Emirati chef Sahar Parham Al Awadhi isn’t shy about sharing her love of Dubai. “I’m very biased,” she says. “I was born and raised here, and I think it’s the greatest city in the world.” As proprietor and chef at Abra, a brand new restaurant opening in early 2026 in Dubai’s Etihad Museum, she’s championing New Emirati Cuisine whereas honoring its roots and the heritage that lies behind the fashionable metropolis, a spot recognized for its superlatives like bling and luxurious way of life. But Dubai is far more than that. “When people say Dubai has no soul, I say they just haven’t been to the right places,” Al Awadhi says. “If you want to go to Dubai Mall, go ahead. But seeing the range here will change people’s minds.” Here, she takes us on a winter weekend tour of a few of her favourite locations that embrace each outdated and new in always-exciting Dubai.
Having breakfast in Old Dubai
Away from the skyscrapers and supercars, Bur Dubai presents a slower, calmer tempo based on a tapestry woven by generations of retailers and merchants who settled round Dubai Creek and made it house. “Bur Dubai is where all cultures meet, and it’s a big source of inspiration for me whenever I need a boost of energy or to ground my restaurant and recipe ideas in the UAE’s heritage,” says Al Awadhi. Her mornings right here begin with breakfasts of dosa and vada at Sangeetha, or Sudanese bean stew at Foul Abu Al Abbas. “Bur Dubai is where people built their businesses and homes so you’ll see Indian restaurants, Filipino bakeries, Persian kebab shops, and places selling juice, spices and saffron. They’re all major influences on Emirati cuisine,” she says.
Art and tradition, structure and design
A brief drive north of Dubai, the emirate of Sharjah is making a reputation for itself as a cultural vacation spot, and is nice for a mid-morning artwork and structure stroll. Al Awadhi likes to go to the Museum of Islamic Civilization, housed in a former market and full of manuscripts, astrolabes, ceramics and a gold-embroidered kiswa, the material that covers the Kaaba in Makkah. “Look up and you’ll also see a dome covered in mosaics of the constellations,” she says. A bit of additional alongside the Corniche, the Sharjah Art Foundation’s galleries, made with conventional coral stone partitions, host numerous, thought-provoking exhibitions. When she’s within the space, Al Awadhi at all times stops by Bait Elowal, a century-old home reworked into an art-filled café, restaurant and boutique, and the Al Omani Sweet Factory close to the Rain Room, an immersive artwork set up that includes a continuing downpour.