The West Australian’s Food Editor Rob Broadfield brings us food news from the Abu Dhabi Taste of the World festival.
Food diary
All we were told was bring your passport. Which seemed a little odd as we were going to a cocktail party.
But when the coach – laden with exuberant chefs and writers – turned up at Etihad’s engineering division at the international airport, it began to make sense.
Once through security, we were transported down roads flanked by massive hangers to the main maintenance hanger in which an Etihad A380 had been squeezed (they are massive aircraft) especially for our cocktail party put on by Etihad for taste of The World competitor chefs and a small band of international writers and food journos.
Most of us had flown on the A380, but you never really see the aircraft. Up this close, it was a mind boggling piece of machinery: simply massive.
Canapés and champagne flowed while Etihad senior execs welcomed our party to Abu Dhabi and to the Taste of Abu Dhabi festival, which the airline sponsors heavily. The three middle eastern carriers – Qatar, Etihad and Emirates – have bought just about every A380 made by Airbus Industries (Qantas and the larger Asian carriers have a few too).
It was a buzz to have a nice lie down in the Residence, Etihad’s private three room apartment on board the A380 just to see how the other half live.
Earlier the same day, we were at Abu Dhabi’s Sports City to watch local chef Scott Bridger cook his signature octopus with squid ink tapioca in front of a live audience at Taste of Abu Dhabi.
Scott was the first cab off the rank in the festival’s Taste Of The World Competition which pits 11 of the best chefs from around the world against each other. His 10 other competitors will be cooking in front of the crowd over the weekend.
This is not just a marketing exercise. The chefs have taken this competition very seriously with the French and Russian chefs bringing rare and special produce for the event.
Scott even went so far as to hunt down a portable barbecue from the guy who makes them in an alleyway near the Abu Dhabi ports. He needed it to char grill his occy over coals, live on stage. We’re rooting for Scott.
