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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 (McDonalds’s, Pizza
Hut, Pizza Inn, Hardee’s, 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 Friday’s, Planet Hollywood,
Fashion Café, Hard Rock Café
and Henry J Bean’s 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.
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