奇速英语

探索迪拜私人“晚餐俱乐部”

Dubai has plenty of restaurants, yet many individuals still choose to dine at home — not their own home, but at “supper clubs.” Supper clubs are not restaurants, so they don’t need food licenses, which makes them easy to set up, and also means they aren’t regulated by traditional hygiene (卫生) and safety bodies. They are set-menu dinners hosted by amateur or professional chefs. Diners often won’t know the menu or location of the dinner until after they book. People are encouraged to come alone, or with just one friend, providing a chance to network (建立关系网), and attendees can bring their own drinks. The phenomenon isn’t new, or exists only in Dubai, but it’s reached new heights in the city in the past year with dozens of experiences appearing in the underground dining scene.

Palestinian chef Ahmad Halawa started his supper club in 2019, hosting dinners on weekends and having a full-time job in marketing.

At first, it was just friends and family coming along. But once word started to spread about Halawa’s delicious dishes, “I had strangers in my house, and people were booking their seats to come and join the experience,” he says. People mostly find Halawa through word of mouth or on Instagram, and his events usually book out within two days. He quit his job in 2021, and now he hosts up to 30 guests twice a week in his backyard, with an elegant banquet (宴会) table, flower arrangements and fairy lights. These strangers pay over $100 per person to enjoy his creative Levantine menus, including his famous knafeh, a traditional Arabic dessert made with fine pasty and sweet soft cheese.

While great food is key to any dinner party, Halawa suspects that the social aspect of the supper clubs is broadening their appeal in Dubai, where around 90% of the population are foreigners.

“Most people are away from home, away from their families. So I wanted to bring people under one roof, at one table, get them to speak without boundaries, and just share a nice meal and conversation,” he says, adding that his dinners are served family style at a communal (共用的) table rather than plated per-person like at a restaurant. “People miss that authenticity,” says Halawa. “Supper clubs provide a more intimate, personal experience for the attendee.”