Foodies go ‘Container Hopping’ at Etisalat Beach Canteen

Participating food outlets at the Etisalat Beach Canteen, the star attraction of the ongoing Dubai Food Festival, whipped up tasty samplers for the ‘Container Hopping’ event that took place on Thursday, 3 March, offering foodies the opportunity to get a full taste of the whole beach dining experience in one evening.  

At AED 80 per person, the ticketed event allowed visitors to Etisalat Beach Canteen to taste food samples from six of the participating food vendors.

Häagen-Dazs served mini-scoops of their signature ice-cream flavours, such as strawberries, chocolate and vanilla. Barsalata offered bite-sized versions of their famous cheese toastie in addition to sumac lemonade. SugarMoo presented their chewy chocolate cookie heaped with marshmallows.  The Shebi, part of the Rotational Kitchen concept, dished up a stand-alone falafel and pulled beef in paratha.

Jambo’s Grill, known for its authentic Swahili cuisine, offered two lamb chops as part of the ticketed event. Just over a year old, this food-vendor has been a hit with people who love its spicy barbequed chicken steeped in sweet exotic fruit marinade. The owner, Virani Abbas Mohamed, said: "The Etisalat Beach Canteen is a one-of-a-kind experience. The concept of barbeque on the beach is well suited to our brand. Our food is typically eaten on the streets of coastal Africa, such as in Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam and Mombasa. Our participation in the Etisalat Beach Canteen has allowed us to share our cuisine with the people here such as cassava, corn-on-cob and sambousa.”

For some hot drinks, people bought small servings of Ethiopian brewed coffee by Mokha 1450.  Its manager, Julian Loayza, said: “Mokha 1450 started in May of last year with the aim to serve speciality coffee from all over the world.  Our high grade coffee blends come from Jamaica Blue Mountains, Kenya, Ethiopia and Guatemala.  This is the first time we have done a pop-up and it is a great idea to reach out to more people at the Etisalat Beach Canteen so that people can taste the best of coffee in an open air area while they enjoy music and other fun activities.”

For a fusion of momo and sushi, people headed to Moshi which is situated on the top tier of the Etisalat Beach Canteen. Rahul Sajnani, the Owner, is a fervent traveller who wanted to combine his love for foods across cultures and hence Moshi was born. 

He said: “Today we are offering four slices of our best-seller Moshi Dynamite which has prawn, crab and avocado. Moreover, those who grew up in Dubai will remember the Omani Chips that were part of their snack time during their childhood. We have found a way to fuse Arabian and Indian flavours into our Nepali-Japanese food concept and so far it has been well received at the Etisalat Beach Canteen.”

People visiting Classic Burger Joint tasted a slice of the succulent burger during the ‘Container Hopping’ event. The brand is seven months old and offers around 14 burger dishes. Wissam Abou-Haidar, Operations Support Manager, said: “The Etisalat Beach Canteen has been the perfect place to introduce our burgers to a wider market. It has been a marvellous experience to sell our food alongside other home-grown food vendors. The weekends are very busy and the organisers have created unique events for us to participate in over the weekdays.”

Mantoushe offered mini-bites filled with falafel and halloumi.  Sophia Sleiman, the CEO, said: “We wanted to be a part of this great canteen concept last year but we had been open for only four months. Our decision to join Etisalat Beach Canteen this year was to share the concept of our brand which is all about offering the best of ‘real’ food in a street-style concept. As a food scientist, I blended my academic knowledge of food and nutrition with my experience in setting up businesses as well as my love for Lebanese cuisine. And this can be seen in the wraps that we’ve been offering at the Etisalat Beach Canteen.”

The Etisalat Beach Canteen at Kite Beach is the central hub of the Dubai Food Festival that is organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). The Etisalat Beach Canteen is open from 12pm – 10pm on weekdays and from 10am – 10pm during the weekends of DFF 2016, which runs until 12 March under the theme Celebrate Taste’.