Member of The Guild of Food Writers
Member of The Guild of Food Writers

Fancy a FooDiva tour of Dubai’s dining and food scene?

Tuk tuk

You never know FooDiva may even tour you on a tuk tuk 😉 Here’s one courtesy Movenpick Ibn Battuta Gate

Thanks to a few requests recently, I have toured visiting food, restaurant and hotel industry professionals around Dubai’s dining and food scene, so I am now opening this up as a bookable FooDiva activity.

FooDiva’s tours are all tailor made and geared towards your foodie preferences. They can encompass my bucket list here, in addition to new openings, whilst also focusing around a particular district – Jumeirah Lake Tower’s cafe culture for instance. A morning, an afternoon, an evening or a whole day if you wish – there’s so much to digest after all. You tell me what you want to achieve with your guided excursion, and I build the itinerary, liaising with restaurants, cafés, delis and pop-ups so you get an insider’s perspective and a taste of course!

Here you can see me on Dubai TV revealing a couple of spots I helped map out for Dubai Food Festival’s Gourmet Trails.

Click here for a peek into a tour and for booking details.

What do you reckon? Fancy a slice?

A bientôt.

FooDiva. x

  • Posted under
    Cafes, Delicatessen, Dubai, Food tours, Foodie Happenings, Hotels, Restaurants

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18 Responses to “Fancy a FooDiva tour of Dubai’s dining and food scene?”

  1. GA April 22, 2014 at 3:53 pm

    Great idea, hope it goes well which I am sure it will, well done Foodiva 🙂

    • FooDiva April 22, 2014 at 8:34 pm

      Thanks GA. It’s been on my to do list for a while so glad it’s finally out there. Fancy a guest appearance-cum-guide for JLT? 😉

      • GA April 23, 2014 at 8:58 am

        If I was on Mastermind JLT would be my area of knowledge 🙂

  2. IshitaUnblogged April 22, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    Interesting! Are you actually going to accompany the diners? I would love to dine at the Chef’s table with celebrity chefs like Nobu, Locatelli, Pierre Gagnaire etc… for me the image of Foodiva is some high end exclusive dining that I can’t normally get even I paid a premium. Good wishes!

    • FooDiva April 22, 2014 at 8:45 pm

      Yes of course I will accompany the guests in the hope I can share my F&B knowledge and insider tips 😉 Time and location-dependent I will select anything from say 4 to 10 restaurants/ cafes / delis that we tour around with a tasting dish in each. This isn’t really about organising chef’s tables dinners with celeb chefs at one restaurant which frankly anyone can book directly or through the likes of Lime & Tonic. The whole objective is to give the participant/s a flavour of Dubai’s diverse food scene in one day, hence the example of JLT’s growing cafe culture – something they would never be able to do by themselves in one day or half a day. Would that appeal to your visiting friends for instance?

      • IshitaUnblogged April 22, 2014 at 10:12 pm

        I just chatted with a few friends. They will be interested in either top end or the ones that probably Arva organises. If they are visitng Dubai, then they will be interested into local cafe culture or something. Different types of Arabic food etc. But then, I am sure there are others who will be interested in this. I am not sure whether say JLT might interest them but I am gathering that Al Qouz might – coz its got a different look. But I am gonna be the first one to book, whenever you do organise something.

        • FooDiva April 22, 2014 at 10:27 pm

          Great feedback thanks. Initially the tours will be tailored to a client’s exact requirements not off the shelf. So if you and some friends for instance are keen I will design an itinerary for you. Food for thought 🙂 Just FYI Arva is the old Dubai cheap eats expert so I will leave that segment in her capable hands.

          • IshitaUnblogged April 23, 2014 at 2:39 am

            Yeah, I was just going to say that.

  3. Lina April 23, 2014 at 12:44 pm

    This is so exciting!! I hear there are many hidden gems in Jumeirah that I have yet to discover! That would be something fun to arrange 🙂 . JLT is also a nice area to discover, its funny because when I moved here two years ago JLT (lake side) was pretty much empty and the quality of eateries there was a little depressing- for the most part. But now, there are quite a few good options out there… I have to say it has come a loooooong way!

    • FooDiva April 27, 2014 at 9:56 am

      So glad you approve of the concept Lina 🙂 Where are your go-to eateries in JLT? Just want to make sure they’re on my list too!

      • liljuma (Lina Juma) May 9, 2014 at 2:51 pm

        Sorry for the super late reply!

        My top two favourites for quick bites are Man’ousheh Street and Richy’s. I like Nofara Cafe. I have mixed feelings about Fraiche, my first couple visits there were great, but my last visit a few months ago was a disaster. Sweet Brazil has some interesting items, though I’m not sure how authentic it is. I hear Martha’s Kitchen is a must try but I haven’t had the chance to try it because of her opening hours.

        Oh and definitely Pizza Express!!!! Love the pizzas, love the vibe and love the live performances and its licensed!

        That being said, I’ve tried quite a handful of disappointing places here, so I find the eateries in JLT to be a hit or a miss. I would love to hear from you though, what are your favourites?!

        • FooDiva May 12, 2014 at 9:50 pm

          My turn to respond late 😉 In this order – Marta’s Kitchen, Nais Italian Kitchen, Fraiche, Hanoi and perhaps even Homey if it’s still open. I still need to try Manousheh, Richy’s and of course Pizza Express. I also hear Little Bangkok is good – there’s one in Media City too.

  4. Kelly April 24, 2014 at 4:50 pm

    A fabulous idea., it could be fun! Wishing you Good Luck!

    • FooDiva April 27, 2014 at 9:56 am

      Much thanks Kelly for your support as always.

  5. Reginia Cordell April 26, 2014 at 3:32 pm

    Sounds like an excellent idea and a great opportunity to network. I would love to be apart of this vision.

    • FooDiva April 27, 2014 at 9:58 am

      Great Reginia. Feel free to drop me an email if you’re keen to schedule a tour.

  6. Marielle Bordewijk May 7, 2014 at 2:07 pm

    In November I did one of the first Foodiva tours. It was really great! Samantha showed us the newest pearls of Dubai’s trendy restaurant and retail scene. As a Dutch food trendwatcher and innovator, I frequently use a lot of the inspiration and insights Samantha gave me. Next to the professional interest, it was a great and enjoyable day. Full of fun, delicacies and the pleasant and warm companionship of Samantha.

    • FooDiva May 12, 2014 at 9:46 pm

      Thanks so much for such a wonderful reference Marielle. It was you who has inspired me 🙂 Thank you.

I’d love to receive your feedback, so feel free to comment any time.

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