From: Subject: At Dubai eatery, 'ship of the desert' makes burger the king-Etisalat News Date: Sat, 14 Aug 2010 23:29:43 +0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; type="text/html"; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0150_01CB3C08.92F4C1F0" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.5931 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0150_01CB3C08.92F4C1F0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://news.weyak.ae/article/view/lang/en/type/uae/id/2137885 =EF=BB=BF At Dubai = eatery, 'ship of the desert' makes burger the king-Etisalat News
=
Ramadan Anasheed Shaabia Al = Cartoon XGames
Music Vringo Thahab = Album Smart = Investor
Greetune Mobile Mobile = Services Movies
News Cards Photo=20 Album Jokes
Etisalat=20 Mail Travel Sports Islam
Blogs Forum Classifieds = Ads Yellow=20 Pages
=D8=B9=D8=B1=D8=A8=D9= =8A
Welcome, Guest   [ Register   |   = Login=  ]=20

Saturday, 14 Aug 2010
=20
Etisalat=20 News =C2=BB UAE=20 News =C2=BB At Dubai eatery, 'ship of = the desert' makes=20 burger the king
LATEST NEWS:  

=20

=20

3D""=20 3D""=20 3D""=20 3D""=20 3D""=20 = | 3D"RSS
3D"At=20
At Dubai eatery, 'ship of the desert' = makes burger=20 the king
[Fri, May 21, 2010 06:11:26 = am]=20

"Don't miss yummy camel burger" reads the Dubai restaurant's sign, = putting a=20 Western twist on a traditional fare to entice adventurous tourists into = giving=20 camel meat a chew.

Camel meat is eaten throughout the Gulf, but Dubai's Local House = restaurant=20 targets visitors who may never have bitten into this edible form of = desert=20 transport.

"Most of our guests are tourists from different parts of the world," = says=20 Ramesh, a 44-year-old Indian national who has managed the restaurant = since it=20 opened in 2004. He says the restaurant was the brainchild of the owner, = a local=20 from Dubai who grew up on camel meat and milk.

"With this restaurant (the owner) wanted to (introduce) that to the = world as=20 well. That's how it all started," said Ramesh, who gave only one = name.

Camels, sometimes called "ships of the desert", are a big part of = culture in=20 the Arabian Peninsula. In the United Arab Emirates, there are camel = races, camel=20 beauty contests and competitions for the tastiest camel cuisine.

Camel meat is cooked many ways and sometimes served as a "shawarma" = --=20 grilled meat wrapped in flat bread.

Local House prides itself on its novel burger, but the menu boasts an = extensive camel-based offering.

"We have... camel soup, camel salad, then we have the camel burger, = camel=20 kebab, camel steak, then we have camel biryani -- that is a mixture of = rice and=20 camel meat," says Ramesh, as he rattles off still more menu items.

The restaurant also offers a camel curry dish, grilled camel ribs and = the=20 camel special, which is cooked in oyster sauce. Camel sausage, bacon and = pizza=20 are in the works, Ramesh says.

"Camelicious" brand camel milk, milk chocolates and milkshakes made = with=20 camel milk are some of the other offerings.

Local House customers described their first taste of camel meat as=20 positive.

-- 'I wanted something unique' --

---------------------------------

"Excellent," says Anna, a 38-year-old Canadian who tried the camel = soup after=20 hearing about the restaurant and happened upon it during her vacation to = Dubai.=20 "I wanted something of the region, something unique," she says.

Alanen, a 60-year-old from Finland visiting Dubai with his wife, = described=20 the camel burger as "good".

He tried it because "my friends say that this place (is) the only = place where=20 we can eat a camel burger."

Karine, 39, a French national living in the UAE, says that she tried = the=20 camel biryani and the camel special "because I lived here for four years = now,=20 and I thought it would be interesting to know how a camel tastes."

"It was nice," she says with a laugh. "The texture is like mutton, a = bit...=20 without the strong taste of the mutton," but "it's a bit hard."

Out of all the restaurant's camel-based offerings, the camel burger = is=20 king.

"The most popular is the burger, and (then) the camel special, then = comes the=20 steak," Ramesh says.

The burger comes with onions, tomatoes, cheese, mayonnaise and = ketchup,=20 sandwiched between two pieces of khameer, a thin, round bread topped = with sesame=20 seeds.

The meat is similar in texture to beef, but a bit tougher. It has a = slightly=20 smoky flavour with a tangy aftertaste, but its taste is mostly obscured = by the=20 ketchup-mayonnaise mix. Camel meat, Ramesh says, generally has a sweet=20 taste.

The burger costs 35 dirhams (about nine dollars), while other dishes = range in=20 price between 20 and 72 dirhams (about six and 20 dollars).

Local House, in the Bur Dubai area, is housed in a drab-brown = building that=20 would be fairly nondescript, were it not for the exterior = decorations.

In addition to the "yummy camel burger" sign, a poster shows a = cartoon=20 Emirati man holding the reins of a camel that is clutching a burger in = its=20 teeth.

There is currently only one branch of the restaurant, but Ramesh says = there=20 are plans to expand to other emirates in the UAE, and also to open a = branch in=20 Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.

Opening branches in other Gulf countries is also a possibility, he=20 says.

=C2=A9 2010 AFP=20

3D""=20 3D""=20 3D""=20 3D""=20 3D""=20 = | 3D"RSS
3D"Tell Tell a=20 Friend 3DPrint Print=20 =
3D"Etisalat
3D"Etisalat
3Detisalat=20

Etisalat/ Emirates Telecommunications = Corporation is=20 not responsible and shall not be held liable on any materials or content = displayed or published on this portal. It is the user=E2=80=99s = responsibility to=20 actively ensure that all materials are not in violation of any laws,=20 intellectual property laws and do not infringe the rights of any third = parties=20 whatsoever. In case of any genuine criticism please call 101.

By using this portal you hereby agree to our Privacy Policy and = our Terms &=20 Conditions.

3Detisalat=20
Copyright 2010 - etisalat
Privacy=20 Policy | Terms=20 of Use