If the words ‘Gourmet’ and ‘Abu Dhabi’ don’t exactly fit together in your mind then think again. I was the same myself until my first visit late last year. The first evening I dined on a splendid rib eye steak, accompanied by a tasty Erath Pinot Noir 2007 from Oregon, in Marco Pierre White’s recently opened restaurant at the Fairmont Hotel. Not every restaurant is as good, but this Emirate is certainly a place on the move in culinary terms. Beware the wine prices, though, they will bring your credit card to its knees.

Right now, I am attending the third annual Gourmet Festival. Hosted by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority. It brings together a legion of chefs from around the globe who possess a constellation of Michelin stars between them. Included are Tetsuya Wakuda from Australia, Yannick Alléno from France and Juan Amador from Germany. The wine side isn’t ignored either. Producers in attendance include: Domaine Joseph Drouhin, Bodegas Vega Sicilia and Weingut JJ Prüm.

Tonight I will be attending the opening dinner hosted by James Martin and over the coming days a clatter of other events are jammed into the schedule. As time allows I will report back. Keep an eye out for a full feature about Abu Dhabi and the Festival in the April issue of Food & Wine Magazine.

More information: gourmetabudhabi.ae

Tags: Abu Dhabi, Gourmet, Wine