Do you know who Amal Al Marri and Deem Al Bassam are? Well that’s a shame because you really need to know them – two innovative women, one is an Emirati and the other is a Saudi, and they are the geniuses behind Salt and Parker’s. Absolute monsters and pioneers in the game!
Parker’s has recently become an absolute must for any food blogger/influencer visiting or living in Dubai. I mean I don’t know if you can be a Dubai food blogger and not have Parker’s on your page. It has become that popular. However, many are unaware of its humble yet tremendous beginnings. Back in November 2015 the Emirati pair launched this mega innovative and unique pop up food truck concept known as Parker’s. They wanted to take people back to their childhood in terms of the food, the location and also by making this experience into something a little fun (a treasure hunt to be specific).
Where it all began
Childhood food meaning classics that people grew up on (seems like more American classics to be fair, but hey I am not from that culture and I don’t know what they grew up on). Childhood location meaning the park – this food truck was located in one of the most loved parks in Dubai – Al Khazzan Park – they felt people were no longer spending time in parks, so this was their way of encouraging people to return to them. Childhood experience meaning a treasure hunt – you needed to find a key to get the opportunity to dine at this pop up. This right here grabbed the attention and caught the imagination of Dubai foodies as well as international clientele from neighbouring Arab countries. People would come from far to take part in this experience. They spent no money on traditional advertising – all they did was spread the word on social media and word of mouth (about this treasure hunt – no key, no food) and it became an instant sensation that took over the imagination of Dubai and all its neighbouring countries.
So, to dine at this exclusive hidden Dubai secret spot you had to track down one of their keys that was hidden throughout town (usually in parks – to get you to visit parks again). Hints were sent out via snapchat and Instagram. Keys were found in coffee pots in old Dubai, hanging from trees in parks, and even at a nail salon in Jumeirah. Each came with a note and further instructions. Some may find the whole treasure hunt experience annoying, while others saw it as an exciting challenge.
Amal and Deem brought this food truck concept to the Middle East as it was something that did not exist prior to their first revelation – Salt. Pioneers! Due to the popularity of Parker’s they had to venture out and expand. They now have established restaurants around the city and beyond! Their Dubai branches include La Mer beach, Al Safa Park and Dubai Mall (recently closed maybe for renovation – not sure). They’ve also recently opened an international branch – in Saudi Arabia! On one hand this is positive because everyone can now experience their food. On the other hand, they cannot experience the treasure hunt aspect, which is a shame.
What are they known for?
They are known for their burgers, street fries, açai bowls, breakfast classics and ‘mac & Cheetos’. Apparently, their Mac and Cheetos is an absolute game changer! For foodies coming from outside of the gulf, the desserts are probably the most famous and the standout things to try from this menu and capture for their instagram and TikTok pages of course. The pull me milk cake and the Matilda cake being the major talking points.
How was our experience?
We of course had to visit this super popular home grown pop up turned restaurant on our recent visit to Dubai. We didn’t visit one of the park branches (next time!), but we went to the La Mer beach branch. It is so well located – it is just off the La Mer beach, it has a proper relaxed, chilled beach vibe to it. The views and vibes are super chilled. Sit outside and you got yourself an amazing winter hangout spot with great food. We were greeted by Adolf, who warmly welcomed us and gave us some good recommendations too. He was great and played a large part to our positive experience here. We were particular interested in trying the insta-famous desserts. So, we ordered the following:
Prawn Tempura Tacos 39 AED
Matilda Cake 75 AED
Pull Me Lotus Milk Cake 53 AED
Black lemonade 31 AED
The tacos were decent even if a little small, but we didn’t come here to try this… we came here to try the two desserts that had taken the social media foodie scene by storm: the Matilda cake and the Pull Me.
The Matilda Cake
This is indulgence personified. For those who aren’t aware, in the Matilda movie a kid, Bruce Bogtrotter, is punished for stealing cake and the punishment is to eat an 18 inch cake! This cake is inspired by that punishment cake! Firstly, after ordering we were given somewhat of a warning – we were told it is HUGE and it is more for families to share (as opposed to us – a couple). Once it came out, it was as if a headline superstar act was getting on stage. Along with the Pull Me, this turned heads and you can sense the “ooohs” in the air. That excitement of course just escalated as it is placed on the table and then the dessert is unfolded.
Adolf placed these two desserts perfectly on the table knowing exactly where the best video will be taken from and the angles were spot on – it’s as if they get trained on this lol! So, as the lid is lifted you see the Matilda chocolate cake form and the chocolatey goodness is revealed in its full glory. It is made up of chocolate sponge, chocolate ganache and chocolate flakes making for a perfect chocolate concoction to fulfil any chocolate lover’s dream. You get the spongey cake textures, you get the creamy textures, you get gooey textures and you get the slightly crispy textures at the top too. It was brilliant. I’m not a huge chocolate or chocolate cake fan, so I may not be the best judge, but this was one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve had. It was huge so we took it away and had it for late night cheeky bites for the following two nights and it still tasted spot on. So, did the taste match the theatre? I think if you’re a chocolate cake fan, it will for sure. But the theatre is impressive and nothing less should be expected from a top tier Dubai dining experience.
Your health will not thank you, your wallet will not thank you, but your tastebuds and eyes will be pleasantly impressed.
The Pull Me
I will not describe the theatre of this dessert as it was more or less the same as the Matilda cake. So, let’s jump into the taste. It was pretty good. The top layer was ice cream I think? As it was a bit cold. And this made for a unique milk cake experience. It was unlike other milk cakes we’ve tried.
The black lemonade tasted just like a good quality lemonade but the colour was a dramatic black. We were warned this would be too bitter, but it wasn’t actually.
At the end, Adolf kindly gifted us two drinks as he brought over the bill and chocolate cake takeaway. This nicely wrapped up our experience and ensured we left on a nice and warm note.
Overall, this is a restaurant we will definitely visit again, but probably to try their other things on the menu. There’s a few things that have caught my eye since. The vibes here were really relaxed and positive. A kind of place that gives you good feelings and sets you up for a good day ahead. The prices are a bit steep (75 AED for a chocolate cake is mad considering I can get my favourite Dubai meal (Yemeni madhbi – chargrilled chicken and rice) for 25 AED!!), but when in Dubai right?
Getting There:
Google Location Link: click here
[…] The food was good. I liked the size of the burgers and the fries were delicious – you can tell the quality of the ingredients were high. Was this the best burger I’ve had? Nope. Even in Dubai alone, I’ve had better burgers. However, when you know the story you appreciate what is in front of you a little more. I would have loved to experience the findsalt movement – I assume this would’ve heightened the experience. But hey it is what it is and you just have to applaud these two Emirati women who have continuously pushed the food scene in Dubai beyond new boundaries and after this success they had an equally impressive hit with Parker’s (read here). […]