All posts filed under: Fat Nancy’s Dubai

Analog Room sets the pace of Dubai’s music scene

Published by

Dubai is famous for many things – most of those things are bigger than other city’s things, because Dubai is like an over excited child whose just knocked back a can of Coke and eaten three Mars Bars … Dubai is on a sugar rush, frantically running around being bigger and better than everyone else. However, when it comes to a frantically buzzing music scene, then Dubai seems to fall flat on its face. Sure, Dubai gets the big names coming to visit like The Rolling Stones and Lady Ga Ga or you can catch Gilles Peterson play at a big seven star hotel.   But what about some smaller venues where the crowd is hyped and the music is much more personal and immediate? Well FNND took time out of their busy schedule of drinking sugary drinks to track down a venue with a sound system and good honest music programming that should be commended  … The Analog room. Analog room was founded by Mehdi Ansari. As the chief promoter of and one of the residents at Analog Room, …

Shamsuddin – Iranian food in Satwa

Published by

Originally by I’m Not a Fiend Aahh, meat. Sometimes I love the stuff. Sometimes I go weeks feeling completely ambivalent about it. Sometimes I read depressing articles and the thought of meat consumption makes me feel sick. Sometimes I eat Iranian food and remember just how beautiful meat really is. How could I ever have thought otherwise?? Those Persians know how to treat meat right. You haven’t experienced tender meat till you’ve had a good Iranian kebab. So I was excited to spot Shamsuddin on Satwa Road recently. It’s pretty bare bones, but that’s just the way I like it. Basic furniture. Tissue boxes. TV on the news channel. Two guys running the whole place. The guy working the grill must have been someone’s son, a baby-faced meat apprentice. Shamsuddin don’t even have a menu. Just decide if you want mutton or chicken, minced or pieces. Simple as that. The rest will come to you. In the face of such choices, we ordered a plate of everything. A housemade laban, heavy on the fresh mint, kept …

The rise of new wave coffee in the middle east

Published by

For the first time ever, The speciality coffee association arrived in the Middle East to take part in The Gulf food show. This move shows the sharp rise of the modern coffee house in The Middle East and the Arabic willingness to continue strong traditions alongside modern coffee fashions and techniques. In a three part article, FNND tracked down local coffee roasters, baristas and industry folks based in the united Arab Emirates to find out the reasons behind this Middle Eastern coffee Renaissance… 1.  Hi, so, can you tell me how popular is the syphon brewing method in the region and why? The syphon has a long way to go in this region, It has become really popular in Japan and Korea. Over here the ibrik reigns supreme. Glass tubes, glowing elements, bubbling water in glass bulbs. The siphon looks impressive because it’s a very theatrical piece of kit but there is a real skill to making coffee on it and it is most important to know what type of coffee best suits the syphon …

A great little farmer’s market with a big offering

Published by

 Last weekend FNND took a trip down to the farmer’s market on the balcony (next to the car park) of the Emirate’s Towers, she left the house wondering as to the potential of this alternate version set up by Baker and Spice. And what a lovely surprise! There are few things nicer on a weekend that lazily browsing through a market, however small, with an abundance of fresh vegetables, eggs, breads and pastries, delicious coffee straight from Ethiopia’s farms, pure cacao and lucuma (who ever heard of that? it’s a very delicious source of vitamin B) and spiced Yemeni honey. Each vendor had their own story to tell, the founders of the companies were there to tell you about their food, including the owner of Baker and Spice who set up the market. Fat Nancy spent the morning talking food, coffee, herbs and honeys, learning about Ethiopia, farming in the UAE, Yemen and South America. It was great. Coffee Planet with their range of speciality coffees. The Indonesian was FNND’s favourite after a tasting of all …

Dubai’s theatre and arts centre

Published by

DUBAI COMMUNITY THEATRE AND ARTS CENTRE   Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre (DUCTAC) aims to contribute to the creative and cultural development of Dubai by presenting and hosting a programme of events and participatory activities for Dubai’s many multi-national communities and visitors alike. The Theatre & Arts Centre is the first modern, non-profit, cross-community creative centre in the Gulf. This flagship project was the brainchild of local theatre-lovers, arts enthusiasts, artists and business people who recognised the need for an entertainment and educational centre for the community of Dubai. The centre offers a range of workshops and activities for all ages and next door is a small art and craft materials shop where you can by most materials from easels to palette knives. You can find them at http://www.ductac.org Or email info@ductac.org Or phone for bookings on +971 (0) 4341 4777