"Sha3bi" Shop - my features on Dubai's sha3bi restaurants/shops (the restaurants which are on the less glitzy side of Dubai). Sha3bi is an Arabic word that means popular and is used when talking about smaller, street type of eateries.
I have to say that a lot of the time sha3bi food here can be much tastier than a lot of the more pricier places. There's something very different about the full experience when you're at a simple shack that you really look forward to after being out on the town going to the typical restaurant.
When it comes to these types of places, it really helps if you have friends or know people that know their way around Dubai so they can direct you to these hidden yummy spots - or once you stay tuned, I will fill you in on! :)
Last night I had my first experience at the much raved about Bu Qtair in Jumeirah, right next to Burj al Arab hotel. I was told that this place has great fresh fish that is caught every morning and is served through out the day and night.
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| Photo credit to TimeoutDubai |
The restaurant is basically a small hut where they cook the food and plastic chairs for families and friends to sit on.
The cool concept of ordering food is you stand in line and place your order in the restaurant and then sit on the stools in the waiting area. Once your food is ready, you are then given a table which was kind of interesting!
Their menu has fresh prawns, hammour and sherry fish - all marinated indian spices and fried. They also serve a curry sauce, onions & lemon and parathas to order.
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| Marinated fried prawns |
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| Sherry fish and toppings |
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| Sherry fish and toppings |
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| Hammour fish |
To put it simply, 1 kilo of prawns + 2 sherry fish + 1 hammour = 7 very very happy eaters.
The spices were extremely tasty and made the fish super crispy. The fish, specifically the hammour was so tender it melted in your mouth. That was my favorite! All in all, with the weather in Dubai getting cooler at night, this place is something definitely to try with family and friends at this time! Also, the surroundings of the beach and boats while you're eating seafood kind of tops it off!
What do you guys think? Have any of you tried Bu Qtair?
Note: this isn't the healthiest of food so it's definitely for once in a while and be ready to get your hands messy because that's the only way to do it!
Love,
Mina
