Last night, I attended the Taste of Abu Dhabi launch party and got a sneak peek at what we can expect when the festival comes to the capital this November.
Held at the Yas Viceroy, last night’s event showcased two of the 20 restaurants that will participate in the festival. Chefs from Angar and Noodle Box were on hand offering samples of the food they’ll be passing out to more than 10,000 visitors during the festival.
From Angar, guests noshed on Punjabi samosa chaat, karare gobi (crispy cauliflower florets), butter chicken and lamb chops. Chefs from Noodle Box served up dim sum, rice noodle soup with chicken balls, prawns with apple, mango and chilli salad and my favourite: potato curry puffs with sweet chilli sauce.
The food was a good sign of things to come during the capital’s very first Taste of Abu Dhabi festival. Held at the Du Arena from November 6 to 8, the festival will highlight the best restaurants and chefs in the city.
During the festival, visitors can purchase and sample signature food items from 20 restaurants around Abu Dhabi. There will also be a chef’s theatre, live cooking demonstrations, kids’ cooking activities (such as cupcake decorating and pizza making), live entertainment and more. Celebrity chefs will also be on hand to add to the excitement. Confirmed to attend each day of the event are celebrity chefs Reza Mahammed, Eric Lanlard, Jun Tanaka, Steven Edwards and Jonathan Phang.
The event is family friendly and open to everyone. From now through September 30, guests can purchase two tickets to the event for Dh99. From October 1 onward, tickets will be Dh65 each. At the door, tickets will be Dh80 each.
• To read my full story on the Taste of Abu Dhabi festival, check out Wednesday's Arts & Life edition. For more information on the festival, visit www.tasteabudhabi.com.
sjohnson@thenational.ae