Dubai: Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab and camel milk chocolate

Dubai. For most people it's a stopover as they transfer through the world's second busiest airport based on international passenger traffic. If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen I spent five days in Dubai last month, part of an international media famil hosted by Dubai Tourism. We were a group of about twenty journalists and photographers in total, travelling from Australia, the US, UK, Italy, South Africa, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

It was my first time in Dubai and to say it's a place like no other is an understatement. Construction and development in Dubai has happened at such an accelerated pace over the last 25 years, it's been said that as soon as you print a map, it's already outdated. If you don't believe me, check out this photo of Dubai in 2005 compared to 1991.


Dubai in 2005 compared to Dubai in 1991 - original source unknown

Dubai is the second largest emirate (by land) in the United Arab of Emirates but boasts the highest population, with approximately two million people.



Dubai is said to be one of the most liberal emirates in the UAE. Islamic dress code is not mandatory however most people dress conservatively - for women this means tops that are at least elbow-length and skirts, dresses and pants that end below the knee. And alcohol is available, although liquor licenses tend to only be granted to hotels and hotel restaurants.


View of Dubai from level 124 of Burj Khalifa 

We had our first big look at Dubai from the observation deck of Burj Khalifa, currently the tallest man-made structure in the world with a height of 829.8 metres. The building opened in January 2010 and cost a total of US$1.5 billion to build.


Dubai Fountain in front of The Old Town

The observation deck is called At The Top, but really you're only at level 124 of the 163-storey building. It costs AED125 (AU$36.70) if you pre-book an entry time for the observation deck (you can stay as long as you like) but the price increases significantly to AED400 (AU$117.30) if you turn up on the day and want immediate entry.


Visitors, views and selfies on the observation deck of Burj Khalifa, At The Top

Over the course of five days, I took a couple of thousand photos (yes really) so here's an image-heavy post with significantly less words than usual. There are more Dubai posts to come but in the meantime, settle down with a cup of tea and let's get scrolling... :)


Dubai - Burj Al Arab (the sailboat) can be seen in the distance


JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai


Bathroom, rainshower, bedroom and welcome fruit salad 

We stayed as guests of the five-star JW Marriott Marquis, the tallest hotel in the world at 355 metres high. There's a sense of opulence throughout the hotel. I was in love with the lifts with glass exterior walls that allowed you to watch the city get smaller as you ascended with speed.

The rooms are spacious, the lights can all be controlled using a bedside remote and the massive rainshower head in the bathroom was a welcome luxury.


Nightly treats delivery: tiramisu with chocolate spoon, brownie, fruit bread and biscotti

And not only was your bed turned down every night (slippers set by your bed and a sweet by the pillow) but you also received a surprise treat that varied from fruit salads to cheese platters to chocolate truffles and tiramisu.


Kitchen 6 breakfast buffet


Asian dumpling, noodle and congee station at the Kitchen 6 breakfast buffet

So everybody loves a hotel breakfast buffet but I was a little delirious over the sheer number of stations set up at Kitchen 6. You could rove between Western, Continental, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Emirati breakfasts plus load up on fresh fruit and juices, croissants, pancakes, waffles and more. And dare I mention they even had an ice cream stand with 12 different flavours?


Asian dumpling and congee breakfast, omelette station, dumplings and woohoo! Vegemite 

I ended up having congee every morning and an alternating assortment of steamed dumplings with Indian idli and sambar. There may have been a few curry puffs and money bags too. And I was excited to spot Vegemite by the toaster for all the Aussies.

Breakfast was included with our stay but non-hotel guests can also dine for AED140 (AU$41).


Japanese station including miso soup, teriyaki salmon and condiments


Prime 68



Foie gras with mustard and mango salsa

As guests of the JW Marriott Marquis, much of our stay involved visits to the various restaurants throughout the hotel. We kicked off with brunch at Prime 68 perched on the 68th floor.


Pate, booth seating, charcuterie, and corn bread

Weekends in Dubai are Fridays and Saturdays and brunches have become a popular Friday event, especially for cashed-up foreign ex-pats. Brunch inexplicably starts at 12.30pm and runs more like an extended banquet, with dishes delivered in staggered fashion.


Gin cocktails in teapots

The theme of Prime 68 is the US in the Prohibition era of the 1920s. That means cocktails disguised as tea in glass teapots and jazz music piped through the speakers.


Prawn cocktails, waiter presenting our salads, beet and tomato salads, and meatballs

There seems to a non-stop arrival of food to our table, all presented by smiling waiters in smart waistcoats and ties. There's a strong American slant to the menu with crab cakes, lobster rolls, oysters Rockefeller, beef hash and macaroni and cheese all making an appearance.


Lobster rolls with potato crisps


Oysters Rockefeller, clams, beef hash and dining with a view


Choose your own steak knife!

And although choosing your own steak knife doesn't really make a huge difference to your steak-carving experience, we still giggle like kids and make great delight in doing so anyway.


Roasted vegetables, mac n cheese and mash; beef short rib; prime rib and salmon


Waiter carving the US prime rib tableside

Brunch culminates in the big event, the US prime rib which is carved at your table. It's an old-skool spectacle we all delight in, but the big fat juicy slabs of luscious meat are an even bigger highlight.


US prime rib - oh so juicy


Cheese trolley


Cheeeeeeeeese


Petit fours

There's a cheese trolley and a tier of petit fours to finish. The Friday brunch at Prime 68 will set you back AED495 (AU$145) including unlimited alcoholic drinks and AED595 (AU$175) including champagne.


Nawwara


Baba ghanoush eggplant dip

We also visited Nawwara, a Mediterranean restaurant that played host to a special lunch with guest chef Greg Malouf while we were there.


Nawwara Chef de Cuisine Youssef Issa (centre) with guest chef Greg Malouf (left)


Hoummous, fattoush salad, muhammara red pepper and walnut dip, and the water fountain dining room

The spread was incredible with an assortment of dips, salads and dolmades to start. The hoummous was seriously the smoothest and creamiest I'd ever tasted. The dining room is also incredibly striking with a catwalk-style fountain and hanging silver orbs overhead. The striking abundance of white has led to several fashion shoots within the restaurant.


Chef Greg Malouf's Moorish pie wtih Teta's salad

There was a frisson of excitement when Chef Greg Malouf's Moorish pie landed on the table. The henna tattoo stencil with icing sugar was so striking against the black slate but the flakiness of that pastry was even more swoonworthy. It was whisper thin and delicate but buttery, wrapped around a filling of flavoursome cheese and spinach.


Chef Greg Malouf


Buttered almond cous cous with duck tagine and stuffed zucchini; artichoke salad; honeyed camel wafers; and fresh cream snowballs with pistachios

Our mains included a duck tagine with stuffed zucchini, buttered almond cous cous with golden raisins and a salad of artichokes, shankleesh yoghurt cheese and black olives.

The fresh cream snowballs for dessert were lovely and light with honey and pistachios, but it was the delicate standing camel wafers that won everybody's hearts.


Nawwara


Bar snacks including brioche with chicken, prawn balls, lamb parcels and bresaola flat bread

On our final night in Dubai, we were led on a progressive dinner through several restaurants at the Marriott Hotel Marquis. The evening began back at Nawwara with cocktails and snacks on the terrace.

Izakaya


Sashimi, Wasabi Girl dispensing fresh wasabi, sushi rolls and sushi chef in the kitchen

Entrees took place at Izakaya, the Japanese restaurant that includes Wasabi Girl, an infectiously bubbly character who will freshly grate wasabi to your plate.


Wasabi Girl


Rang Mahal


Cooking shish lamb shewers in the tandoor

Mains were at Rang Mahal, a contemporary Indian restaurant conceived by Atul Kochhar, the first Indian chef to receive a Michelin star for Indian cuisine. It's a surprisingly grand restaurant, with dark corridors and hidden alcoves suddenly giving way to a soaring ceiling with majestic carved wooden columns. Lighting is minimal and the red tinge to everything makes it feel more like a love den than a hotel restaurant.


Dining room, grilled fish, cooking in the tandoor, and shish lamb skewers


Prime 68


Creme brulee

We concluded our night back at Prime 68 for desserts. Dubai's skyline is an impressive sight by night.


Chocolate whoopie pies, peanut butter biscuits and choc chip cookies


Positano


Oh hai Billy! Snapped during our cooking class at Positano

And there was also a cooking class at Positano Italian restaurant. Hey, weren't you on MasterChef?


Beach Canteen, Dubai Food Festival


Chargrilled calamari, chicken doner and chargrilled prawns

Our media famil coincided with the first ever Dubai Food Festival. We stopped by the Beach Canteen, a pop-up of food stalls set up in old shipping containers on Kite Beach, and feasted on barbecued seafood.


Kids playing fusball at The Beach Canteen


The Big Grill, Dubai Food Festival


Festival-goers at The Big Grill

We also visited The Big Grill, an all-you-can-eat outdoor festival featuring different styles of barbecue meats from around the world. We didn't have time to stick around for the outdoor concert that night, but acts that night included Diana King, No Mercy and UB40!


Cook-your-own-bbq and chefs on the barbecue at The Big Grill


Marinated chicken skewers


Al Fanar


Dates with tahini sauce, shorrbat adas lentil soup AED15 (AU$4.40) and robyan mashwi grilled jumbo shrimp AED39 (AU$11.40) 


Al Fanar is the first and only restaurant in Dubai serving local Emirati cuisine, the native cuisine of the UAE that has rarely been highlighted - until now.

Outdoor cushion seating

One-pot stews are a key feature of Emirati food, with many dishes combining Middle Eastern and Asian influences. Spices like saffron, cardamom, turmeric and thyme are commonly used.


Samboosa deep fried pastry 25AED (AU$7.30)


Beryani Laham mutton with rice and raisins AED52 (AU$15.30) and Saloona Deyay ma Khudhar chicken stew AED45 (AU$13.20), dining room,
Thereed - Laham thin Arabic bread in meat stew AED55 (AU$16.10) 
and harees AED48 (AU$14), with traditional bread


Harees traditional Emirati dish made from wheat and meat

Harees was the most intriguing dish we tried, a Middle Eastern dish made from cracked wheat boiled with meat until it resembled a thick gruel or porridge. It reminded me of American-style grits and had a heartiness I found deeply comforting.


Beryani Laham mutton with rice and raisins AED52 (AU$15.30) 

I was a huge fan of the mutton biryani too. The lamb just fell of the bone but it was the magnificent perfection of the rice that had me reaching for more - each grain fluffy but separate, and deeply flavoured with aromatic spices.


Emirati lunch


Leqaimat fried dough balls coated with date syrup AED19 (AU$5.60) 

Leqaimat were like the Emirati version of donuts, balls of deep-fried pancake batter that were drizzled with date syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds.


Bateel Date Factory


Date tasting

Did you know there are more than 600 different types of dates around the world? Who knew there was more than just medjool?! We visited the Bateel Date Factory and discovered a huge range of differences in size, shape, colour, sweetness, juiciness and chew as we sampled some of the 28 varieties they process through their plant.


Bateel sells 28 different types of dates

They process 40 tonnes of dates everyday through here. The dates are certified organic and grown in farms in Saudi Arabia, harvested every August.

We're told that dates are high in dietary fibre, iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium and have more antioxidants than any other fruit.


Hand dipping shortbread biscuits in white chocolate in the biscuit factory

Bateel also makes biscuits and we were staggered to find that much of the production is done by hand.


Horseshoe shortbread biscuits dipped in white chocolate and crushed pistachios


Hand-piping chocolate onto horseshoe shortbread biscuits


Horseshoe shortbread biscuits sandwiched with chocolate


Dates being enrobed in chocolate

I could have watched these chocolate-covered dates being enrobed again in chocolate all day.


Deseeding dates, hand-drizzling melted chocolate onto chocolate-covered dates, tying ribbons by hand onto boxes, and almond-stuffed date boxes


Chocolate dipped and drizzled dates


Al Nassma Camel Milk Chocolate and Camelicious Camel Farm


Camels 

We also drove out to Camelicious, a camel farm that specialises in camel milk.


Camel farm and camel milk processing plant for Al Nassma camel milk chocolates

Camel milk has half the fat of cow's milk and is lower in lactose. They process the camel milk here into packaged camel milk (fresh and UHT), camel milk powder and cheese. Much of the camel milk powder is sent to Austria where it's processed into camel milk chocolate. The chocolate is then sent back to Dubai where it is packaged under the Al Nassma brand, meaning cold breeze across the desert.


Camels love carrots!

The camels are very curious when we visit and eagerly race over when they realise we have carrot treats at hand. They have 3,600 camels on the farm with plans to expand to 10,000 within the next two years.

Milking takes place twice a day, supplying an average of seven litres of milk per day. Most cows provide 24-40 litres per day.


Fresh camel milk and croissants and friands made with camel milk powder at The Majlis, Dubai Mall

We try fresh camel milk at The Majlis in Dubai Mall and it has a surprisingly clean and creamy taste. They also have a range of pastries and baked goods here, all made with camel milk.


Burj Al Arab


180m high view from the atrium of Burj Al Arab

You can't talk about Dubai without mentioning Burj Al Arab, the hotel in the distinctive shape of a ship's sail.


Rainbow fountain 

The hotel is built on a man-made island and accessed by a private bridge that is restricted to only those with accommodation or restaurant bookings. It's worth making a booking though, as the architecture inside is particularly breathtaking.


Corridor 

Burj Al Arab was designed by British architect Tom Wright from WKK Architects. The reclaiming of land for the island began in 1994, a process that took more than three years. 230 concrete piles measuring 40 metres long were driven vertically into the sea. The hotel officially opened in December 1999. There are 202 double-storey hotel rooms, 60 floors and 18 lifts.


Rainbow-painted ceilings


Moorish windows


View looking down the carpeted balconies with concierge desks on each floor


Bathtub in the Presidential Suite

We scored exclusive tours of the two most expensive suites in the hotel. The Presidential Suite costs AED60,000 (AU$17,600) per night (including taxes) but hey, free Hermes toiletries make it totally worth it, right?


Canopy bed with mirrored ceiling in the Presidential Suite


Leopard print stair-runner on the marble staircase in the Royal Suite

But that ain't nothing compared to the Royal Suite. The leopard print staircase is the first thing you see when the double doors swing open. Hello Kim Kardashian much?

The Royal Suite costs AED84,000 (AU$24,600) per night (including taxes) and is so blinged up you need sunglasses inside.


Falcon claws on the door handles


Marble bathtub with columns in the Royal Suite


Gold-tiled shower recess with gold-plated fittings..... disco time!


Everything shiny is gold-plated, including the bidet taps of course


Master bed in the Royal Suite which rotates up to 180C at the push of a button


The rotating bed was crazy. Check this out, yo.
[Instagram link if video doesn't play]


Al Mahara, meaning The Oyster, featuring a seawater aquarium

We descended into the depths of the hotel for lunch at Al Mahara, the James Bond-like tunnel opening out into a wondrous aquatic dining room.


The seawater aquarium holds 990,000 litres of water


Alaskan king crab and foie gras ravioli, Bahibe milk chocolate mousse with mandarin sorbet, and Atlantic wild turbot cooked in vine leaves

We ate in the private dining room but the main dining area is much more dramatic, wrapped around the curved aquarium. The walls of the tank are allegedly 18cm thick.


Dining alongside the fishies


Pictures of Dubai


Jumeirah Mosque

Almost there. Here's the tail end of the post, a collection of photos taken during our set media itinerary around Dubai.We were guided around Dubai with famil sponsor, Arabian Adventures.


Air-conditioned bus stop in Dubai - all of them are air-conditioned!



Abra water taxis 


Crossing Dubai Creek by abra costs only 1 dirham - about AU$0.30


Hot and sweet Indian tea


Shoes at the Textile Souk


Coloured glass lamps at The Textile Souk


Dried roses at the Spice Souk


Dried limes at the Spice Souk

Pink peppercorns at the Spice Souk

Roving drinks vendor at the Gold Souk

Gold bangles

All the bling you could possibly want

Gold wrist cuffs with diamonds at the Gold Souk


So shiny!

Narrow laneways in Little India

Gajra flower garland shop


Gajra flower garlands in Little India

Threading gajra flower garlands


Fabrics, fruit and garlands in Little India


Dubai Aquarium inside Dubai Mall


Aquarium visitors can pay extra to scuba dive with the fish


Dubai Mall shoppers get a free view of the Dubai Aquarium tank



You made it! 161 photos! Here's a video of the Dubai Aquarium fish tank for instant tranquility (serenity now!).
[Instagram link if video doesn't play]


Grab Your Fork visited Dubai as a guest of Dubai Tourism. All meals and experiences in this post were included as part of the media famil.


Al Fanar
Canal Walk, Dubai Festival City Mall, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 (04) 232 9966

Al Nassma at The Majlis
The Souk, Dubai Mall, D71, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 (04) 223 8546
Open daily 7am-11pm

Burj Al Arab
Jumeira 3, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 (04) 301 7777

Burj Khalifa - At the Top
1 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Blvd, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 (04) 888 8124

JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai
Sheikh Zayed Road, Business Bay, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Hotel Tel: +971 (04) 414 0000
Restaurants Tel: +971 (04) 414 3000

• Izakaya - Level 5
  Open Monday to Saturday 6pm-midnight

• Kitchen 6 - Level 1
  Open daily 6am-3pm

• Nawwara - Level 5
  Open daily 7pm-2am

• Positano - Level 2
  Open daily 6pm-midnight

• Prime 68 - Level 68
  Open daily 6pm-midnight

• Rang Mahal - Level 4
  Open daily 6pm-1am

Souks

• Gold Souk Sikkat Al-Khail Road, Deira, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  Open Saturday to Thursday 10am-10pm, Friday 4pm-10pm

• Spice Souk  D85, between Baniyas Rd, Al-Sabkha Rd and Al-Abra St, Deira, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

• Textile Souk Between the Bur Dubai waterfront and Ali bin Abi Talib Street, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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