17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Join this exclusive Ramadan supper club for a memorable iftar
Meeting new people has never been easier…or more difficult. We have channels of communication, sure – from online chatrooms to meet-up forums – but we are also often limited by our own expectations and fears. And when the what-ifs take up space in your head, there's little room for anything else. This Ramadan, there's a new opportunity for you to overcome the things that intimidate, to make new friends, to break bread with new people. In doing so, you may not only go home with new pals but also a newfound sense of self. What's this miraculous activity then? It's a supper club.
The teams behind A Normal Day (AND) and Al Naqa have curated a dining experience that lets in only 37 guests and plies you with an innovative menu – alongside strangers – so you can make new friends and enjoy the warmth of an iftar together. After all, what's a better ice breaker that beautifully made food?
'This time of the year is very special to me because I've lived in the UAE for a long time. Celebrating Ramadan with my friends who observe this holy month has allowed me to enjoy the traditional foods that are unique and sentimental. With this in mind, I look at the favourites that one might expect and break them down to see how I can find links between ingredients, techniques, plating, and eating style, blending South East Asia and West Asia,' says Chef AJ, real name Aphisith Phongsavanh, of Al Naqa Lao Kebab House.
The chef, who was raised in Canada and traces his roots back to Laos, is all about adapting dishes, not reinventing them. 'I'm just trying to think of what tradition would be like if it was married with South East Asia. Nostalgia would be using dishes that evoke the feeling of Ramadan, and the innovation comes in when I use techniques and flavours from Laos,' he explains.
The menu remains hush hush, but guests may expect chilies, fish sauce, shrimp paste, galangal, lemongrass, ginger, and lots of herbs, says the chef. The supper club will feature around six courses, with one standout dish designed to be a family-style feast.
He may be innovative on a plate but is careful to avoid the term 'creative'. 'People put too much emphasis on being creative. Most of the food we eat today was created out of diasporas around the world, migrating from home to home, necessity, or a lack of resources. Creativity is really put to the test when you have limitations. This is why when most chefs have limitless resources, they have a hard time being creative. When it comes to a traditional meal like iftar, you don't want to veer too far from what an iftar dinner would be like. Creativity with tradition is like taking an old painting and not trying to re-paint again on a new canvas, but highlighting the beautiful strokes, the rich colours, and emotion with other techniques, hues, and feelings,' he says.
The meal aims to spark dialogue, to forge new friendships, and reinforce old bonds. 'I would love guests to leave our experience with a full heart and soul. To have dined amongst a room full of strangers that will have hopefully become friends, and to remember the importance of iftar and suhoor as not just a time to eat with family and friends, but a time to reflect and grow.'
Chef Illia Andriushyn, of the recently opened A Normal Day, says he always tries to do something different, something like taking the fimiliar flavours of kiwi and cucumber and combining them for a fresh new taste. 'I haven't seen this because it's weird, but it's tasty. So this is the idea that want to bring into this supper club.'
Here's to new pals.
Dh350 (iftar). Mar 20-21. Dar Al Wasl reservations, call +971 50 884 9254.
