GENERAL INFORMATION
Visitors from many parts of the world along with
a multi-ethnic resident community have ensured
that a sophisticated and innovative food culture
has developed in the UAE. Almost any type of food
is available, from classic European to Pacific
Rim. You can eat Mexican, Polynesian, Japanese,
Chinese, Thai, Korean, Indian, Pakistani, Persian,
Italian and French cooking, and more, at some
of the finest restaurants in the Middle East.
International fast-food chains, serving the standard
fare of hamburgers, chips, pizzas etc (McDonaldss,
Pizza Hut, Pizza Inn, Hardees, Wimpy, Dunkin
Donut) are also located in the larger cities.
Kentucky
Fried Chicken seems to be a particular favourite.
International theme restaurants such as TGI Fridays,
Planet Hollywood, Fashion Café, Hard Rock
Café and Henry J Beans are all represented
in the Emirates.
If
you cannot find anything to suit in that list,
small ethnic cafés and corner stalls are
ubiquitous. Shisha cafés offer an opportunity
to smoke a shisha (hubble-bubble pipe) and serve
food, coffee, tea and fruit juices and corner
stalls serve sharwarmas and other sandwiches.
Gulf
and Middle Eastern food is also available in a
wide variety of venues, from expensive restaurants
to local cafés. Fresh fish from the Arabian
Gulf is always good. Try lobster, crab, shrimp,
or grouper, tuna, kingfish, red snapper, grilled,
stuffed, or fried with spices.
But
it is not just a question of variety, make no
mistake the food is generally good and the standard
of service is high.
Pork
Muslims are prohibited from eating pork so it
is not included in Arabic menus. Hotels frequently
have substitutes such as beef sausages and veal
rashers on their breakfast menus. If pork is available,
it is clearly labelled as such.
Alcohol
Alcohol is generally only served in hotel restaurants
and bars (but not in Sharjah).
Exceptions
are some clubs (e.g. golf clubs) and associations.
Restaurants that are not associated with hotels
are not permitted to serve alcohol.
|