If you’re a fan of of Somebody Feed Phil, you’ve already binged on Season 7 that dropped last week. Within days, crowds will swarm to the restaurants Phil Rosenthal visited, including that Emirati seafood spot which was the least known of all the places that made it to the episode.
As a non-Netflix subscriber, I’d heard of the show. But I completely underestimated what a fan following it had when their team emailed us last March asking if we’d be up for taking Phil on a mini-tour. We said yes—
and now we’re on Netflix.
One of the stops that I take Phil to as well as the communal iftar that he witnessed in Dubai, both will make a cameo on our upcoming Souks Iftar tour this Ramadan. So if you’re a Phil fan, let us be the Somebody that Feeds <<First Name>>.
But let’s talk about the Emirati seafood restaurant at the end of the episode.
I had emailed this community about it last year, promising to do a VIP Pass meet-up there. It’s a royal shame that I didn’t get my act together before the episode dropped because now, Phil fans will be flying there at supersonic speed. Might be easier to climb Everest than snag a table on the weekend.
The restaurant is called Al Qbabh, all the way out in Aweer.
It’s worth the drive.
Al Qbabh is not pronounced kabab. It simply refers to a popular local fish, a type of tuna. In the local Arabic dialect, aka Khaleeji, you would pronounce it as Al Gubaab.
It began with Mohammed Al Rashidi, an Emirati who loved cooking seafood for his family and friends. They encouraged him to open a restaurant, but he began with something more basic. A simple grill out on the beach over the weekends.
Word of mouth spread. People demanded more. His little grill grew into a full-blown restaurant that squats in the middle of what feels like…nowhere.
Tips to help you navigate:
- Book a table and place your order before you go. Especially on the weekends. The place gets PACKED. God help the situation now that they’re on Netflix.
- The menu is only in Arabic. That too, the local dialect of Arabic. So I did some community service and tried to translate as much as I could here. I’m positive they’ll introduce an English menu soon in response to incoming Phil fans.
- Get a large group of friends and order one of their massive mixed seafood platters (page 2 of menu).
- Jar of samin or melted animal fat on the table? Drizzle it (moderately) over your white rice before pairing with seafood.
- Jesheed or minced baby shark is a delicacy. Strong, salty and fishy, it’s an acquired taste for many. I personally feel conflicted about eating given the threatened nature of multiple shark species in the Gulf (read more here). So I’ll refrain from ordering it unless I’m someone’s guest and refusing might seem impolite.
- They do serve crabs (ghab-goob) even though I couldn’t find it on the menu.
If you go, I want to hear all about it.
I still hope we’ll make a VIP Pass meet-up happen there post Eid. It’s an incredible experience to tuck into a mammoth seafood platter with a crew that knows how to roll up its sleeves and dig in—exactly like the one reading this email right now.
With prayers for peace,
Arva
PS. Special love to Chef Salam from Beit Maryam who gave Palestinian food the beautiful, strong voice it always historically had to the show. Now the world knows—and may we never forget, in the bad moments and more so in the good, the people of Palestine.
Arva Saleem Ahmed
Founder and Chief Executive Muncher
Frying Pan Adventures
Published on: 4th March, 2024
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Arva Ahmed is the co-founder of Frying Pan Adventures, Dubai’s first food tour company, and a celebrated food explorer known for uncovering Dubai’s hidden culinary gems. Her expertise in the city’s diverse food scene has been featured in prominent publications such as CNN, Khaleej Times, BBC Travel, The Sun, The Independent and countless more. She also hosts Ditch the Silver on YouTube. Through her immersive tours and storytelling, Arva brings Dubai’s rich flavors and vibrant cultures to life.
