Dishes to try at Taste of Dubai this weekend – in pictures

The three-day event also features a MasterChef pop-up, celebrity chefs and mini concerts by jazz, pop and blues performers, including Tony Hadley

Truffle cheese wheel pasta, Dh30 at Gia

Steak frites, Dh30 at Couqley

Sheperd's pie with braised lamb, Dh30 at Bread Street Kitchen

Chicken wings with sriracha or BBQ sauce, Dh20 at UBK

Chicken croquettes, Dh20 at Seville's

Roasted duck, Dh30 at SF Bistro. Courtesy Taste of Dubai 

Black ceviche with octopus, avocado and pickled onions, Dh20 at Andes

Spicy tuna wth jalapeno, spring onion and sriracha on crispy rice, Dh20 at Wakame

Chicken and avocado tacos, Dh20 at Nobu

Smoked beef short ribs with BBQ sauce, Dh30 at The Blacksmith Smokehouse

English trifle, Dh20 at Bread Street Kitchen

Beef doner pita, Dh30 at Go! Greek

Daddy nachos with cheese and salsa, Dh20 at UBK

Fried catfish, Dh20 at The Blacksmith Smokehouse

Beef sliders with hand-cooked chips, Dh20 at Dean & Deluca

Nobu's black cod, Dh45 at Taste of Dubai

Deep-fried calamari with aioli sauce, Dh20 at Seville's

Korean BBQ lamb chops with pickled cucumber, Dh30 at Wakame

Halloumi fries, Dh30 at Go! Greek

Chicken and seafood paella, Dh30 at Bebemos

Beef Wellington, Dh40 at Bread Street Kitchen

Mochi ice cream, Dh20 at Nobu

Dubai's favourite food festival is returning to the Media City Amphitheatre from March 7 to 9. Taste of Dubai, currently in its 12th year, offers signature dishes and multiple cuisines from the city's new and established eateries, which you can try for a fraction of their in-restaurant price.

Think Dh45 instead of Dh240 for Nobu's famous black cod, and other sample-size treats for between Dh15 and Dh30 from Andes, Asia Tang, Bread Street Kitchen, Couqley, Dean & Deluca, Kaftan, Wakame and many more.

The festival also hosts a battery of celebrity chefs who will be judging cooking contests, and sharing and demonstrating culinary tips and techniques. There will be live entertainment, too, which you can enjoy while lounging around on picnic-style benches and umbrellas.

Check out our gallery above to get an idea of the food on offer.

And here's what else you can look forward to...

MasterChef pop-up 

The world's first MasterChef, the TV Experience restaurant will open in Dubai in April, serving dishes from the popular television show's winners and contestants. A MasterChef pop-up at the event will give fans and foodies a taste of what's to come, including 2016 MasterChef USA victor Shaun O'Neale's duck leg confit tacos; fried chicken waffles by 2017 MasterChef Australia's Tamara Graffen; and 2008 MasterChef UK winner James Nathan's deconstructed Eton mess, all for between Dh15 and Dh30.

The pop-up will also host a Mystery Box Cooking Challenge, which will be judged by MasterChef Australia's Matt Preston, who will join the forthcoming restaurant's head chef Margarita at Taste of Dubai on March 9.

Celebrity chefs

David Myers, Masaharu Morimoto, Nick Alvis and Scott Price, Simon Rimmer, Tarek Ibrahim, Lorna Maseko, Mohammad Orfali, Hattem Mattar and Jenny Morris will all be at Taste of Dubai this year, demonstrating cooking techniques and judging culinary contests. Master French patissier Eric Lanlard will also run a series of baking classes for the first time in Dubai at the JIF Big Baking Tent.

Debut dishes 

Scoopi Cafe, the official ice cream sponsor for Taste of Dubai, will debut its new menu at the festival. On offer are Bubble Waffle creations, Edible Chocolate Cups, Popcorn & Salted Caramel ice cream, and Oreo Blast, a bed of marshmallows baked with Oreo cookies dipped in liquid nitrogen and served with ice cream.

The Blacksmith Smokehouse, meanwhile, will debut its new twin-barrel smoker, Lil’ Billy, which pitmaster Orelle Young will use to smoke up dishes such as sticky, smoked chilli-rubbed chicken wings, pulled smoked lamb sliders, smoked beef brisket and turkey bacon, slow-smoked barbecue beef short ribs and deep-fried southern catfish.

Music and entertainment

British pop icon Tony Hadley, former frontman of Spandau Ballet, will perform at the Taste of Dubai opening night on March 7. The entertainment line-up also includes: South African-inspired band 4TheMusic; soul, jazz, pop and blues singer Sam Tring; Italian eight-piece jazz band Mark Zitti and the Fratelli Coltelli; and Stephanie Goudie with her four-piece band playing classic jazz and soul covers from the 1970s, 80s and 90s; plus Dubai DJ Sheps.

Visit www.tasteofdubaifestival.com for more details or to book tickets, which start from Dh95