ABU DHABI // With The Wailers playing along in the background as celebrity chefs prepared some of their signature dishes, the second annual Taste of Abu Dhabi kicked off in style on Thursday night.
Visitors poured into du Arena on Yas Island for the first day of the event, which attracted 14,000 people last year.
For some, though the lure of food was tempting, it was the one-night-only performance by the late Bob Marley’s band, The Wailers, that was the main selling point.
This year’s festivities also appeared to be better planned than the last, some visitors said, with short queues and people in high spirits.
“It’s much more organised this year. They have shuttle buses to bring you from the car park to the front gate. They didn’t have that last year,” one visitor said.
Among this year’s attractions are the chef’s theatre, cookery school, family lounge, kids’ zone, and entertainment stage with live acts and DJs.
This year has also seen everything go up a scale, with 25 restaurants – as opposed to last year’s 18 – taking part, each lined up neatly along the perimeter of the venue.
Each restaurant serves up small portions of their signature dishes for as little as Dh15, with prices rising to Dh40 per dish.
Among the eateries taking part are Prego’s, Atayeb, Sho Cho, and Caramel.
Al Mrzab is also making its debut as the only Emirati restaurant at this year’s festival.
The cookery school and chef’s theatre are the festival’s main attractions.
Crowds flocked to see their favourite celebrity chefs in action.
In the cookery school’s first session, Food Network star Siba Mtongana taught guests how to whip up herbed seared tuna. During the class, Mtongana joked that people call her the “queen of convenience”, something she said she’s quite proud of. “You should never be intimidated in the kitchen,” she said. “I like to make it easy.” Another celebrity chef, Jenny Morris, also known as The Giggling Gourmet, told visitors she was as excited about Taste of Abu Dhabi as they were.
“I’m so looking forward to meeting our Food Network viewers. Not only do you get to meet your supporters, you get to meet other chefs and get to experience the local flavours and customs of the country,” she said.
Other celebrity chefs making an appearance are Food Network star Reza Mahammad, MasterChef India winner Nikita Gandhi, and master patissier Eric Lanlard.
The festival runs on Friday from noon to 11pm, and on Saturday from noon to 10pm.
Tickets can be bought on arrival, starting at Dh80.
For a complete schedule of events, visit www.tasteabudhabi.com.
sjohnson@thenational.ae
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The five pillars of Islam
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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