As you venture deeper into Nad al Sheba, you sense the transition to Dubai’s distinctly Khaleeji core.
The houses get bigger, and the number plates get smaller.
The Serb and I were on the way to dine at the new Emirati hotspot, Gerbou.
Like many traditions nurtured in the home, local Emirati cuisine struggles still to claim its rightful place in the lofty realm of premium dining.
All too often, it is relegated to tourist heritage enclaves or reduced to cheap, uninspired fare.
Gerbou is perhaps the most ambitious and serious attempt to deliver a contemporary Arab gastro-cultural experience.
The journey of Gerbou is enticing and seductive. A Herculean collaboration uniting designers, artisans, restaurateurs, architects, and chefs to produce a creation of profound and layered cultural depth.
A fallen Ghaf tree reception desk. A parametric sculpture guiding guests to the outdoor majlis and kitchen. Custom made crockery. Tables made from repurposed UAE date palm branches. Emirati chef consultant, Sahar Parham Al Awadhi and head chef Ionel Catau. Reimagined 1987 architecture. Layers of story and heritage.
What Emirati cuisine may lack in abundant produce, it recovers with a certain liberty to invent. Its culinary heritage, perhaps not as zealously guarded as those of Italy or France, can come alive, more in the spirit of Nordic cooking, where innovation and interpretation find a ready welcome.
And - the food was surprising. Much more accessible than I thought. We demolished a variety of dishes, from hazelnut hummus to charred cabbage (nod to Serbian roots) to a falafel taco with three French fries (shawarma reference?). We also smashed an outstanding labneh & spicy scallion Kubz and I shared (reluctantly) a fragrant chicken Machboos with The Serb. The food was delicious, well considered and very moreish.
Congratulations to the entire team for bringing such an important and brave idea to life.
I look forward to watching Gerbou mature and grow in confidence.
As the Serb and I sat there, the bright dining room filled with hungry Emirati diners and as we know, a restaurant frequented by its locals is the highest seal of approval one could hope for.
