Five authentic restaurants from around the world, all in one city

Kuma in like have you eaten? That's we don't say how are you, how's it going, we say have you eaten, right? So we've always eaten. We've eaten a lot today. I heard. I heard. I'm Paris Norris and I'm here to give you a glimpse into my world. Look at this. I raced the world's fastest power boats, swam with sharks, and rode across the wild Pacific Ocean. We finally made it to the island of Hawaii. I'm on a mission to hunt down the biggest drills and meet the people that live extraordinary lives. Join me on a journey that will take you to the depths of the oceans and across challenging landscapes to places few have ever seen. One of the truly unique things about the UAE is the fact it's over 85% expatriate, meaning it's more

multicultural and diverse than anywhere else on the planet. People come here to live, set up their businesses, and with that they bring a little piece of their culture here to the UAE. Now, I've always wanted to do a travel show, but in this episode, we're going to travel the cultures of the world by food. And we don't even need to leave the city. So, let's go. So to start us off on our journey of culture here in Dubai, I'm meeting with my friend Nicky. How are you doing, Nicky? Oh, good. Paris and you? Yeah, good. So, you know, you've lived here a long time. I've lived here a long time. What is it that's so unique about UAE and and its culture? What's unique is the fact that we have people from 195 nationalities living

within, you know, this hustling, bustling city. everyone sort of brings in a piece of home with them. So what we're going to essentially be doing today is that we're going to be discovering that culture or experiencing that culture through food. What are the some of the biggest influences here? Wow. Um so we have you know we have people from the Indian subcontinent. You have Pakistan, India. Then you have Southeast Asia which is Philippines, China, Korea and obviously you have people from the west from Europe. All different things around there. You have Iranian food you know. So um yeah, we're it's actually going to go and experience all of that today. Amazing. You know, I was actually in India one time and they uh they said to me, "The best Indian restaurant, you got to go

to Dubai for it." It's true. You know, till today, I still believe that some of my best food experiences having traveled the world and seen pretty much everything has been Dubai. Right. Well, I'm looking forward to this. So, we're going to be discovering the cultures of the UAE through its food. Where are we starting off? We're going to first go visit my place, which is the neighborhood food hall. So, let's go. Awesome. Looking forward to it. Yeah, let's go. Let's go. Oh, sorry. I left you there. Left you hanging, dude. So, welcome Paris to my place. Um, this is the neighborhood food hall. Uh, what I essentially tried to create with this was bring in Dubai's best street food concept all under one roof. Amazing. So you've got 11 different food regions all in one

place. That's correct. Selling street food. So how is street food different? So street food is all about the experience. It's all about keeping it very basic and focusing on the flavors and the experience of that, you know. Well, you know, you go to a fan dining restaurant, it's great over there, but over there there's a lot of focus put on, you know, the presentation on, you know, the setup, the service. over here the only thing that people have to focus on is the food, right? And you've got many different nationalities. So, do people from those countries come to have their home food or do you find it's more people coming to experience someone else's region of food? So, it's actually a combination of both. While having a place that attracts that, you know, people from

that same region is great when they come here. For example, it's the only Singaporean hawker restaurant in Dubai. When we have people coming over here, they come specifically for this. But at the same time, they will order lamb chops for meeting room. The kids will order a pizza. When they're leaving, they'll have a donut from Crumb and Co. You know, they'll try a little bit of Japanese, a little bit of Peruvian. So, it's a great experience for people who want to have an experience with food. Kind of been inspired by, you know, the hawker stands of Singapore. Yeah. You know, so we have communal tables. You know, people are sitting down next to each other. They speak about things. You know, they ask each other questions. Oh, what have you ordered? They'll have discussions. So,

it's about friends and neighbors, you know, kind of becoming friends. Yeah. Fantastic. Well, I think we're going to head out now and do start our travel of Dubai around food. So, uh I'm looking forward to it. Let's get going. Likewise. First stop, where have you brought us? First stop. So, first stop had to be an Emirati place, right? But it's not your traditional Emirati restaurant. This is something which is a little bit different. It's modern Amirati street food, right? And I mean it's quintessentially Amirati because so it's the old beep the horn in the car, they bring you the food. Absolutely. It's exactly that. Paratha and cheese and Oman chips, that kind of thing. But just better food, great quality. You know, you got your parathas, you got your falafles, you got your samosas, you

got great carak, and that's why we're here. It's it's it's it's a modern evolution of what Amiradi street food should be. Okay, so we'll start off ordering the paratha with cheese and Oman chips. And we'll order a portion of samosas and some cars to go around. All right. Paratha, which comes from like the Indian subcontinent. You've got Aman chips from Aman. Cheese from somewhere. It's kind of like an American style cheese. So, it's like a an Emirati modern fusion of what they eat. Absolutely. See, it's about, you know, appealing to the masses on itself. So, the people that have been here forever, you have the Indians, the Pakistanis, the Arabs, everyone. This this food relates to them. You know, this is specifically created for Dubai. Yeah. And it's just quintessential Dubai street food. Brilliant. Yeah.

Uh, go ahead and start. Right. Let's try this out. Yeah. Look at that cheese, dude. Oh, see. Look at that. Mhm. How you doing? Welcome back. Hello, brother. This guy's our new uh paratha king. I know. He's an ambassador. Our number one our number one customer. Yeah. No, I love it. So, what what what was your inspiration behind Carrick? So initially it was supposed to be just like a spot where you just park your car in the front and just pick up some karak and some food. Yeah. But this is not traditional Arabic food in any sense. Is it very different? You wouldn't find this on any menu in Arabic restaurant. I mean I food generally is uh inspired by uh you know all over the world. So we have like the paratha was taken

from India for example. The karak also you know you'd say uh you'd argue that it was taken from India but just made in a different way. Yeah. So this is very very much the the food of the youth of of Emirat. Yeah, I would say like, you know, Nicky Nick gave me like a great one. It's the quintessential Emirati street food, but it's not necessarily traditional, but it's the stuff that we grew up eating. Yeah. Oh, wow. Oh, yeah. You got the samosa. Oh, nice. Right. Here we go. And you got to get a bite of that. Yeah. The crunchy cheese. Crunchy cheese. Yeah. This is part of it, right? Oh, well, if we're going to if we're going to if we're going to go into carbs, we might as well try this as well.

Ah, no holding back. Can't resist and get to some, man. Yeah. Oh, man. We got We got to hit the gym, the three of us. After this, I can't get too carried away cuz we have to visit a lot of other nationalities today. I got to leave some room for it somewhere. But this is this is good. Thank you very much, man. I'll leave you guys to it. All right. Enjoy. Good thing you guys. Yeah. Make sure you come see us at Neighborhood Food Hall as well. Goodman over there. That's where we were this morning. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Thanks, man. Well, Nicky, uh, congratulations. You've taken me to a part of Dubai that I've never been to before. We're at Mamza. This is the first time I've been here, 14 years of living here.

So, Kore special kebab. What's this all about? So, Kuri is one of my my my favorite restaurants. Ki does the best of Shirazi food. So, we're talking Iranian food, Iranian, like local local Iranian, you know, the best of Iran. Shiraz primarily. In my opinion, they have the best kubiday and the best bahini kebab. I don't know what those are, but I'm ready to try. Let's give it a go. All right. Okay. So, that's that's far managers over here. He's going to explain to us exactly what this oven is. Okay. So, over here, whatever they do is very nostalgic. It's very old school. Okay. So, there was a person in Iran who was very sick and somebody recommended him to cook the bread on the stones, right? And ever since he did that, he recovered. So

that's what we got here. We got very old. Very old. So this is an ancient uh uh right. So I see here they bring out the bread and there's actually stones still stuck in the bread. Yes. You can see them right here. Wherever the stones are hot, it cooks on the inside part. So the bread is properly charred and it's properly cooked and it's crispy and soft. It's it's incredible. So So I asked him basically, what are we going to eat today? So, we're going to eat dizzy. Dizzy is like a stew with meat and potatoes and tomatoes and it's cooked in a pot. This is how they're famous forian food you find here. Nobody do here. Agree. All right, let's try it out. Thank you. You're welcome. Looking forward to it. All right. Okay,

Nicky, I thought uh I thought we coming to somewhere with some tables and chairs. Maybe you're really going authentic now. Of course. If you want the experience, you got to do it to the fullest, you know? Right. So I guess this is how the traditional Iranian food is done and I think some of the best Iranian food most people have tried here in the UAE because not necessarily everybody travels to Exactly. I think you know the fact that there are more than half a million um Iranians living in the UAE, you know, this is sort of like the safe haven for people in the region to run away to or to live in, you know. So we got that's why we got so many great Iranian restaurants around. Absolutely. You got the best the best

Iranian restaurants in Dubai, right? Yeah. So, um, well, we have the sangak. So, usually on every Iranian table that you have, they always introduce the sangak with the greens. So, you take a little bit of this. And this is sort of like your appetizer before you start your meal. So, you take this, take a little bit of the feta cheese, spread it over. And it's all about herbs, right? So, take a bunch of herbs. This This is basil. Rock it. And you kind of just roll it together and you eat it. Right. Okay. Monkey see, monkey do. Mhm. My It's my effort. Those are very powerful flavors. It does. Yeah. But it's all about like building up your appetite for the rest of it. You eat this. Okay. Before fat. See, this is the fat

of the meat. So, they take the fat. Yes. Look at that. How incredible is that? Wow. I give you good. They mash it up. Yes. Wow. It's like a stew. Yes. There's a stew, but you you sort of squish the fat into it. This is animal fat. This is lamb fat. Lamb fat. Yeah. Okay. Now, he's going to uh smash mash all of that. Yeah. They mash up all the meat and the veggies and the potatoes and all together. Look at that. Wow. And then So, you're going to eat this. Okay. Some more. Yeah. Take the bread. Okay. You'll take some of this. Please help yourself. Yes. Eat. And have a bite. You check this one. So, I got to try this as well. It's hot. It's tasty. It's hot. Yeah. You know what? I

don't think I've ever experienced anything like this ever before. Uh, we can't experience Iranian culture unless we have their tea. You know, their tea is incredibly rich. It's strong and it's just amazing. And you get this little sugar thing called the nabat that you kind of mix in there. Right. Thank you. Look at that. So, this is a uh a saffron a saffron sugar. Correct. Yeah. So, you kind of just take it and you mix it up. All right, let's get out of here cuz we got more restaurants. Let's head to the next place. Yeah. All right, let's go. Thanks, guys. So, Nicky, I said I wanted Indian food and you've brought me here in a train. Absolutely. What's all this about? You got to represent. So, um, one of the whole things that we're

trying to feature over here is about culture and, you know, the the dominant cultures in UAE. Yeah, you know majority of the population in the UAE a significant part of that is Indians and within that a sign a significant majority is people from Kerala over 1 million over a million people are from Kerala. I mean, you know, they dominate all the industries over here. Some of the most successful uh people in the UAE, right? So, you got a a huge amount of carolins here in the UAE. So, with it, they brought their culture. They brought their food. So, what are we trying? So, I have a friend of mine, Dino, who we're going to be introducing soon. And Dino is going to tell us why he's called us here. Food. This is the Kerala food.

Okay. This is these are called katakas, okay? Where they give you katakas. So, the foods. So, you have the foods packed with you. Usually when the people travel in trains, this is what they usually eat. Uh this is the fish curry. Oh, look at that. Wow. So these are banana leaves with the food. Banana leaves. Yeah. So is it how is it cooked? Steamed. Some of them are cooked steamed. Some are just cooked normally with the food. So you have the you have two types of rice in this. One is the the fat rice and then the white rice. Do you have knives and forks? Uh no. You need to jump in with your hands. Even hands? Yes. I'm not good at this because the taste is with your hands, not with the spoons. Right.

So, I'll just let you know how you are going to eat this food. You take a piece of the fish. A piece of fish. You take a piece of this. Take a piece of omelette. Okay. This is the cabbage. Cabbage. Take a slight pickle. Slight pickle. Mix them all together with the rice. Yeah. Okay. You. There you go. Mhm. Oh, wow. That fish curry is potent, man. M. The pickle where do they normally serve this? This is this is like very available all the time. This is very available. Yeah. Tatakadas are all over Kerala. So they do have this food. Usually while you're traveling for a travel journey, it's very good to pack and take. Uh I think back in my old days, my you know mother used to pack these kind of food and

we used to travel by train to go to Kerala. Oh really? It's quite nostalgic here in this area. And this is very a good food joint also here. It's like a lunch box. Correct. Meal. One time meal. Yeah. Wow. Very good. That's good. It was good. It's that feeling that makes you want to Okay, so to start us off into our dive into Korean food, we've come to Sonamu. And to introduce it to me, I have a very special YouTuber, Hibab. How are you? Thank you. All the way from Korea. all the way from Korea. Now, tell us a little bit about what you do, cuz you're not just a YouTuber, you're a specialist in a certain type of food content. Nice to meet you. Tell me a little bit about, you know, how you

got into doing what you do. They are. Okay. So, I have a big question. How does somebody so small Yes. eat so much? Just DNA. DNA. Yes. It's genetics. Your father, my father and grandmother all really? Yes. Wow. So, we're gonna try some Korean food now. Yes. Okay. So, I'm excited to try some Korean food. I've had a little bit before, but I have never been introduced to Korean food by a food expert. So, I'm looking forward to it. So, this one I know this is kimchi. Yes. And this one? Poai meals. [Laughter] Spinach. Spinach. Pop meals. So, do you start always with lots of small starters? Yes. Hello. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, Chef. Your name is James. James. Yes. Now, today just I introduce some traditional Korean dishes together with

all the side dishes. Okay. Okay. Now, main dish is coming. Oh, wow. This is like bulogi and this is like a sund Korean sausage. This is a sausage. Yes. Made from what type of meat? Pork. Pork blood. Ah, I see. So we have a similar thing uh bit like black pudding we call it. Yes. In German also they have and okay today this is all main. This is I provide so you enjoy it together with her. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Looking forward to it. First it's called bim pop. Bim means mix. Yeah. Pop means rice. So mixed rice. We call it pim and pop. Pimp pop. Pimp pop. Yes. is sauce. That looks spicy. Oh, a little. We put the whole thing in. Yes. Good. Wow. An egg on top which is not

fully cooked. And you mix it in. Yes. Pebbin pop. Okay. This looks delicious. It smells good. Oh, smells good. M. And looks quite healthy. It's all vegetables. It's for king. For a king. Yeah. Well, that's for me then. Eating before we say Chai. Yes. Chai. Yeah. Good. Let's go. All right. Let's go. It's good. Good. M. I can see when you talk about food that you really love food. I want to try this one. This one? Mhm. It name is Sunday. Sunday. Yes. Like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Oh, wow. Yeah. Perfect. Yeah. Yes. So, I'm going to have my my Sunday. Yes. The sundae is good. You like this? Inside is noodle and this is beef. Mhm. with soy sauce and little sweet. Okay. Very delicious. Delicious in Korean. Mashesto. Bashto. Mashto.

Mashesto. Very bashesto. Oh, very bash. Very bashesto today. This is delicious. I haven't had a lot of Korean food in the past, but I think I'm going to be coming back uh definitely here to Tsunamu for more Korean food. Yeah. Thank you for showing me your cuisine and uh I hope one day we'll have an eating competition together. Oh, really? One day. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, we couldn't do this episode without discovering Filipino food. So, we've come to Koya to meet with JP. How's it going? Good to meet you. Good seeing you. Likewise, brother. Welcome to Kuya. Now, this looks amazing what you've brought here. We've got some fantastic colors and everything, but what is it about uh the Filipino culture and and Filipino food that is uh unique to other places?

Well, first of all, I think we are our way of saying hello is have you eaten? In in Filipino, it's kuma and kana like have you eaten? That's we don't say how are you, how's it going, we say have you eaten, right? We're very welcoming people. Hence the, you know, wide doors. It like it's like, you know, our home is your home and our love language is through food. And so what's like a typical Filipino dish? You know, what's the, you know, what do what do you expect when you eat Filipino? Well, I guess traditionally it would be your panet, your noodles, your lubia, your spring rolls. Here at Kuya, we kind of like to, you know, shake it a bit. Right. Uh so is this a bit of like a contemporary version of Filipino

food? It's still traditional but just a bit forward. Um our fl our taste profile, they're all still very familiar to every Filipino, but then I guess in terms of presentation techniques, we add a little bit just to push it a bit. So do do you find that part of your goal with this restaurant is to educate people and bring Filipino food to to a sort of wider audience, the non-Filipinos. Yeah. Right. I guess there's no Filipino meal without a panset or without a noodle dish cuz that signifies long life. Yeah. This is our grilled chicken in a So basically it's chicken marinated in coconut vinegar, lemongrass, calamani. Call this tostad bulo. So basically it's a sauteed beef with a tendon, smoked tendon and tamarind gravy. This is one of my favorite dishes here. Wow. You

This maybe you have to try. You can't skip this one. Okay. A we call it a chicken cece, smoked grilled fried on a sizzling plate, egg, and then you mix it. Amazing. Here at Kuya, we kind of want to prove to our cabans, our fellow Filipinos, and to non-Filipinos that, you know, our food is flexible. It can variety and I guess it's very festive and we like to eat it style. So yeah, dig. So that has been a lot of food today and JP, thank you so much for showing us about your culture and sharing with us your food and uh your amazing restaurant. I really appreciate it. You're most welcome. And Nicky, my man, you have shown me the cultures of the UAE that I hadn't even seen. you know, 14 years living here

and you've shown me something new every time we've gone to somewhere. So, it has been a fun day. It's been incredible. Thank you so much. And that's over and out from us. And I'll see you next time. So, there you have it. If you go looking, you'll end up finding some incredible hidden gems of culture around the city. Some incredible flavors of food in parts of the city that I've never even been to before. But I tell you what, I certainly won't be eating that much food again for a very long time. And until then, I'll see you soon. Heat. Heat.