There are plenty of modern marvels in Dubai, but where is all the traditional magic? Ben Watts looks at one of the city's truly Arabian eating experiences.

In the highly competitive global travel and tourism market, Dubai continues to stand out from the destination crowd thanks to its creative development efforts and chest-beating displays of innovation.

To some, the fast-paced modernisation is an attraction in itself, but for other visitors experiencing local culture is the very reason for visiting new cities - and with restaurants springing up all over the city, offering various cuisines from around the world, some would argue it has becomes harder for visitors to find the authentic side of UAE food.

But one highly traditional gastronomic experience that is still floating tourist boats is the dhow cruise dinner.

The city's first five-star hotel, The Radisson SAS, Dubai Deira Creek, is one property that offers tourists the chance to escape reality and step back in time on its Al Mansour Dhow.

The evening experience on the two-story dhow allows guests to enjoy dinner and drinks as they take a trip down Dubai Creek and back.

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Appeasing the market

The hotel's director of kitchens Uwe Micheel is responsible for the property's 14 F&B outlets including the Al Mansour, and has overseen dining operations onboard the dhow for the past 13 years.

"The Dhow is very traditional, not like these modern boats you see today," comments Micheel.

"We cruise up the Creek to Al Maktoum Bridge - but no further, as the boat is too tall - and we travel out into the open sea unless it's stormy."

The cruise operates every night of the week on every day of the year and has been a major attraction in Deira for over a decade, offering guests an international buffet with a strong Arabian influence.

"Not all visitors to Dubai want to eat traditional cuisine," notes Micheel. "So we offer options - potato salad, coleslaw and similar European dishes.

"But I'd say around 80% of our buffet has an Arabic touch. I'd describe it as international food with an Arabian flair."

For the team at the Radisson, the cruise presents plenty of logistical challenges.

"Like any other outside catering, everything is prepared in our hotel kitchens and transferred in the back of a big truck so it is fresh when it goes on board the boat," says Micheel.

"As a five-star hotel we have a lot of regulations and paperwork, but like everything we do, food safety is the most important thing."

Preparing a menu that complements the journey requires a delicate balance. Over the years of overseeing the dhow dinners, Micheel has helped create a menu that caters precisely to those attracted to an up-market dhow cruise.

"It was important to look at our market rather than do what some chefs do and make menus for themselves, by saying 'I want this, I like this, this is my idea'. It's not really what the chef likes that's the important thing when constructing this type of menu," he says.

"Of course you try to put your own influences and ideas into the process, but at the end of the day it's the customers who come into the restaurant, so I must go and get to know my market.

"With the dhow we attract a lot of tourists, so we look towards local food and local culture to show them a bit of historic Dubai as we travel up the creek; it makes more sense to have hummus there then a European salad," he says.

Something different

The venture has been an ongoing success for the hotel, where it fits in well with five-star expectations.

"When you look at the range of our restaurants, from the noodle house, which is very fast-paced, to Japanese fine dining, we needed something that was very typical for tourists and visitors, yet offered something totally different," explains Micheel.

"This is why we decided to get the dhow. When you have people staying here for a week it is important to offer something unique."