16 TIME May 23/May 30, 2022
BUSINESS
Bridging food traditions
old and new
BY VIDYA BALACHANDER
BEFORE DUBAI TRANSFORMED INTO A GLITTERY GLOBAL
hub with an international culinary scene, there were
limited—albeit much loved—dining options that repre-
sented the city’s mix of inl uences. Sisters Arva and Farida
Ahmed have fond memories of going for Friday-night
dinner with their parents to one of the city’s Lebanese
shawarma joints, chai cafeterias run by Indians from the
Malabar Coast, kebab joints, or the rare steakhouse.
“Everybody who grew up here knew only those i ve restau-
rants,” says Arva. Clustered on either side of Dubai Creek, a
saltwater stream that slices through the heart of the city, these
restaurants represent Old Dubai—the four neighborhoods
that predate the skyscrapers that now dei ne the skyline.
Over the past 20 years, Dubai has experienced a burst of
development, and with it, a world-class dining scene. The city
now boasts restaurants from some of the world’s most well-
known chefs, from Gordon Ramsay to Nobu Matsu hisa. After
a brief halt in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions,
new restaurants are opening and thriving. “The good restau-
rants have thrived with a bumper 2021 of record revenues,
and this year we’re already witnessing a mammoth lineup of
new openings,” says Samantha Wood, a Dubai food critic and
restaurant reviewer. The Michelin Guide announced it will
debut in Dubai this year.
BUT THE FOUNDATIONS of Dubai’s modern culinary di-
versity still lie in the neighborhoods and the nondescript
yet unique restaurants of the Ahmed sisters’ childhood—
something Arva always felt was missing from Dubai’s mar-
keting. “There was a big gap in the way people were not
talking about [Old Dubai],” she says. “I felt it was impor-
tant to showcase this other side.”
In 2013, the sisters launched Frying Pan Adventures, a
tour company that takes residents and travelers on immer-
sive, three- to four-hour experiences along the bustling,
unmanicured back streets of Old Dubai to i nd culinary
delights ranging from the best pani puri—a beloved street
snack from the Indian subcontinent—to well- hidden falafel
joints. The tours tell a story of the city’s history and its food,
weaving together a larger story about community, migration,
and aspiration in a city that is at a global crossroads.
The company was born out of Arva’s own explorations
to i nd the tastes of her childhood when she returned to the
city in 2010 after living abroad. She felt unmoored by how
much the city had changed and wanted to connect to her
roots, blogging about her culinary adventures. “I was so
consumed by the idea of discovering and showing people
the places that weren’t getting the light of day,” she says.
COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions hit their business
hard, with group size reduced from 12 to six people. But
the sisters found creative ways to keep going, launching an
“I felt it was
important to
showcase this other
side,” says Arva
Ahmed, left, with
her sister Farida
▽online guidebook exploring the city’s
spice souk and a podcast called Deep
Fried that features Dubai food trends
and local business owners. Both of
these have given them the opportunity
to reach people outside of Dubai.
While there were fewer visitors
from overseas to take their tours, Fry-
ing Pan has stoked newfound local
interest, especially among the city’s
many expats, who are looking to un-
derstand more about the place where
they live. “Before the pandemic, 30%
of our client base was Dubai resi-
dents,” says Arva. That has now risen
to nearly 60%. “When you have that
level of community,” says Arva, “it is
hard to give up.”THE BRIEF
NATALIE NACCACHE FOR TIME; JUDD: JIM SMEAL—RON GALELLA COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES; SINN FÉIN: CHARLES MCQUILLAN—GETTY IMAGES