DUBAI – SHIMMER, SPARKLE AND SHINE





          Dubai – the land of riches and gold, the land of opportunities, the fastest growing city in the world, a desert rose – in short, the land of milk and honey! Infinite descriptions were running through my mind as our aircraft headed towards Dubai airport. The tall glass buildings reflecting the shimmering sunlight and the desert sand are all that I could see from a distance. The anticipation of meeting my husband after four long months was adding to all the anxiety I felt about this new place which we were about to discover over the coming week.

          On arrival, as me and my son started the long walk toward baggage collection – we realised that we had hit upon the very first wonder of Dubai – the Dubai International Airport itself! The plush interiors, wall to wall carpeting and the noise free environment of this multi storied building blew me away. We must have walked for more than a kilometre to reach the immigration counters but we hardly noticed the distance, soaking in each and every view of this new land. Yes, we had arrived in Dubai and boy, did we arrive in style!

Dubai was everything that it promised to be and much more! Spectacular buildings and skyscrapers with avant-grade designs towered upon us from the sky. The nouveau riche zipped past us in exclusive cars at thundering speeds. We saw every conceivable type of luxury on wheels from Lamborghinis and Ferraris to a Hummer Limousine – how’s that for exclusivity!!?!!! Needless to say my son was thrilled out of his wits to be on the road. He did not care much for where we were going but was just happy to be travelling to the destination! Speaking of luxury, we just moved from one centrally air-conditioned building to the other whether it was the car, a mall, a restaurant, a market or the house! The 45 degree Celsius temperature outside in the month of May was hardly noticeable or even worth a thought. We also discovered that the official bird of Dubai was “the crane”. No, not the bird by this name but the equipment used to build tall skyscrapers! Yes, there were cranes atop every single building in Dubai and construction seemed to be an unending activity! The malls here stocked every single brand name in creation, eatables were transported here from every corner of the world --- fruits, vegetables, meats, bakery products --- you name it or want it and they will have it! One is compelled to wonder about the crime rate in this place, given the gluttony and extravagance all around! Another feather in the cap for Dubai is the virtually nonexistent crime scene. Even something as menial as theft is a complete no-no due to the stringent laws of punishment.

I must also mention the place where we stayed during this weekly tour of glamour and glitz! No, I am not about to describe a luxurious five star hotel or any such thing! We stayed with Kedar, a very dear friend of ours, in his spacious apartment and I am proud to add that it was more comfortable than any seven star hotel we could have chosen. His generosity and warmth was as overwhelming as the care that his staff gave us. Never once did we feel out of sorts in his house and he was the one who took us on a culinary journey that we will never ever forget throughout our lives! Twice a day for the entire one week that we were in Dubai, Kedar made us sample the cuisines of eight different countries! He was probably more enthusiastic about our visit than we were and was looking forward to having friends around since he was staying away from his wife who lives in India.

A CULINARY FEAST

We began our “feasting” tour at Seville’s - a charming Spanish bistro located in “Wafi Mall”, one of the upmarket areas of Dubai. Drinking “Sangria” - the Spanish cocktail made from fresh fruits and red wine and gulping the popular “tapas” for appetisers, we had some invigorating conversation. For the main course we tried “paella”, their traditional dish, similar to our Indian biryani. I tried the yummy chicken paella while my husband had the delectable seafood one! It was served in cute copper urns and was difficult to finish by one person alone!

          How could we forget delicious Indian food during our world tour?! Indian food in Dubai? That was my first reaction and I am sure you too are wondering the same. But let me assure you, I tasted the best ever Indian food at Asha’s, a restaurant owned by, yes, Asha Bhonsle herself. She owns only two such restaurants worldwide, the other one is located at London. Coincidentally, we were celebrating our anniversary that day and so Kedar had booked a table just for the two of us – a very sweet gesture indeed! The non-veg kebabs, butter chicken, mutton roghan josh, naans and the pineapple mojito were simply out of this world!

          Next, we ate Portuguese fare at Nando’s restaurant. Apart from the tasty fried fish and barbecued chicken, we could choose the level of spiciness we desired for each individual dish! Portuguese “peri-peri” or chilli is renowned worldwide and my husband was thrilled to find some spicy food for a change. The Japanese restaurant Benihana was next on our list and turned out to be a mixed platter! Food is served using the unique technique called “Teppankayi” where we were made to sit around a huge grill and the master chef prepared the meal fresh right in front of us! Although a new and interesting concept, the food did not quite catch our fancy. I guess we just lacked the taste buds to enjoy Japanese cuisine! Although my husband was brave enough to try out “sushi” and drink “sake”, I was happier sticking to plain ol’ noodles, rice and drinking a can of fruit beer!

          We also had the chance to sample typical American ranch food at “Steakhouse” inside J.W. Marriott’s. The place was anything but rustic – plush high-back leather chairs greeted us and it resembled a pub in southern America. An interesting feature here was that the names of all famous people who have ever sat on these chairs have been inscribed next to each for people to see. I was lucky enough to be gracing the same chair as Ratan Tata! Devouring a juicy steak, well done, with mashed potatoes and barbeque sauce made me feel as if I too owned an empire of my own!

          Italy was our next stop as we sat at “Quattros”, inside the exclusive Four Season’s Golf Club, where Kedar was a member. The Italian food we ate here was not quite what we expected and a first for us! For appetisers we were served bread along with olive oil in small petri dishes in which it was to be dipped and eaten! I was enchanted to learn that Italians consume olive oil in this manner! I don’t recall the names of the dishes we tried and I cannot even pronounce them but I did eat something akin to lasagne. And here I was --- looking forward to a good old large pizza! The icing on the cake (I wish I could eat some!) was the exquisite cognac that my husband and Kedar had after dinner. They had the Louis XIII Cognac --- very, very exclusive and very, very expensive at approximately Rs 10,000 a peg!! Gosh! Sure made my husband’s day! While for us lesser mortals like my son and I, the piece de resistance was getting ourselves clicked in front of a flame orange coloured Lamborghini, outside the restaurant. Our Kodak moment and one which will go down in history!

          The Mexican food in “Boardwalk” at the Dubai Creek Club was excellent, to say the least! Fajitas and chilli con carne went down very well with the view of the Dubai creek in the background. The restaurant is located on a wooden deck which juts out into the water and we could see the beautiful lights on the “dhows” or boats as they went by each time. These boats are no ordinary ones but are actually floating restaurants. Go figure! Dubai did not have just any boats, they had to be exclusive.

          We were at our last stop --- yes, finally some normal Arabic food from the street side! We packed a whole lot and decided to eat in the comfort of our home. Delicious kebabs, falafels, dill pickles and pickled vegetables left our tongues asking for more!

          As we saw Palm Jumeirah and the World Archipelago trailing behind us in the distance from our aeroplane, only three words came to my mind and the only words which I will remember whenever I reflect on our trip to Dubai – “shimmer, sparkle and shine”.