From Dubai to the world
Dubai restaurant Moonrise is taking its version of ‘Dubai Cuisine’ abroad for the first time, heading to Almaty, Kazakhstan for a one-night-only collaboration with AUYL on 21 September.
The dinner is being presented in collaboration with Visit Dubai and ByChefs. Moonrise founder and chef Solemann Haddad is joining AUYL’s team for a collaborative menu that brings together two distinct culinary perspectives.
Born and raised in Dubai, Haddad’s cooking draws on the city’s mix of Middle Eastern, French and Japanese influences. Rather than fitting neatly into one cuisine, the chef describes his food simply as “Dubai Cuisine”, shaped by the cultures and communities that make up the city.
The Experiment of AUYL
AUYL, a critically-acclaimed experimental restaurant in Almaty’s Medeu tract, takes a contemporary approach to Central Asian food and is deeply rooted in nomadic culture. Its kitchen focuses on three ingredients central to nomadic food traditions: water, flour and meat, with cooking techniques including open-fire grilling, the kazan, mangal and tandoor.
For the special dinner, the two restaurants will move between their respective culinary identities rather than attempting to combine them into a single cuisine.
What’s On The Menu?
Expect a selection of Moonrise signatures alongside dishes created for the collaboration. The evening starts with Foie Gras Puri, featuring foie gras ganache, pineapple chutney, chilli oil and date syrup, plus baursaks stuffed with braised horse meat and porcini mushrooms.
Seafood follows, with Market Prawns served with asparagus, toum ranch, dill oil, ponzu and potato tartlet, followed by scallop with tare, apple, green tomato and jusai salsa oil.
One of Moonrise’s signatures also makes the trip: a shawarma featuring Wagyu striploin MB11–12, loomi seasoning, shawarma marinade, Mexici sauce and pickled turnip. Dessert comes in the form of Banoffee with banana crémeux, banana compote, croustillant, ganache, chocolate tuile and gahwa caramel, followed by local sweet petit fours.
Image credit: Supplied
Curious, expressive, and always chasing new ideas, Zainab sees creativity as a way of life. She thrives on discovering new perspectives, connecting with people, and turning inspiration into something tangible. Her work and her world reflect a balance of intuition, imagination, and authenticity.
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