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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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