The Dubai Food Festival is in full swing and the popular beach canteen is buzzing, despite the less-than-cooperative weather. This year, the canteen is at Jumeirah Beach, behind Sunset Mall, featuring food trucks, pop-ups and Al Islami Kitchen in a compact location. From burgers and pizza to gluten-free food, here are five of the highlights.
1. El Cubano Sandwich at El Cubano food truck
This food truck launched in November, with a Venezuelan chef whipping up Cuban-inspired fare. The Cuban sandwich is loaded with turkey and beef brisket smoked for eight hours. Served in crispy bread, it is topped with Swiss cheese, pickles and homemade mustard. There is a lot going on here – and your taste buds will thank you.
• Dh35
2. Bloody Burger sliders at Meatballerz
Meatballerz, which opened last month at Dubai Marina, offers a handful of meatball sliders. They come in pairs, and there is a veggie option made with yuca balls. The unfortunately named, but tasty, Bloody Burger is dressed with blood-orange aioli.
• Dh30
3. Roasted tomato and garlic burger at the Stuffed Burger Co
This burger joint opened on Jumeirah Road in Umm Suqeim last year and will open an outlet in Abu Dhabi this month. The offerings look simple, but appearances can be deceiving. The spicy, flavour-packed roasted tomato and garlic burger is a patty stuffed with tomatoes, garlic, peppers, onions, jalapeños and salsa ranch sauce.
•Dh25
4. Anything from the Inventing Room
This Willy Wonka-inspired outlet from chef Ian Kleinman will open a permanent location in Jumeirah, Dubai – the first outside of his native Denver – on September 1. Everything here is made with liquid nitrogen so have your phone ready to film the preparation. The “really, really cold Cheetos” (Dh20) are proving a hit at the festival. These puffy snacks, frozen with the nitrogen, are indeed cold – but they are still just Cheetos. Try the more interesting cookie ice cream sandwich (Dh35), which comes with two chocolate cookies, a heap of ice cream, toasted marshmallows and “exploding” whipped cream.
5. Glow Gorgeous juice at Wild and the Moon
After stuffing your face with too many calories, head to Wild and the Moon for a health boost.It offers a range of organic cold-pressed juices along with organic smoothies, salads and snacks that are all made in-house. The Glow Gorgeous juice, made from beetroot, apple and pomegranate, is sweet, earthy and refreshing. Everything here is raw, plant-based, gluten- and dairy-free.
• Dh25
• For a details of chef appearances and activities at the Beach Canteen's Al Islami Kitchen, visit www.visitdubai.com/en/dff/events/etisalat-beach-canteen and click on "Full Event Programme"
sjohnson@thenational.ae
