Eric Lanlard's video: My Dubai Eats by Eric Lanlard

I was lucky to be invited to visit one of my favourite places in the world “Dubai,” with @kayak_europe and @Opentableuk, to discover some "Off the beaten-track" foodie destinations and upcoming Emirati-born concepts. My first visit was “The Maine,” a New England style Brasserie concept set up in 2014, with 3 locations in Dubai at the time of writing. I visited the newest one at Dubai Business Bay and I really enjoyed it. Located in a gorgeous building designed by the late Zaha Hadid, the team there is very keen to use produce from some of the many local farms and even the oysters come from UAE. The Maine has now opened a sister restaurant in Mayfair London and is planning other international openings soon. This is a proud born and bred Dubai concept that's spread its wings internationally. I then I went to the beautiful chocolatier “Cocoville Chocolate. ” which only opened recently. Located in a hyped part of Dubai , this studio / boutique is a chocolate lover's dream. All the creations are freshly made and compared to the usual local produce, contain little sugar while focusing mainly of the quality of the cocoa. Their brownies and hot chocolate are to die for and they will soon they be running their own workshops as well . Next stop was The “Yamanoteatelier,” a Japanese style bakery with a few outlets in Dubai. I learned about their special flour, which makes all their treats light and fluffy and I also got top tips on how to make a proper Japanese Cotton Baked Cheesecake. Come nightfall, it was time to drive to the desert for a proper Bedouin adventure! After a sunset drive in vintage range Land Rovers, we dug into a feast in a traditional camp. Needless to say, the food was authentic and cooked right in front of us - ia proper ritual , from the welcome to the generous hospitality. Platinum Heritage are proud to give a genuine Emirates experience and you can even sleep in the camp, something to keep that in mind for my next trip as I love star gazing and the idea of a full Emirati breakfast . This trip was a great eye opener when it comes to delicious and exciting well kept secret locations in Dubai …. you should definitely visit them when you're in the region next. Lots of Love Eric xx @visit Dubai “ For more info, visit https://blog.opentable.co.uk/c/dubai-eats/