Welcome to the United Arab Emirates!
Are you ready to take your experience to the next level? Well, this next UAE bucket list will rock your Arabian gulf experience. I am talking about food, YES, you read it right, we are going to elevate this experience using food.
I am definitely going to take you to the Arab food world. I lived in UAE for more than 4 years already and this one is something I always enjoy to eat again and again.
When visiting UAE, of course, most people wanted to experience the extreme of the extreme, the tradition, culture and more of it. So let’s make your stay a very memorable one by the simple ‘Mandi’.
Mandi is a traditional dish from Yemen, it had meat, rice and spices and is also eaten in Saudi Arabia and some gulf nations including UAE. The word “mandi” is derived from the Arabic word nada meaning “dew”, and reflects the moist ‘dewy’ texture of the meat.
So where are you going to find one of the best Mandi’s in town? It is just right in the heart of Dubai located in Al Muraqqabat Road. The place is called Bait Al Mandi Restaurant.
The picture shown above is the picture of the actual restaurant wherein you can get local Yemenite food. Mandi is very popular to the Arab world because most Arabs like it.
What is the twist about this mandi? Mandi is usually served in a huge plate like the one showed above with a side of salad, soup and yogurt as a dip. A usual local will eat this dish using their hands while sitting on a carpet with the entire family.
Sitting on the carpeted floor is a tradition that Arab people do, it is a tradition that is passed to generations and generations. And yes they are eating using one big plate, this is still a practice that most Arabs do nowadays. Although some Arabs do not practice this anymore to reduce the amount of food being wasted, there are still a lot of families practicing this tradition.
This restaurant will give you the Arab experience more enticing because you will experience it in a way that is not common for many maybe. The restaurant has normal chairs wherein you can sit with a table, but if you want to be try the Arab tradition, they have enclosed or covered sections wherein people dining in will remove their slippers or shoes and enter the carpeted floor on barefoot. This areas are covered or enclosed because it is intended for Arab families and women and children who wants to dine privately. But of course, expats or tourists are welcome to dine using these enclosed or covered sections to feel and experience how it is.
For the mandi itself, you can choose with regards to the meat, it can be lamb, chicken or even fish and you can choose if you want it spicy or not. After the main course, there comes dessert and I am begging you to try Kunafa.
Kunafa, also spelled as Kunafeh or Kanafa is a Middle Eastern cheese pastry soaked in sweet, sugar-based syrup. It is a specialty of the Levant and Turkey. This is a very delicious dessert that Bait Al Mandi is serving. It is a must try food that will give your palate a very impressive taste.
Just take note to dress properly when entering these kind of establishments because we need to also increase our awareness that this is an Arab restaurant and most people eating here are locals. There are some expats as well but just be mindful and just respect the culture.
And there you go. This is the most Arabic experience I ever tried locally. The restaurant is not a fancy one or something. It is a regular restaurant that opens at 11am and closes at 2am which might change during ramadan. It is located in Al Muraqqabat Road near Grand Mart.
How to get there? So you have two options:
- Take a cab and tell the taxi driver that you will go to Bait Al Mandi, Al Muraqqabat Road near Grand Mart in line with the restaurant Aroos Damascus. Most drivers know this place for sure.
- If you are using the metro, go down in Salah Al Din Metro Station and go out to the exit towards Ansar Gallery and Reef Mall. From Ansar Gallery, you can walk straight until you see the stop light and in the stop light, you can se Aroos Damascus. You can find Bait Al Mandi in line with the said restaurant.
So if you are up to taste and experience a local food, this might be a great one that will fill in your bucket list. And this has been the number 4 UAE bucket list, expect for more!