Breakfast very rarely gets better than this spread here at Foul w Hummus. This has to be one of my favourite breakfasts. A Levantine / shaami breakfast spread typically consists of dishes like Hummus, Foul, Fattah and Falafel. These are the four must try dishes! But it’s not that simple there are so many different variations of each of these dishes. For example hummus you can get it fully mashed, or with a mixture of mashed and whole, or just whole. Shaam is a region that mainly consists of modern day Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan. The food is fresh, healthy, wholesome and oh so delicious. Strong garlic, olive oil and lemon flavours. So good.
Where to try this in Dubai
My favourite spot to get this in Dubai is Foul w Hummus in the Al Barsha area. Right near the Mashreq metro station (near mall of emirates). Very easy to get to. At this legendary quaint spot @foul_w_hummus in Dubai, you can get these dishes in a variety of different forms. All traditional variations from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestine. A small joint that is always busy. I love this place. A must visit when in Dubai. It has become my go to whenever I visit. Typically, it is a breakfast spot, but they are open all day into the wee hours of the night (7 am – 3 am). This kinda food can easily be consumed for any meal of the day to be honest.
What should you try here?
Well, I’d literally try anything off the menu and I can almost safely say it is going to impress you. However, I’d make sure to try the four mentioned dishes above: Hummus, Foul, Fattah and Falafel. Come hungry and in a group! If you like hummus, I’d recommend you try Musabaha and Baleela. Very traditional dishes hard to find outside of the above countries. If we say hummus is chickpeas mashed fully, Musabaha is a mixture of mashed and whole chickpeas. And Baleela is mainly whole chickpeas. Packed with garlic, olive oil and lemon – which equals FLAVOUR!
Galayet Bandora
Al Barsha is probably our favourite area in Dubai as we find the location and nearby amenities very convenient. And one of the mainstays and legends of this area is this eatery. So, this means that every time we visit Dubai, we visit this place. In fact, it is often our very first stop. This time round we got the usual; our favourites (mentioned above), but we also decided to try something different. And it was this dish, Galayet Bandora, that caught the eye of my wife. Galayet Bandora is a Palestinian / Jordanian dish that is essentially sauteed tomatoes stewed with garlic and onion, olive oil, salt, and pepper! Simple but packed full of flavour, especially a prominent garlic flavour. Perfectly paired with some fresh pita bread. For my Bengali readers, it is very similar to Tomato satni / bortha. We absolutely loved the dish and it was a discovery that we hoped we made a long time ago.
Free food!?
A nice unique touch this spot has is that it offers those who are unable to afford food a free meal on them. They have a poster on their front window stating: If you can’t buy food, it’s for FREE. This is a gift from Allah (God).
A couple of popular vloggers have also visited them recently: (check out one here), but I discovered them oh so long ago! I need to find a joint that does it as authentic closer to home. So, if anyone has any suggestions for London, I’d love to hear it!
Getting there:
Google Maps Location link: click here.
