Festival of flavours

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Following the success of the Taste festivals in the UK and South Africa, the launch of the Taste of Dubai concept last month brought together the city's food and beverage experts and enthusiasts.

After 10 months of preparation, the Taste festival concept and brand was brought to the UAE for the first time by Turret Middle East. Running from February 6-9, the inaugural Taste of Dubai drew crowds to the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre to sample dishes from the city's leading restaurants.

The Taste food festivals were created by London-based Brand Events and the annual events have been a key attraction in the culinary calendar of major British cities since 2004, when the first event took place in London.

Taste of Birmingham and Taste of Dublin were launched in 2006, to be followed by Taste of Edinburgh and Bath, and last year saw the Taste concept go international with the launch of Taste of Jo'burg in South Africa.

"This year they've got Taste of Cape Town, Amsterdam, Brussels, Sydney and Melbourne, and I believe Dubai is absolutely on the same level as these places when it comes to eating out, if not ahead of them," said Cassale Sherriff, event director, Turret Middle East.

"I think dining out here is a national pastime, so I just knew that this concept was going to work. The emirate is building its reputation as a leading destination for fine dining and showcasing the city's most prestigious chefs and restaurants in this way is going to drive that forwards," she added.

On the menu at the event was a series of "Gastro Features" designed to attract fine-dining enthusiasts, said Sherriff.

"The Mark Wilkinson Chefs Theatre featured celebrity and world-class chefs preparing their most popular dishes with produce provided by Spinneys and kitchen equipment courtesy of Tavola," she explained.

"We built the marquee, and Mark Wilkinson Furniture put in the furnishings - the kitchen was probably worth US $100,000 and the company custom-built it for the Chefs Theatre," she continued.

"Then they have the best chefs in the world cooking on their equipment, so it makes good business sense for them - it's a good spend.

In addition, a Gourmet Food Market offered speciality food and ingredients, while a Chill Out Zone provided by Almaz by Momo, London, offered a lounge area with shisha and signature beverages.

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