24 Feb 2012 - 30 Apr 2012
The Farmer’s Market is organized by Baker and Spice, supplied with local produce from the UAE and runs from 9 am to 4 pm every Friday until mid May. Farmer’s market at Souk al Bahar
April 24, 2010
tags: Baker & Spice Dubai, Dubai, farmers market, Middle East, organic, Souk al Bahar.
The Burj Khalifa - backdrop to the market
Inside Souk al Bahar
Flag outside Old Town, Dubai
I was intrigued about a farmer’s market being held in Dubai, especially one with an organic claim. It was only a few weeks ago that the lovely Nazwa Farm Shop opened, revolutionising the way I shop. It seems incredible that there might be all these little organic farms out in the desert that we haven’t heard about.
Souk al Bahar is a shopping centre that looks old but is actually very new. It takes many features from traditional Arabic architecture – windtowers, wooden screens, fortresses – to recreate an old-fashioned souk experience. It’s located in the heart of the new business area of Dubai, U.A.E., which has the tallest building in the world – the Burj Khalifa – at its centre. The contrasts couldn’t be more extreme. Baker & Spice, a restaurant which sources its ingredients locally, organised the farmer’s market, but as I drove up to the souk there were banners and flags galore announcing it with a strong EMAAR feel about it.
The market was on the water’s edge on the terrace outside Baker & Spice and Dean & Deluca and despite several fans dotted about it was too hot to linger for very long (about 36 C which is normal for April in Dubai). The stalls contained mainly fruit and vegetables plus there was a stand for locally roasted coffee and one selling honey.