai Media City Amphitheatre for the ninth annual Taste of Dubai Festival this weekend and, as usual, there will be plenty to satiate your appetite during the three-day food-filled extravaganza.

Nearly 20 of Dubai’s best restaurants will be featured at the festival – one of 22 annual Taste events held around the world in cities including London, Milan, Rome, Paris, Hong Kong, Amsterdam and Abu Dhabi – where they’ll serve up their signature cuisines to visitors. Celebrity chefs from around the world will also be on hand to share their tips and secrets during a non-stop schedule of cookery demonstrations, all included in the ticket price.

Renowned chefs, some with Michelin stars, making an appearance at this year’s festival include Jenny Morris, Reza Mahammed, Jun Tanaka, Tom Aikens, Nathan Outlaw, Alfred Prasad, Tim Anderson, Atul Kochhar, Paolo Pettenuzzo and Alfredo Russo.

Repeat visitors to Taste of Dubai will notice the bar has been raised this year – the restaurant line-up includes several new, highly rated outlets, including Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay, Bistro Des Arts, The Croft and Catch Dubai.

And while the focus is on food, there is plenty to see and do during the event. More than 60 exhibitors and vendors will showcase and sell their products. Live entertainment will keep the mood festive, with Thursday’s headline act with Boney M featuring Liz Mitchell kicking things off. There is also a kids’ zone hosted by Funky Monkeys, complete with an arts-and-crafts station, cookie- and cupcake-decorating, pizza-making, a soft play area, sweets and more.

If you go

• Taste of Dubai is on Thursday, March 9, from 4pm to midnight; Friday, March 10, from noon to midnight; and ­Saturday, March 11, from noon to 11pm.

• Standard tickets for Thursday night, with headline act Boney M featuring Liz Mitchell, are Dh100 advance and Dh125 at the door (each includes two drink vouchers).

• Standard tickets on Friday and Saturday are Dh75 in advance and Dh90 at the door.

• VIP tickets, which include two drink vouchers, three food vouchers and access to the VIP enclosure, are available for all three days. Dh240 advance and Dh260 at the door.

• To book advance tickets, visit www.tasteofdubaifestival.com/tickets

What’s new

Giggle and Spice

Celebrated chefs Jenny Morris, known as the “giggling gourmet”, and Reza Mahammed, “the spice prince of India”, have teamed up to bring a world exclusive pop-up restaurant to this year’s festival. Giggle and Spice will serve up a special menu curated by the duo, who also run Food Academy, at which they share hints, tips and cookery techniques with amateur chefs.

The American Garden and Lurpak Cooking Challenge

Each day, visitors will have a chance to ­compete in cookery challenges with celebrity chefs. Guests can sign up on-site to cook along with one of the featured celebrity chefs for a chance to win an array of prizes. At the end of each session, the featured chef will taste and judge each dish to determine a winner.

Bertin Bistro Mocktail Bar

Bertin Bistro, which opened in Al Manara on Sheikh Zayed Road last year, is bringing its famous mocktail bar to the festival. Mixologists will be on hand, serving up alcohol-free drinks ­inspired by Alsace, France; Marbella, Spain; and Tangier, Morocco.