New York, Paris and Rome are cities that have long been associated with fine dining and the world’s greatest chefs, with food traditions built on centuries of butter and booze. But Dubai? Just 50 years ago, the city wasn’t even a blip on the culinary radar. Back then, you might have been forgiven for thinking that all there was to eat in what is now one of the fastest growing cities in the world might have been a mouthful of sand whipped up by a desert storm.  

But, as Masterchef Australia’s journey to the Middle Eastern metropolis during August’s World Food Week showed, that is certainly no longer the case. As the skyscraping city has swiftly risen from the dunes, so too has a vibrant and diverse dining scene. 

Over the course of the week, the program’s remaining eight contestants were tasked with a variety of challenges that reflected the many facets of the emirate’s culinary landscape, with judge Matt Preston describing it as a “spectacular backdrop” for the season five international challenge. 

“What a journey for our contestants; from the tradition of the souk and cooking a desert feast to running a fine dining restaurant complete with an audience of 65,000 sea creatures,” he gushed. 

It is that diversity that characterises the cuisine of this burgeoning city. Home to 202 different nationalities, and a hub for more than 10 million travellers passing through each year, the destination has drawn influences from all around the world and, in turn, has attracted major international chefs to establish a foothold in the city’s best eateries. 

Spiky haired British chef Gary Rhodes offers modern British cuisine at luxury hotel Grosvenor House, while Rang Mahal by Atul Kochhar, the first Indian chef to receive a Michelin star, experiments with flavours from the subcontinent at the JW Marriott Marquis in Business Bay. Meanwhile, fiery Frenchman Marco Pierre White has set up shop in Hilton’s Conrad Dubai property, while the iconic black cod miso of Nobu Matsuhisa can be devoured at Atlantis on the Palm.  

But to experience all of these cuisines at one table, I set aside an entire Friday for one of Dubai’s legendary brunches at Calabar at The Address Downtown. Although the meal starts at 12pm with service going until 4pm, it can frequently roll through into the evening as diners make a day of what has become a Dubai rite of passage. 

I’m surrounded by food, in every direction, and I’m panicking a little. Do I head first for the spice-rich gravy of the butter chicken, the translucent pinks of the sashimi display, or the overflowing mezze platter, or the steaming dim sum? Or do I just close the door in the room devoted entirely to candy coloured desserts – a veritable shrine to Willy Wonka. There’s no hint of the overboiled buffets of my childhood – the food is all freshly prepared, much of it to order, with the steaming copper pots refilled frequently. My plate never seems to empty, and neither does my glass. 

For nothing disperses the misconception of Dubai as an alcohol-free zone quite like a brunch. Here in the hotels of the emirate, alcohol is freely permitted, although behaviour is expected to be kept respectfully in check. The champagne is free-flowing, the cocktails are creative, and even as I stand innocently waiting for my oysters to be shucked beside a mound of glistening shells, I am handed a frosted vodka shot. 

A different kind of excess is on the menu during afternoon high tea, another Dubai tradition, at At.mosphere on the 122nd floor of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. Located just two floors below its popular viewing platform, At the Top, you can get giddy on almost the exact same views across Dubai’s ever changing landscape while gorging on dainty scones, cakes and finger sandwiches washed down with a pot of tea or even a glass of champagne. 

Another option is to plunge beneath sea level for dinner surrounded by teeming shoals of brightly coloured fish as you chow down on their former friends at the Burj Al Arab’s underwater seafood restaurant, Al Mahara. Here, an after dinner cappuccino is dusted with 24-carat gold flakes instead of powdered chocolate. 

But it’s not all international flavours. While authentic Emirati cuisine can only be found at Al Fanar in Dubai Festival City, Arabic restaurants are plentiful. A trip to Al Hadeerah further out of town in the midst of the desert at Bab Al Shams sees chefs at individual stations carefully prepare vast quantities of local dishes while diners are entertained by belly dancers, falconry, henna artists and camel rides beneath the stars. Far more low key and central is XVA caf√à which serves up traditional Arabic dishes in an artsy courtyard in Bur Dubai. In Bastakiya, there’s breakfast at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding which is more about learning about local customs, although the food is delicious. 

In the covered sandstone courtyard, we remove our shoes and sink into a horseshoe of floor cushions as we are served a tiny glass of cardamom-spiced black coffee with a syrupy sweet date. As we sip, our host Nasif, clad in crisp, cool white, discusses local customs, touching on a range of topics as diverse as traditional dress, religion, and women’s rights. He urges us to ask as many questions as possible and invites us to try on the long black abaya to demonstrate its practicality. Meanwhile, we sample the chickpeas, khamir bread, cream cheese and tiny round ligamat donuts accompanied by thick date syrup that are laid out on the giant Persian rug in the centre of the room.  

Stuffed with information and carbs, we depart through the cobbled alleyways of Old Dubai, spotting a sign touting camel burgers. It’s tempting, but instead of succumbing to the protein fix, we head for the Deira side of the Creek. Here, between the shaded windtowers of Dubai’s oldest and largest souk, stalls lined with earthy mounds of spices, herbs and nuts alternate with those selling apple-scented shisha or chocolate made with camel milk.  

Said to be closer to human milk than any other milk, it is packed with a number of health benefits. So for more snacks with a hint of dromedary, head for the Majlis Caf√à in Dubai Mall, where every cake, sandwich or coffee is infused with its milk. Dates are also packed with fibre, vitamins and minerals with Bateel, also in Dubai Mall, the top spot to stock up high-quality varieties of the dried fruit.  

More of the city’s hidden foodie treasures can be unearthed by enlisting the help of Arva Ahmed of Frying Pan Adventures, rated the second most popular activity in Dubai on TripAdvisor. In the winter months, she’ll lead you on a captivating walking food tour of the city, while the summer heat may require an air conditioned vehicle with the month of Ramadan prompting a different type of iftar-themed discovery.  

For while Dubai as we know it today may be a mere babe among cities, traders have sailed along the city’s saltwater Creek as far back as ancient times, with each new visitor leaving their culinary mark. Besides, butter and booze may have been absent from the emirate’s history for many centuries, but it now has both in abundant supply.