A global gastronomic journey at the Global Village

This year there are 54 restaurants serving an array of delicacies from every part of the globe. The restaurants are beautifully decorated to represent the culture of their respective countries and provide a genuine taste of their homeland to visitors. The massive food court is located in an area that is easily accessible from all corners of the sprawling Global Village. The restaurants are set around a man-made lake, where visitors can enjoy the daily magic fountain shows while tucking into the delicious food.

In this tiny microcosm of the world's kitchens, visitors can try everything from Indian parathas and Italian pizzas to American steaks, Iranian jallo kababs and Mexican enchiladas. The restaurants serve Lebanese, Pakistani, German and Arabic cuisines and there are 11 Indian restaurants serving a variety of Indian cuisines. There is also a special area where traditional UAE dishes such as Al Farid and Luqaymat are served fresh off the stove. Not only visitors from abroad, but even UAE nationals are enjoying this treat as these traditional dishes are not very often made in modern UAE homes.

Restaurant owners are happy to be part of such a large multicultural food court. Ahmed Al Roustomani, who manages two Iranian restaurants, has been a part of the Global Village for the last six years. "Having such a diverse variety of restaurants is good for trade because it provides healthy competition for everyone. I get customers from many different nationalities, who are curious to try Iranian food. The most popular dishes at my restaurants are kabab barey, kabab joga and kabab kobeda, which we serve with three types of flavoured rice," says Al Roustomani.

The huge influx of visitors to the Global Village has been good for business, but has also put a lot of pressure on the staff. "This is the first time we are participating in the Global Village and I did not expect such crowds and such long hours of work," says Ahmad Al Rab, owner of Lebna and Zaatar restaurants. But he is happy with the response from customers. "Many Europeans have been coming to our restaurants and I feel happy when they appreciate our Lebanese dishes such as saaj and shawarma," he adds.

A German restaurant is part of the Global Village for the first time this year. The restaurant serves typical German delicacies such as Gradorest Barbeque, a delicious barbequed chicken and salad sandwich and the popular German steamed Frankfurters. "German meat is known for its high quality and our restaurant has attracted not only Germans but also other Europeans and many Arabs. We are really happy to be part of this wonderful place," said Yourjeen Gerinch, supervisor of the restaurant.

For those who want to taste mouth watering pizzas, pastas and desserts such as Tiramisu, the Laviet Italian restaurant is the place to go. And for gourmets who would like to delve deeper into this popular cuisine, a special healthy eating cookery book by well known Italian chef, Dr. Selfia Okoney, is available at the Italian pavilion.

The Dubai Shopping Festival 2005 runs between January 12 and February 12, 2005.