Dubai's culinary scene has long been known as a melting pot of flavours, with everything from Tokyo-Neapolitan pizzas to Chips Oman sushi to be found.
And a newly launched restaurant in Wasl 51 is taking this concept to a whole new level. Dishtrict, which opened earlier this week next to the likes of Brunch & Cake and Milk Bakery, has crafted a menu that fuses cuisines from around the world to create eclectic dishes.
A scan through the menu brings up the most unlikely food combinations: tahini nachos chaat, red curry flatbread, zebra fries, Thai arancini, tandoori chicken yakitori and more. Signature dishes include the chicken katsu biryani (an aubergine version is also available), Thai green curry risotto, and mango and edamame chaat.
With founders Khushboo and Rahul Sajnani both long-term Dubai residents, the menu also focuses heavily on Middle Eastern dishes with a twist, such as falafel bao, charcoal hummus, Oman Chips kumpir and shatta crab salad.
It’s a mixed bag, with cuisines from more than 15 countries represented. That's also precisely why Khushboo and Rahul believe the restaurant will work in a place as multicultural as the UAE.
“Dishtrict has been inspired by different worlds coming together. We wanted to take people on a culinary journey,” says Rahul. “A lot of restaurants here may serve more than one cuisine, but we bring dishes from different districts around the globe and then fuse them together to create something completely new.”
Travel through food
The duo are already known for their other popular restaurant Moshi, which rolls out Japanese fusion dishes, including the aforementioned Chips Oman maki. Their latest concept was born from a desire to branch out.
Dishtrict first launched as a pop-up at Beach Canteen in February 2020. However, because of the pandemic, the founders pushed the launch of the restaurant to 2021.
This delay gave them time to conceptualise new dishes and come up with the restaurant’s travel-inspired theme, which extends to everything from the logo – featuring a plate and a globe – to the wooden table tops carved with a map.
With people missing travel more than ever this year, we hope this gives them a little taste of foods from all over the world in one location
“We want to connect food, travel and Dishtrict. Especially with people missing travel more than ever this year, we hope this gives them a little taste of foods from all over the world in one location,” says Khushboo.
It wasn't just travel that was hard hit in 2020. The past year has been difficult for the food industry as a whole, yet Rahul and Khushboo hope their new concept will bring together different cultures and make them more open to trying new flavours.
“People love eating here, they’re always looking for new options. What we are giving them is variety in a different way,” says Rahul.
“Opening up a restaurant at any point in time can be tricky. But it all depends on your concept, how creative you are with it. We think when they see the food, they’ll realise how different it is.”
Match info
Athletic Bilbao 0
Real Madrid 1 (Ramos 73' pen)
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
UAE rugby season
FIXTURES
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers v Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Division 1
Dubai Sharks v Dubai Hurricanes II
Al Ain Amblers v Dubai Knights Eagles II
Dubai Tigers II v Abu Dhabi Saracens
Jebel Ali Dragons II v Abu Dhabi Harlequins II
Sharjah Wanderers v Dubai Exiles II
LAST SEASON
West Asia Premiership
Winners – Bahrain
Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership
Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners – Dubai Hurricanes
Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference
Winners – Dubai Tigers
Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
ROUTE%20TO%20TITLE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%201%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Leolia%20Jeanjean%206-1%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%202%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Naomi%20Osaka%207-6%2C%201-6%2C%207-5%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%203%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Marie%20Bouzkova%206-4%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%204%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Anastasia%20Potapova%206-0%2C%206-0%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuarter-final%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Marketa%20Vondrousova%206-0%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESemi-final%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Coco%20Gauff%206-2%2C%206-4%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Jasmine%20Paolini%206-2%2C%206-2%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea Morata (69'), Luiz (88')
Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39')
Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)
IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68
Brief scores:
Toss: Kerala Knights, opted to fielf
Pakhtoons 109-5 (10 ov)
Fletcher 32; Lamichhane 3-17
Kerala Knights 110-2 (7.5 ov)
Morgan 46 not out, Stirling 40
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
