014. I Found Dubai's Cheapest and Expensivest Street Food!!

Daily Anime

#StreetFood  #TravelTheWorld  #FoodTravel  #FoodieTravel  #StreetFoodAdventure

Transcript

00:00:00This is the moment I've been waiting for since my plane touched down here in Dubai.

00:00:04An entire baby camel sitting before us.

00:00:06Welcome to Dubai, a city where you can fill your stomach for a few bucks

00:00:10or spend thousands on luxury seven-star dining.

00:00:14And in between, the best Indian, Pakistani, and Middle Eastern food you'll find anywhere.

00:00:19Oh my god, yes!

00:00:20I like food that requires heavy machinery.

00:00:23This is some big boy food.

00:00:24In this Ultimate Dubai series, I'm exploring the extremes of the United Arab Emirates.

00:00:29Oh, this thing is massive.

00:00:32From budget-friendly biryanis that cost only a couple of bucks.

00:00:35Can you tell if I got a head or a butt?

00:00:37To seven-star dining at a hotel that costs $3,000 a night.

00:00:45But first, I'm taking on real, authentic Emirati cuisine.

00:00:49This, I believe, is bad.

00:00:52Seeing if I can eat $100 worth of local street food in one day.

00:00:56Let's move.

00:00:57Behind me are, first location, a humble breakfast eatery known as Al Shandaga.

00:01:03Restaurant.

00:01:04Not a huge restaurant.

00:01:05It's...

00:01:05Did I say humble?

00:01:07That doesn't matter.

00:01:07What they lack in seating, they make up for with an insanely expansive menu,

00:01:12including traditional Emirati breakfast foods.

00:01:14Something they call a donut.

00:01:16Though it does not look like any donut I've seen.

00:01:17Let me go inside.

00:01:18I'll take a closer look.

00:01:19As we move into the restaurant, you can see the menu.

00:01:21We're going to be starting with this legemat, also known in Arabic as legemat.

00:01:25I know a little bit of Arabic.

00:01:27Good morning.

00:01:27We're about to make breakfast with my guy, Masu Rana.

00:01:29We've got oil going here.

00:01:31Then right here, we have the legemat batter.

00:01:32In a moment, his hands are going to form some perfectly shaped balls.

00:01:36He gives the oil a little bit of a stir.

00:01:39He puts in a little bitty ball into the oil, and it begins to fry.

00:01:42This guy is moving quick.

00:01:43Boom, boom, boom.

00:01:45Every three seconds, another ball.

00:01:46From here, he takes his spoons, and he gives each of them a little bit of a flip.

00:01:49This is going to be the perfect way to start the date.

00:01:51After frying, he takes it out, drains some of the oil, and moves the legemat over to here.

00:01:56Boom.

00:01:56Behind me, Ali is going to be assembling our legemat, starting with a date syrup going on our plate.

00:02:01Then he takes the fried balls and places those on the plate.

00:02:04From here, the date syrup goes on top of everything.

00:02:07Finally, we have sesame seeds sprinkled on top.

00:02:10And that right there is our final dish, except for we need to see one more dish being made.

00:02:13Where do I got to go?

00:02:14Oh, there you are.

00:02:15Here we have a dish known as regat, and it starts on this hot plate.

00:02:18We put a little water on it.

00:02:19Right here, we have the regat's batter.

00:02:20He gets a nice big clump of batter, and he puts it here onto this hot plate.

00:02:24And that, he begins to move around.

00:02:26Sections of it absolutely stick onto that hot steel.

00:02:29He grabs an egg, and he cracks that on top.

00:02:32He breaks the egg.

00:02:33He moves it around.

00:02:34Now, two legends of laughing cow cheese.

00:02:36They get squished and moved around.

00:02:40What?

00:02:41From here, he takes a bag of chips, and he scatters those around the entire pancake.

00:02:45Next, hot sauce.

00:02:47Here we have an emirati fish sauce.

00:02:49And then, of course, a spatula from Home Depot.

00:02:51This can be used for removing paint, but also for clipping your pancake.

00:02:54He flips it twice, creating a perfect wedge.

00:02:58Right here, I'm having my first meal ever in Dubai.

00:03:01Emirati breakfast.

00:03:02Come take a look.

00:03:03This right here, $5.

00:03:05This right here, $2.

00:03:06I want to get started with this.

00:03:08Any special advice to me, or just go for it?

00:03:10Go for it.

00:03:10Meet Kiani, a local food content creator, born and raised in Dubai.

00:03:14Today, he'll be my emirati guide for this emirati street food.

00:03:18Cheers.

00:03:21It's really good.

00:03:22You see, perfectly fried balls are insanely crunchy on the outside.

00:03:25They're fluffy on the inside.

00:03:27It's so delicious.

00:03:28Today's syrup, oddly enough, reminds me of a maple syrup.

00:03:31It has a similar type of sweetness.

00:03:32Emirati people make it less than 10% of the population here in the UAE, meaning here in

00:03:38Dubai, they're a minority in their own city.

00:03:41So I wonder how that affects being able to find emirati food, rather than the more common

00:03:45Indian or Pakistani food.

00:03:47Then now it's very easy.

00:03:48Back then, we just finished by Indian.

00:03:49Our breakfast at home, like each house is different, but you could find more Indian food

00:03:54than emirati food.

00:03:55So often when I see people showing food videos of Dubai, I'm seeing Indian food and Pakistani

00:03:59food, but I'm not seeing something like this.

00:04:02This is called regat, the flat pancake.

00:04:04And what it's known for, especially, is what they put inside, which is emirati fish sauce.

00:04:09Yeah.

00:04:10This fish sauce is very unique.

00:04:11So it's fermented fish, and they keep it to the side, dry, and then they smash it.

00:04:16They add some water and salt, and that's very different than what you tried in Asia.

00:04:21It smells like a heavy amount of spice.

00:04:24It doesn't smell that fishy, actually.

00:04:26I'm going to mainline this stuff.

00:04:28It's going to give you a heart attack, but go for it.

00:04:30Cheers.

00:04:36Wow.

00:04:36It's so spice-heavy.

00:04:38Fish is giving it some umami.

00:04:40I like it.

00:04:40Now we take a bite of this.

00:04:45Yeah, I've got a lot of egg, a ton of cheese, and then you get a little bit of this, which

00:04:49is a heavy taste in cumin.

00:04:50I love it.

00:04:50This is our fuel, but we have a lot more to see, a lot more money to spend.

00:04:53Let's move.

00:04:54All right, folks, we have arrived here at our second location.

00:04:57Behind me, a grocery.

00:04:59And he has left.

00:05:00Okay.

00:05:01In this grocery store, there is a childhood snack that every emirati person knows.

00:05:05I'm going to go inside to discover which ingredient he's getting.

00:05:08Where'd you go, Kiani?

00:05:09You find me only in the chip section.

00:05:10He either said he's going to the chips section or the cheap section.

00:05:13Either way, I'm on board.

00:05:14This is the snack that brings back memories.

00:05:16Chips and wine.

00:05:17That's a different country.

00:05:18We prefer the Omani chips.

00:05:19Omani, they know what they're doing when it comes to chips.

00:05:21Yeah.

00:05:21But what else are we adding to these chips?

00:05:22Come with me.

00:05:23The original liver.

00:05:24This is one of the OG.

00:05:25And then we have the hot sauce.

00:05:27So these three ingredients combined together is going to bring back your memory.

00:05:31Yes, my sweet, sweet memories of being a young emirati boy.

00:05:34First thing you need to do is you're going to shake it, and then you're going to open.

00:05:37First thing you need to do is you need to smell it.

00:05:39Oh, it's like fresh ground coffee.

00:05:41Smells good.

00:05:42It smells like seasoned chips.

00:05:43The second thing is you need to add this one to your chips.

00:05:46Oh, God, I can feel the coldness of the yogurt going into the chip bag.

00:05:49It feels like it shouldn't be happening.

00:05:51The last ingredient is spicy sauce.

00:05:53I love that your childhood snack includes chips from Oman and hot sauce from the USA.

00:05:57Now, so the last step is we need to shake a little bit.

00:06:00A little bit of a mix.

00:06:01It's ready.

00:06:02What's ready?

00:06:04What happened?

00:06:06So first thing, you need to drink the yogurt.

00:06:10Oh, okay, I get it.

00:06:11It's like a savory yogurt now.

00:06:13Exactly.

00:06:13A little spicy.

00:06:14Spice comes from the chips of Oman and the spicy level from the spicy sauce.

00:06:17Just bring it a little bit up until you can have crispy, crunchy chips.

00:06:20I'm not sure about the crispy, crunchy part.

00:06:27Why do I love that?

00:06:28The chips are slightly soggy, but they've kind of soaked up the flavor of the yogurt.

00:06:31It's like a perfect tag team.

00:06:35Gosh dang.

00:06:36If I was in a weird, psychotic Mr. Beast video and made to live in this convenience store,

00:06:40I never would have thought of mixing these two items, and I like it very much.

00:06:43The chips, the yogurt, and the whole bottle of hot sauce, which you can eat later on in

00:06:46its own if you want to.

00:06:47$2.

00:06:48Not bad, but also not really helping us get to $100.

00:06:51That's why we have a lot of food remaining.

00:06:52Let's move.

00:06:53We have come to our next location.

00:06:54Right behind me, the Sambusa King.

00:06:56Now, if you didn't know, the word Sambusa is a regional variation of the word Samosa,

00:07:00influenced by the Arabic language.

00:07:02So is the Samosa in and of itself exciting?

00:07:05No.

00:07:05But here, they're giving it a bit of an upgrade.

00:07:07Let's go inside and find out how.

00:07:08Let's also get out of the sun, because I'm going to get skin cancer in 45 seconds.

00:07:12This way, to the kitchen.

00:07:13We're not actually ready yet.

00:07:14Let me set up lights.

00:07:15$2,000 years later.

00:07:17Right now, I am literally inside the Sambusa King kitchen.

00:07:20Right here, the Sambusa.

00:07:22This is the king of Sambusa.

00:07:24He has more than one type.

00:07:26First of all, all of this right here, vegetable Sambusa.

00:07:29Beyond the vegetable, they also have this, a meaty Sambusa.

00:07:32This is full of camel and shark.

00:07:35Which one do you like more?

00:07:36Vegetarian or?

00:07:37I think he just said every English food word he knew in a row.

00:07:49Is that what happened?

00:07:50What?

00:07:51Exactly.

00:07:51So, these are all raw.

00:07:53We got to throw them in some oil, right?

00:07:54My guy Rashad is coming here with a huge platter and dumping it all at once into this wok.

00:07:59My gosh, that is a hot wok.

00:08:01Meanwhile, he's scooping up even more Sambusa.

00:08:04That also gets put into the hot oil.

00:08:06More?

00:08:07How about one more?

00:08:09Perfect.

00:08:10Oh, almost perfect.

00:08:11So, these are the veggie Sambusa.

00:08:13Meanwhile, we have these right here full of every kind of meat on the planet, apparently.

00:08:18Each Sambusa fighting for its place in the oil.

00:08:20Like a bunch of Chinese people in a wave pool.

00:08:23Yeah, see?

00:08:23It's the same.

00:08:24The meat Samosas come out of the oil.

00:08:26They get a little bit of a shake.

00:08:27And they head over to their final resting place.

00:08:29And our veggie Sambusas, golden and crispy.

00:08:32Right here, we have our meat Sambusa.

00:08:34What we're going to do soon is turn this into a bigger food.

00:08:38But I do want to try this because I want to see how it tastes.

00:08:42Mmm.

00:08:43That's really good.

00:08:44Very crunchy.

00:08:45I got green chilies.

00:08:46I got a little bit of cheese.

00:08:47And perhaps some tiny little morsels of minced meat.

00:08:51It's outstanding.

00:08:52I love it.

00:08:52Here's what I've just learned from my guy Rashad.

00:08:54Turns out these are all completely different.

00:08:56So, in the dish that they're about to make, it includes all these different varieties of Sambusa.

00:09:01Some are falafel.

00:09:02Some are full of meat.

00:09:03And some are just full of cheese.

00:09:05The great saucening begins starting with a white sauce.

00:09:08Right here, a spicy green sauce.

00:09:11Drips and drabs of hot sauce dropping upon the Sambusa.

00:09:14A familiar ingredient in today's foods.

00:09:17Chips Oman getting sprinkled on.

00:09:19Like fine slices of truffles.

00:09:20We have the final product and it looks amazing.

00:09:23Essentially what I would call Sambusa or Samosa nachos.

00:09:26The white sauce, they say it's a king sauce.

00:09:28I go, cool, but like what is it?

00:09:29And he said, king sauce.

00:09:30And I go, oh, but like what's in it?

00:09:31And he said, king sauce.

00:09:33Nice.

00:09:33Let's give it a shot.

00:09:36Mmm.

00:09:37Oh, that's good.

00:09:38Crunchy, salty, spicy.

00:09:39I think the king sauce might be a garlicky type yogurt thing.

00:09:42The most fun part of this is that each time you pick up a Sambusa, you have no idea what's going to be inside.

00:09:46My guy, what is in there?

00:09:47This one's Sambusa chicken.

00:09:48Chicken-y goodness.

00:09:51The green sauce, indeed spicy, sour, fresh, very salty.

00:09:55Let's try another one.

00:09:58You know what's in that one?

00:09:59It's Zatar.

00:09:59Kiani, what is Zatar?

00:10:01Zatar comes with roasted sesame and sumo and mix this with olive oil.

00:10:05Zatar.

00:10:08Very sour, but the crunch is losing out to all that sauce.

00:10:11Next.

00:10:11I'm trying my last one before we move on to the next food.

00:10:16Mmm.

00:10:16That's something different.

00:10:17What's that?

00:10:18It's from Kima.

00:10:19Kima is a delicious minced beef.

00:10:22It's seasoned.

00:10:22It's juicy.

00:10:23That might be my favorite so far.

00:10:25Mmm.

00:10:26So those are the Sambusa nachos.

00:10:27But my guys, we are in the Sambusa kingdom right now.

00:10:30And there's more food to be had here.

00:10:32Let's move on to the next dish.

00:10:33Boom.

00:10:34I'm in the front kitchen now with my guy, Mohamed.

00:10:36And he's about to make a dastardly sandwich.

00:10:38Step one.

00:10:39He cuts the hot dog bun in half.

00:10:41He splits it open.

00:10:42And he applies something called puck white cheese.

00:10:45From here, he takes a couple of Sambusas and he smushes them against the bread.

00:10:49The Oman chips popping and being sprinkled on top of the sandwich.

00:10:53Now we have that white king sauce making an appearance.

00:10:55And the green sauce too.

00:10:57Finally, a hit of some spicy sauce.

00:10:59And that is how you make the Sambusa king special sandwich.

00:11:02Boom.

00:11:02We have our final food from the Sambusa king.

00:11:04Let's talk about the price.

00:11:05We're almost halfway through our day of eating.

00:11:07And I feel like I'm getting close to $100.

00:11:09Let's find out for sure.

00:11:10The first dish we had, the Sambusa nachos, $5.50.

00:11:13With this right here.

00:11:14My guy?

00:11:14One and a half dollar.

00:11:15It is literally a hot dog bun with random ingredients from the kitchen.

00:11:18Let's give it a shot.

00:11:23Mmm.

00:11:24That is Middle Eastern comfort food.

00:11:26What do you think?

00:11:26Give it a shot.

00:11:27It's really good.

00:11:29I feel like I'm a king around.

00:11:30Whatever mac and cheese is to you, that's what this is to folks in this area.

00:11:34We've got the vegetable Sambusa inside.

00:11:36So it's got potato.

00:11:37It's full of masala.

00:11:39And it's got tons of different sauces on top.

00:11:43I love it.

00:11:44So far today, we've had breakfast and a couple of snacky foods.

00:11:46But from here, it's only going to get more substantial.

00:11:48And later today, we'll be ending with an epic Emirati seafood platter.

00:11:52But next, what is our next thing?

00:11:53It's also a Emirati restaurant.

00:11:55But next, something else.

00:11:57Boom.

00:11:57We've come to our next location.

00:11:58Behind me, a restaurant known as Haris al-Farish.

00:12:01Now, Haris is a very fascinating food.

00:12:03Actually, I had a similar food when I was in Oman six years ago.

00:12:07There, they call it Halim.

00:12:08Halim is a unique mixture of wheat, goat, and ghee.

00:12:12It's fat, protein, and carbs beaten and soaked together until it becomes a new, unusual, fascinating texture.

00:12:18That is what we're going to see inside of there.

00:12:19That is what we're going to see inside of there.

00:12:20Let's go inside and see what it looks like.

00:12:22This place is awesome.

00:12:23Wait until you see the size of this pot.

00:12:25This is the Haris.

00:12:27And here we have the mixer.

00:12:28He inserts it.

00:12:29And he goes wild.

00:12:31Have you ever seen anything like it?

00:12:33I was like, look at the texture of this Haris right here.

00:12:35It is so thick and goopy.

00:12:36You cannot use an ordinary mixer here.

00:12:38You need something with 230 camel power.

00:12:41Can I try?

00:12:41Okay.

00:12:41I am so thin and petite.

00:12:43Probably I'll be the one twirling and this will stay in one place.

00:12:45Oh my God.

00:12:50Yes.

00:12:50Listen, I like food that requires heavy machinery.

00:12:53This is some big boy food.

00:12:54Now that it is thoroughly mixed up, we're going to scoop this into a dish and try it out.

00:12:58All right, folks.

00:12:59Right here we have the first real substantial meal of the day.

00:13:02We have the Halim or as they call it here, Haris.

00:13:04I'm surprised they give you a plastic spoon because this spoon can hardly handle the gloopiness.

00:13:08Not only is it heavy and laden with carbohydrates, they also pour ghee on top.

00:13:13I love when you can mix two different ingredients together, beat the heck out of it,

00:13:17and there's a chemical reaction that happens on a particle subatomic level that creates this.

00:13:23Let's give it a shot.

00:13:27Wow.

00:13:27What?

00:13:28It's like eating a hot Elmer's glue.

00:13:30It's so good though.

00:13:31It's rich.

00:13:31You can taste the protein, but you don't necessarily feel the protein since it's all become this

00:13:36strange texture.

00:13:36It's confusing that you can actually see individual muscle fibers that are still sticking out.

00:13:43It's something so incredibly unique.

00:13:45I love it.

00:13:45This is my favorite.

00:13:48This is very similar to my mom used to cook.

00:13:50My mom, she made a mean tater tot hot dish, but she made pretty good Halim too.

00:13:53To be honest, my mom never made this.

00:13:56So that is dish number one.

00:13:57But for dish number two, let's head into the kitchen now to see how they make it.

00:14:00Right now we're making our second dish known as three.

00:14:03It has two main components.

00:14:04One of them is going to be familiar to you.

00:14:06It's what we had already this morning at our first location.

00:14:09This is the ragat.

00:14:10That crispy dough that was put on a super hot plate.

00:14:13That is going to be the base of this dish.

00:14:15Right here, our second component in the hot pan, we have a chicken and vegetable stew.

00:14:19That is what's going to go on top of these crispy little crackers.

00:14:22He's putting on broth and all that broth and all those flavors are absolutely soaking into

00:14:27those crackers.

00:14:28The camera guy is moving with precision, hitting the kitchen implements onto the camera.

00:14:33At last, that is our final product.

00:14:35This looks absolutely delicious.

00:14:36Let's go eat.

00:14:37Oh God, we're not done.

00:14:38And cilantro.

00:14:39And lemon.

00:14:41And are we done actually?

00:14:42No.

00:14:42Let's go eat.

00:14:43And this alone is already pretty tasty.

00:14:46It's the original Oman chip.

00:14:48Finally, the local chips getting a little bit of credit instead of all the immigrant chips

00:14:52coming in, taking all the jobs of the local chips.

00:14:54So here we've got the lemon.

00:14:55I'm going to give it a little bit of a spritz.

00:14:57Right here, a nice big piece of chicken.

00:15:01Savory, spiced, tender, heartwarming.

00:15:03It's a nice little stew.

00:15:04But what I really care about is what's beneath that.

00:15:06As you dig down more, these crackers have changed.

00:15:09They've become soggy and they've absorbed all that liquid from that stew.

00:15:15Wow, that's something new.

00:15:16It's super saturated and soggy.

00:15:19It's not dense at all.

00:15:22That's good.

00:15:23Do you want to try some, my friend?

00:15:24This is my favorite tea.

00:15:27This is softness of the regard.

00:15:28And the spice of broth is just insane.

00:15:30Very unique.

00:15:31Part of my mission today is to understand what is Emirati food.

00:15:34For you, what are the main influences of food in the United Arab Emirates?

00:15:38UAE, it's the most country in the world that has influenced by 200 countries.

00:15:42All the dishes, like from India, from Lebanon, from all the countries.

00:15:45Basically, our mom, they created their own creativity.

00:15:48So they make more Emirati dishes.

00:15:50It sounds like you had all these outside influences and people took what they had around them.

00:15:54Plus these influences and that is what Emirati cuisine was made of.

00:15:58Yes.

00:15:58So far in the video, we're not quite to $100, but we still have two locations remaining.

00:16:02And the food is only going to get bigger and more substantial from here.

00:16:05So let's keep moving.

00:16:06Let's try to hit that goal.

00:16:07We have come to our next location right behind me.

00:16:10It's a little confusing.

00:16:11We are essentially in an industrial part of the city.

00:16:14We're a bit outside of the center of Dubai.

00:16:16But here, I'm told, there's a community of Emirati people.

00:16:20And in this place that looks like a warehouse, there's a restaurant.

00:16:23This is a restaurant for the real Emirati people.

00:16:26We're going to go meet the owner now.

00:16:27He's cooked up something special for us to see.

00:16:29Let's go inside and take a look.

00:16:31So this is the dining room.

00:16:32But beyond the dining room is the kitchen.

00:16:36Or something.

00:16:37Okay, what?

00:16:39Aha, a big kitchen in here.

00:16:40This is the owner right here.

00:16:41Hello, sir.

00:16:43Oh, there is something underneath this platter.

00:16:45I'm going to show you guys before I show myself.

00:16:48Take a look.

00:16:50Thomas, are you filming it?

00:16:51Yeah, but there's...

00:16:52Oh, there's more stuff.

00:16:53Now we're ready for the big reveal.

00:16:59Whoa, gnarly.

00:17:01What you're looking at is a whole lamb cooked inside a tannure.

00:17:04A traditional cooking method using a cylindrical clay or metal oven.

00:17:08So basically, we have a sheet that's been sectioned up into big chunks and put around this platter.

00:17:12Also on the platter, I see chickpeas.

00:17:14I see long-grain basmati rice.

00:17:16And then I see this type of plant.

00:17:18It's all over the platter.

00:17:19What is this?

00:17:20We took it from Hatta.

00:17:21Hatta.

00:17:21Yeah, it's local plants and between the mountains and like this is growing up.

00:17:25This is for the flavor only.

00:17:26Oh, you don't eat it.

00:17:27We don't eat it.

00:17:30Oh, yeah.

00:17:30That's why they don't eat it.

00:17:31Actually, I kind of like it.

00:17:32You might want to reconsider that.

00:17:33It's a little leathery though.

00:17:34But it has some nice flavor.

00:17:36All right, folks.

00:17:36We have our food here.

00:17:37The only problem is now we're going to have to transport these 40 pounds to the dining room.

00:17:42As you...

00:17:42Oh.

00:17:43Why are you making it look not heavy?

00:17:46I promised that we were building up to something much more substantial.

00:17:48And here it is.

00:17:49Throughout the day, the goal initially was to spend over $100.

00:17:53I thought that's going to be easy to buy.

00:17:55It's an expensive city.

00:17:55But then in our first four food locations, I thought food here is pretty affordable.

00:17:59And then this platter happened.

00:18:00The price for everything you see here, $400.

00:18:02But here's the twist.

00:18:04This dish is a special gift from the owner to Kiani and me.

00:18:07Luckily, we have one location remaining.

00:18:09So even though I thought we surpassed that $100 goal, we in fact did not.

00:18:14So where do you think we should start?

00:18:15You can have shoulder.

00:18:16Oh, it's very hard.

00:18:18Yeah.

00:18:18It's got a whole bone sticking out.

00:18:21I'm going to get it ready for you.

00:18:23No, hold on.

00:18:23That's your leg, my man.

00:18:25We have a whole sheep here.

00:18:26And I believe the sheep was not an amputee.

00:18:28We have another shoulder.

00:18:29It is so soft and juicy.

00:18:32You can see all the seasonings charred to the outside.

00:18:35And then as you open it up, just pure fatty deliciousness.

00:18:38Let's go for it.

00:18:42That's incredible.

00:18:43The natural flavor really comes through because the spices are very subtle.

00:18:46In fact, if you're not getting that outside layer, you're not getting a ton of flavor aside from the natural flavor of the lamb.

00:18:51But those natural flavors are amazing.

00:18:56We have here chutney, which is coriander and garlic.

00:18:58And we have tomato with the chili paste and with the garlic as well.

00:19:01So this is what we need to do.

00:19:03Grab your favorite piece of meat.

00:19:05Put it on the rice.

00:19:06Ah, okay.

00:19:07So I got meat and rice.

00:19:08Now I take the sauce.

00:19:09I'm going with the green coriander chutney.

00:19:11Let's go for it.

00:19:16Spicy.

00:19:17A little bit.

00:19:18Rotten.

00:19:21I got to say, that's incredible.

00:19:22The meat is like a canvas.

00:19:24It has some flavor.

00:19:25The texture is 10 out of 10 amazing.

00:19:26But when you add in the rice, some of these fried shallots, and then when you put on this coriander, that's garlicky.

00:19:32A little bit of spice.

00:19:33A little bit of cucumber in there too.

00:19:34It just adds so much flavor.

00:19:35This, I believe, is the head.

00:19:37Oh, what's in the box?

00:19:40There's eyeballs.

00:19:41There's a lot of flesh and tissue still attached to it.

00:19:43What part do you like the most?

00:19:44Eyes.

00:19:45Really?

00:19:45Oh, man.

00:19:46It sucks that it only has one eye.

00:19:48This was a pirate lamb, I think.

00:19:49Let's take it out.

00:19:49I'm going to remove the eyes.

00:19:51Oh, yeah.

00:19:51Remove the black part here, and then squeeze the eyeball?

00:19:54Squeeze a little bit, yeah.

00:19:55Yeah, we don't want this.

00:19:55So then we're left with this.

00:19:56This.

00:19:57Ooh, the flavor in here.

00:20:00Pretty good.

00:20:01Rotten.

00:20:01Yeah, it's buttery.

00:20:02It's gooey.

00:20:03There's a little bit of musculature on the outside.

00:20:05Whatever controls your eyes to be able to do this, that's what we just said.

00:20:08It was like eating a science experiment.

00:20:10Sadly, our lamb is now blind, but let's see if it wants to speak a final word.

00:20:16That was a very loud word.

00:20:17This is really the most intimate part of this animal.

00:20:20It was in its mouth.

00:20:21Yeah.

00:20:21For its whole life.

00:20:22But now it's going to be in my mouth.

00:20:24Wait, wait, wait.

00:20:25You need to skin off the tongue.

00:20:26You peel the skin off.

00:20:27Yeah, yeah.

00:20:27You could keep the skin on a potato and still eat that.

00:20:30That's true.

00:20:30But when I was 25 years old, how is it?

00:20:34It's very nice.

00:20:34It's like eating a grape.

00:20:35This leathery exterior.

00:20:37But it's full of juicy meat.

00:20:39And that meat has become like a pate on the inside.

00:20:42You want to try it with the tongue skin on?

00:20:43Yeah, we'll go for it.

00:20:45Look at that.

00:20:46It just kept all the texture inside the meat.

00:20:48That's right.

00:20:48It's very good, yeah.

00:20:49Still, I'd rather have to remove the skin off.

00:20:50Yeah, okay.

00:20:51That's what you're used to.

00:20:52I'm a skin on kind of guy.

00:20:53He's a skin off kind of guy.

00:20:54Moving on.

00:20:55We have one more location remaining.

00:20:57A location where we're going to have our biggest platter yet.

00:21:00Let's head there now.

00:21:01Right now, I have 20 pounds of lamb sitting inside my rental car trunk.

00:21:05I shouldn't be going to another location, but yet, here I am.

00:21:08You see, Dubai is on the ocean.

00:21:10And that ocean is full of seafood.

00:21:11And that seafood makes its way here to this restaurant, where they put it on gigantic platters.

00:21:15Platters that can feed up to 10 people.

00:21:17Let's go inside and see how much their biggest seafood platter costs.

00:21:21Let's find out.

00:21:22All right, folks.

00:21:22We have entered the kitchen.

00:21:23And this is going to be the platter that we're using today for the seafood.

00:21:28But seafood is not quite ready.

00:21:29Right here, we have some giant pieces of fish roasting away in the oven.

00:21:33Beyond the fish, we also have big shrimpies roasting on the flat top in a little bit of a cage.

00:21:38We're about to release them from their prison.

00:21:40Right here, my muscles also baking.

00:21:42Soon, we're going to assemble all these separate pieces of seafood and bring them together in one refugee camp for seafood.

00:21:48They can all lock fins and sing kumbaya as they head down my throat.

00:21:52Right here, we have something very special.

00:21:53So that is actually baby shark meat that has been minced and seasoned and mixed with a few other ingredients.

00:22:00So he takes a spoonful of that minced shark and he puts it into this unique-shaped pan.

00:22:05Now he puts in some lemon juice.

00:22:07Just a capful.

00:22:08Right here, he has a bottle of ghee.

00:22:09He puts in just like measuring cough syrup.

00:22:11And then here, we have a masala blend.

00:22:13Very flavorful.

00:22:14So he gives it a little bit of a mix.

00:22:16He grabs a lighter gun.

00:22:18Brace for impact.

00:22:19Okay, we're fine.

00:22:19We're okay.

00:22:20Look at the mixing.

00:22:21They call him Sir Mix-A-Lot.

00:22:23At this point, you've seen many of the separate seafood elements.

00:22:25But now it's time to actually build the platter, starting with the rice.

00:22:29Long grain basmati rice.

00:22:31Some masala leaf.

00:22:32Here, we have a second type of rice known as mandi rice.

00:22:38Right here, we have all of the seafood and the rice ready to come together in one delicious platter.

00:22:44It starts with the sea bass.

00:22:46This is called a sea bream.

00:22:47Here, a filet of salmon.

00:22:49Over there, he scoops a...

00:22:50Oh, who's that guy?

00:22:51Then he reveals the minced baby shark.

00:22:53Here, mussels.

00:22:55Next up, we've got shrimpies.

00:22:59Now he puts on some fried calamari.

00:23:01This thing is absolutely packed.

00:23:04Loaded with seafood.

00:23:05I've never seen anything like it.

00:23:06And that, my friends, is how you make an epic emirati seafood platter here in Dubai.

00:23:11We have come to our last location.

00:23:13And this is our last meal.

00:23:14Coming in at $150.

00:23:16I'm still not sure if I'm going to hit that $100 mark.

00:23:18But we'll find out at the end.

00:23:20Tell me about this platter.

00:23:21Is this a common sight in Dubai?

00:23:22You have one of the biggest seafood platter in Dubai.

00:23:25This is where you can find all the seafood in one place.

00:23:27The last location, this location, we have a giant platter.

00:23:30Why is that a part of the way food is eaten here in Dubai?

00:23:33Marathi food is all about eating together.

00:23:35So that's the best part.

00:23:36And the second part is every part of the delicious meat on top of rice.

00:23:40Important is you will not hide any meat under the rice.

00:23:42Please, tell me what to do.

00:23:43I will go with this.

00:23:44This is peach sauce.

00:23:46It smells like butterscotch.

00:23:47Do your thing.

00:23:49Oh my god.

00:23:50That's oil too, right?

00:23:51Oil too.

00:23:52As if our food wasn't rich enough today.

00:23:54When you look at the food here, what looks the most inviting?

00:23:57One of the interesting dishes for us is fish supreme.

00:24:00What we're going to do is we're going to grab baby shark, keep it here,

00:24:02and grab one beautiful piece of ream.

00:24:05You need to take it with the skin because you're going to taste them smoky.

00:24:07Basically, we have a fistful of seafood.

00:24:09Please, let's see it, my guy.

00:24:11This is what I want.

00:24:12A little bit of shark, mince it up a little bit of the sea bream.

00:24:15Throw the fish on there, keep the skin.

00:24:17And then I'm going to just pick up the perfect bite.

00:24:19Let's go for it.

00:24:24I've got to be careful.

00:24:25I think there's a bone in there.

00:24:26That is really nice.

00:24:27This is absolutely loaded with turmeric.

00:24:29It's salty, it's seasoned, it's masala-y.

00:24:32Then you mix it with the rice, you mix it with some of that fat from the skin.

00:24:34It's absolutely delicious.

00:24:37So next we have some mussels.

00:24:39There's a juicy side, just make sure you don't lose that juice.

00:24:45That's a nice, juicy mussel.

00:24:47Very good.

00:24:48My camera guy says he's allergic to seafood.

00:24:51He ate the horse.

00:24:52Do you remember the horse, guys?

00:24:54Thomas, it's not worse than the horse.

00:24:56That's true.

00:24:59The camera guy is deceased.

00:25:00This is marinated shrimp.

00:25:01I will see if there's any juice inside.

00:25:04There's no main juices.

00:25:07I love the honest review.

00:25:08This is covered in delicious masala and seasonings, except for that's a shell.

00:25:13And when you strip it out of the shell, it's like it got caught without its underwear.

00:25:16There's no spice anymore.

00:25:16I got to rub one of these against one of these.

00:25:19There we go.

00:25:20Smoky, bold, nachosy, but still delicious.

00:25:25A moment ago in the kitchen, he prepared the rice.

00:25:27He said this is mandi rice.

00:25:28What's mandi rice?

00:25:29So mandi rice comes with a lot of spices and a lot of unique emiratio herbs as well.

00:25:33So it has to cook more than three or four hours.

00:25:36It's local to get that oil spices in the rice.

00:25:39We have some salmon here.

00:25:40That skin is actually looking pretty dang good.

00:25:42Blackened, seasoned salmon skin along with the salmon itself and this seasoned mandi rice.

00:25:48That's excellent.

00:25:49The rice is delicious.

00:25:50This, when you mix it with the salmon, the salmon is a bit juicy still.

00:25:53And then I'm just getting tons of Middle Eastern spices and cumin from this rice.

00:25:57This, whatever you ate, was your way of eating.

00:25:59But let me show you my way of eating or emirati way of eating.

00:26:02Sure.

00:26:03So grab your rice and you're going to go to sheep.

00:26:06The sauce is very important.

00:26:07It's chili, tomato, and coriander.

00:26:09And you're going to grab this rock and leaf.

00:26:11Must be.

00:26:14Wonderful.

00:26:15I love how animated he is.

00:26:16Why can't match that?

00:26:17I'm going to do that off camera.

00:26:18That'll be some bonus content on my OnlyFans.

00:26:20That's where my one fan goes to watch my private videos.

00:26:23Today, after six emirati food stops, I spent $177 and my budget is busted.

00:26:30But what if I had an unlimited budget for one of this region's most adored foods?

00:26:34I'm talking about biryani.

00:26:36Next, I'll be taking on a biryani platter that costs $270.

00:26:41But first, we're warming up with a mid-price biryani and a biryani that costs only a couple of dollars.

00:26:47Let's move.

00:26:48Well, we have come to our first location, the food ATM.

00:26:53This place has an incredible story.

00:26:55And they're serving biryani, amazingly, at a price under $1.

00:26:58How are they able to do it?

00:26:59Soon, I'll be talking to the owner to find out.

00:27:02Aisha, thank you for having me here.

00:27:03My understanding is that you're able to prepare and sell biryani for under $1.

00:27:08How is that possible?

00:27:09Are you losing money?

00:27:10Is this a business?

00:27:11Yes, it's very much a business.

00:27:12It is possible to survive on small profit margins.

00:27:15That is what Food ATM is about.

00:27:17But because the volume of sales is very large, we survive and we grow.

00:27:20Since opening in 2006, Food ATM has worked with food banks to turn surplus ingredients into

00:27:26affordable, nutritious meals, supporting food security for people in need across the UAE while reducing food waste.

00:27:33I've seen biryani get cooked in many different countries, and usually it's a long process.

00:27:38But I just saw your guy in the kitchen there make biryani in like 20 minutes.

00:27:42The first set of cooks that I had, they would say biryani takes three hours.

00:27:46And I would say three hours?

00:27:47The laborers working in the country, they don't have three hours to wait for your food.

00:27:50Through experimentation, streamlining the process, and cooking different parts of the meal simultaneously,

00:27:55Aisha and her chefs have managed to cut the biryani cooking time down to just 20 minutes per batch.

00:28:00This efficiency allows them to feed thousands of low-income workers every day.

00:28:05Her main customers are taxi drivers, who regularly work long 12-hour shifts with few breaks.

00:28:10So let's see if it's really possible to cook biryani in 20 minutes.

00:28:14All right, right here we got Ramesh, and he's got a canister of oil.

00:28:17Take it away.

00:28:18The oil heads into the pot to begin with.

00:28:21I'm not sure how he measured that.

00:28:22I think that was 18 seconds of oil.

00:28:24Follow that with a mix of whole spices, including cinnamon, dried chilies, fennel, and bay leaves.

00:28:29This is a green chili paste going in next.

00:28:32It's a green chili paste, but it's full of garlic, too.

00:28:35The smells in here are getting intense.

00:28:37Then even more spices like coriander powder, turmeric, chili powder, salt, and other secret seasonings.

00:28:43Finally, add water and let it cook for a bit before adding in rice.

00:28:46A little splattering going on, but I'm using this gentleman here as a human shield, protecting myself from any potential danger.

00:28:53After the rice has finished steaming, the chef adds food coloring, a cheaper replacement for saffron, which would normally be used to create a vibrant orange hue.

00:29:00Then he finishes it off with chopped mint and green chilies.

00:29:03All right, folks, we have our meal here.

00:29:06It is 82 cents.

00:29:07For that amount of money, you get a water, a fun snack, and you get a pound and a half of food.

00:29:12Take a look at all that biryani.

00:29:13First of all, the biryani underneath, yellow, orange.

00:29:16We've got chilies.

00:29:17We've got so much flavor.

00:29:18And all of this made in such a short time.

00:29:20I can't believe it.

00:29:21It feels steamy.

00:29:22It feels a little bit oily.

00:29:24Let's toss it back.

00:29:24That's a bit wet, very steamy, and very flavorful.

00:29:30This is really a biryani with some personality.

00:29:33I've gone to, like, charity-type kitchens in the past, and sometimes when you get the final product, it can be bland, it can be lacking flavor.

00:29:39This is not that.

00:29:40So that is a biryani.

00:29:40But next I want to move on to this right here.

00:29:42This is tilapia.

00:29:43Believe it or not, the 82 cents we paid for all that food also includes a side of protein.

00:29:48Today, I got a piece of tilapia that was slathered in a delicious masala blend and fried to perfection.

00:29:54Can you tell if I got a head or a butt?

00:29:57Um, I got a head that looks like a butt.

00:29:59A butthead.

00:30:02Let's give it a shot.

00:30:07It's really good except for all the bones I put in my mouth just now on accident.

00:30:10It's crunchy.

00:30:10It tastes like freshwater fish.

00:30:11It's delicious.

00:30:12I love kitchens like this who really think of the customer first.

00:30:15It's not just about making the cheapest product.

00:30:17It's about making something that's inexpensive, but also that people are going to keep coming back for.

00:30:21Because if this didn't taste good, people would not be coming back.

00:30:23And this tastes great.

00:30:24So that is biryani number one.

00:30:25But we have a lot more biryani to see today.

00:30:27And eventually, we're going to be building up to a biryani that costs over $100.

00:30:31But next, we're headed to our second location for our mid-priced biryani.

00:30:35Let's head there now.

00:30:37Well, we have come to our second location.

00:30:39Right behind me, a Pakistani restaurant known as Salt and Chili's.

00:30:43Here, we're stepping into controversial territory.

00:30:45A mid-tier biryani that costs $29.

00:30:47But unlike our other two Indian locations, this one is coming from Pakistan.

00:30:52But can it stand up to the competition?

00:30:54India versus Pakistan?

00:30:56The biryani battle is officially on.

00:30:58Gozumil, it's a pleasure to be here.

00:31:00Thank you for inviting me into your kitchen.

00:31:02First of all, this is a Pakistani restaurant.

00:31:04Who makes better biryani, India or Pakistan?

00:31:07Pakistan Karachi biryani.

00:31:08The most famous biryani.

00:31:09Is that right?

00:31:10Yes.

00:31:10I just feel like 1.3 billion people might disagree.

00:31:12But what makes you say that Pakistan has the best biryani?

00:31:16Because they love the biryani.

00:31:17They like the biryani.

00:31:18And they know how to cook the biryani.

00:31:20How to make the biryani.

00:31:21How to present the biryani.

00:31:22These are the students who are the future of Pakistan.

00:31:26And they are representing in the world Pakistan.

00:31:29Today, you're putting bone marrow into the biryani.

00:31:32What is good about the bone marrow?

00:31:33That people like this bone marrow in the biryani.

00:31:35You do it because people like it, yes?

00:31:37Yes.

00:31:37People love it.

00:31:38There you have it, folks.

00:31:39I have a new baby, baby girl.

00:31:40Will I like the bone marrow more than I love my daughter?

00:31:44Okay.

00:31:45Oh.

00:31:46There you have it, folks.

00:31:47Biryani better than my newborn daughter.

00:31:49Now I'm excited.

00:31:50I can't wait to try it, sir.

00:31:53Let's do it.

00:31:54Start with oil, a giant plate of various beef cuts,

00:31:57ginger garlic paste, and yogurt.

00:31:59Then it's time for their secret dry spice blend or masala.

00:32:02Follow that with whole spices like chili flakes,

00:32:04bay leaves, turmeric, salt, cinnamon, and cloves.

00:32:07Mix, cover it up, and let those flavors mingle.

00:32:10All right, folks.

00:32:10I'm told my guy Nixon right behind me is about to make a dry gravy

00:32:14that will later go on top of the biryani rice.

00:32:17Let's get to it.

00:32:17It all begins with tomatoes.

00:32:19Right here, we have a bunch of cut-up coriander and some green chilies.

00:32:22After that, slices of lemon.

00:32:24After that, a load of masala spices.

00:32:26And finally, some fried onions and even more spices.

00:32:29From here, Nixon gets to work like he's washing someone's hair at a salon,

00:32:34mixing to and fro, getting everything combined into one homogenous mixture.

00:32:38The next step, Nixon takes the dry masala and adds that to the beef,

00:32:41including those delicious beef bones.

00:32:44Wow, beautiful.

00:32:45Looks like confetti.

00:32:47From here, they add some food coloring for that extra bit of orange hue.

00:32:50Ooh, very nice.

00:32:51Extra red now.

00:32:52Can this get any more red?

00:32:53Top that with cooked rice and even more food coloring.

00:32:56Finish with another layer of rice and fried onions.

00:32:59So from here, he begins to mix around that fluffy biryani.

00:33:03He digs down deep until he reaches the beef and he puts it on the platter.

00:33:07Nixon is digging deep, getting big chunks of beef from the bottom of the pot.

00:33:10He piles on some white fluffy rice on top and that section is finished.

00:33:14Next, the platter receives the bone.

00:33:16Next, he digs around for some coriander.

00:33:18All right, folks, right here we have our final product.

00:33:21This is the bone marrow beef biryani.

00:33:23Let's go outside and check it out.

00:33:27Biryani number two, come take a look, baby.

00:33:29Let me invite you to this platter that is almost full to the edges.

00:33:33In the kitchen, I asked the chef, hey, we do have a big platter here.

00:33:35What if you just filled it up to the edges?

00:33:37And here's what he did.

00:33:39There.

00:33:40I like that.

00:33:41Nixon, overachiever.

00:33:43Let's talk about the price.

00:33:44This right here, everything you see is $29.

00:33:47So a big step up from our first location.

00:33:49But I gotta say, also, a good amount more biryani.

00:33:51Here, we have bigger, more substantial pieces of meat.

00:33:54And don't forget about the bone.

00:33:56First of all, let's see how soft it is after braising for some time.

00:33:59Not bad.

00:34:00All right.

00:34:01Let's give it a shot.

00:34:06Perfectly respectable and delicious.

00:34:08It is soft, but it's still got bite to it.

00:34:10But it's absolutely caked with this variety of masalas.

00:34:13I can taste ginger, garlic.

00:34:15There's chili flakes and chili powder.

00:34:18It's really good.

00:34:19Let's talk about the biryani itself.

00:34:21And let's take a look.

00:34:22Right here, we have a tomato from our dry masala gravy.

00:34:25We've got some rice.

00:34:26Oh, and whole spices too.

00:34:28Cheers.

00:34:28Oh, yeah.

00:34:34Wow.

00:34:34How do I describe this?

00:34:35Okay, go to an Indian guy's house, open his spice cabinet, put all of it on some rice.

00:34:39It's like that.

00:34:40It is like the India-Pakistan conflict in my stomach.

00:34:43Oh, I'm feeling conflicted.

00:34:44It is very potent, very flavorful, and almost jarring.

00:34:47Meanwhile, I like it.

00:34:48So that is the beef, and that is the rice biryani.

00:34:50But what really makes this one special is the bone.

00:34:53Now, there is a special technique that you need to use with the bone in order to get the bone marrow out.

00:34:58Allow me to show you.

00:35:04I can hear it in there.

00:35:07Get out.

00:35:11Oh, what the fish?

00:35:14Oh, I almost got it.

00:35:15Red!

00:35:20Exhausting.

00:35:21But at last, we have the climax.

00:35:22Come take a look.

00:35:23This is the bone marrow from within.

00:35:25It doesn't come out easy, but when it comes, it's worth it.

00:35:28Let's give it a shot.

00:35:32Oh, man.

00:35:33That's good.

00:35:33It's melting in your mouth.

00:35:34It's kind of soft and satisfying.

00:35:36It's like this biryani is already oil-laden.

00:35:39Meanwhile, you're getting that bone marrow, making it even more decadent.

00:35:42But the best part is the flavor.

00:35:44It tastes like cow butter, and it's delicious.

00:35:47So that is the bone marrow beef biryani here at this Pakistani restaurant, I gotta say.

00:35:51It's pretty good, but from here, we have one more level of biryani left.

00:35:54Biryani that costs $272.

00:35:57We're headed to our final location now.

00:35:59Let's move.

00:35:59Welcome to Trescent, where Indian food comes to get a high-tech makeover.

00:36:10This place is amazing.

00:36:14Since 2014, Trescent has been innovating and pushing the boundaries of Indian cuisine,

00:36:19combining European techniques with Indian flavors, which has even put them on the Michelin guide.

00:36:24This is a kitchen where all the magic happens, and this is where we're going to get one of

00:36:27the most expensive biryanis in Dubai, nay, in the world.

00:36:31Right here, we have the chef, Jishan, with me.

00:36:33He is going to make everything happen.

00:36:34He's got the ingredients right here.

00:36:36Let's get into it.

00:36:36Of the ingredients that we see here, what is the most expensive?

00:36:40The most expensive mushroom in the world, which is called gucci from Kashmir.

00:36:43Meet the morel mushrooms, also known as the gucci mushroom.

00:36:46Not to be confused with the other gucci, which is also expensive.

00:36:50These little guys are a popular ingredient in Kashmiri cuisine, but since they're impossible

00:36:54to farm and hard to find, they can cost up to $200 per pound, making them one of the

00:36:59most expensive mushrooms in the world.

00:37:01And then we are using the most expensive saffron from Iran.

00:37:07Smell that?

00:37:07Okay, imagine you're in Minnesota.

00:37:09It's summertime.

00:37:10You take out a beach ball from the box for the first time, and it's like that fresh smell

00:37:14of plastic.

00:37:15That's what saffron smells like to me.

00:37:16All of that stuff is on the biryani?

00:37:29Yeah, on the biryani.

00:37:30By the time the biryani is done, how big is it going to be?

00:37:32It's like a platter.

00:37:34Yeah.

00:37:34Chef, let's get to it.

00:37:35Yes, definitely.

00:37:36Start by adding ghee, or clarified butter, into the pot.

00:37:39Follow that with whole spices.

00:37:41Green cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, pepper, cinnamon, and bay leaves.

00:37:46Now that the ghee has absorbed the flavors, he is removing the whole spices.

00:37:50Now the onions going in.

00:37:52All those onions getting sauteed up in that flavorful ghee.

00:37:55Next up, julienne ginger, followed by chilies, and finally, the star of this dish.

00:38:00Those expensive morel mushrooms.

00:38:01So right now, he's frying up the most expensive mushroom in the world, and it smells amazing.

00:38:06From our first location, they're using oil.

00:38:08Here, he's using ghee, and the smell is so buttery and rich.

00:38:11It's just such a full aroma.

00:38:13And with the mushrooms, oh my god.

00:38:15Game changer.

00:38:17Next up, add a spoon of salt, garam masala, and water.

00:38:20Follow that with fresh cream and green coriander powder.

00:38:23All right, so right now, we're going to do a little bit of a taste test.

00:38:25I'm going to do my best Chef Ramsay impression.

00:38:29It's f***ing raw.

00:38:31No, I think it's delicious.

00:38:32It's a really nice, full flavor.

00:38:34And it's f***ing raw.

00:38:36Oh, come on.

00:38:37From here, we add the rice to our base.

00:38:40Oh, you can see that rice has really become saturated already.

00:38:44It's swelling up as it soaks up those juices.

00:38:47Now it is time for the saffron.

00:38:48This is an essence.

00:38:49This is a rose water.

00:38:50He's going to drip that in.

00:38:51If I'm honest, rose water is not my favorite.

00:38:54Cool.

00:38:55Rose water is awesome.

00:38:56Yes, thank you.

00:38:57It's not.

00:38:57I don't like it that much.

00:38:59And now it's time to seal it up and say goodbye.

00:39:02Right now, the viriani is steaming.

00:39:04We're going to see the end result soon.

00:39:05But first, I have some questions.

00:39:06First of all, how do you take something that is street food and turn it up another notch?

00:39:11As a modern Indian cuisine, we have sometimes to use Indian techniques.

00:39:14Indian ingredients do it the Western way.

00:39:15Or sometimes we use Western technique and ingredients do it the Indian way.

00:39:18So this is another possibility of modern Indian cuisine.

00:39:21What do you think makes a good biryani?

00:39:23If you have good ingredients, if you have good rice, good meat, it will be perfect biryani.

00:39:29All right, folks.

00:39:29Right now, we are assembling all the ingredients that are going to go on top of the biryani,

00:39:33starting with this right here.

00:39:34This is some A5 Wagyu that's about to hit the hot skillet.

00:39:39But first, he hits it with a little bit of pepper, some salt, and then more pepper, and

00:39:43a little bit more salt.

00:39:43Right here, we have an insanely hot skillet.

00:39:46Ghee gets poured on top.

00:39:47And then the beef, pure Wagyu.

00:39:49This is the most expensive beef in the world.

00:39:52We're cooking it medium rare.

00:39:53This is going to go on top of the biryani.

00:39:56Meanwhile, right here, even more action.

00:39:58We have the tandoor oven.

00:39:59And we have this guy right here doing some work with the chic kebab.

00:40:02He has to press it around a stainless steel rod just with his fingers to make it not slip

00:40:06off.

00:40:07Now that it's ready to go, he puts it down into this fiery tan door.

00:40:10That looks good.

00:40:11From here, we have one topping that's very close to my heart.

00:40:14What kind of balls are these balls?

00:40:16This is a gostaba.

00:40:17Gostaba.

00:40:17Yeah, which is made by lamb fried and some Kashmiri seasoning.

00:40:20And a little bit of gold.

00:40:21One by one, they drape the gold over the lamb balls.

00:40:28Time has passed and the biryani has finished steaming.

00:40:30Let's take a look.

00:40:31Oh, take a look at that.

00:40:32So what you see here is a biryani that is both of kind of an earthy tone and then a very bright,

00:40:37vibrant yellow.

00:40:38And that bright yellow is coming from the saffron that he put on top of the biryani.

00:40:42It's all one delicious flavor.

00:40:44And it smells amazing.

00:40:46Now it is finally time to build our biryani.

00:40:48It all goes here on this platter.

00:40:50With each scoop, you can see the different shades of biryani, the layers of flavor, and

00:40:55those morel mushrooms poking out.

00:40:57Coming in next, we have the sheet kebab that has been fully cooked.

00:40:59My guy takes a knife to it, cutting it in half.

00:41:01Now some ghee going onto the sheet kebabs and a little bit of masala.

00:41:05Here, the sheet kebab finds a home.

00:41:07He makes an Adidas symbol.

00:41:08Here, we have some lamb ribs joining the party.

00:41:10Here, we have our lamb meatballs absolutely covered in gold.

00:41:14Eight-five wagyu kebabs going on next.

00:41:16Looking like little patties.

00:41:18The momentum is building.

00:41:19This is the moment the artist realizes his vision.

00:41:22It's coming together beautifully.

00:41:24The chef is approaching.

00:41:26With the wagyu steak, it looks like it's been sliced and turned into a little tulip.

00:41:29From here, more gold.

00:41:32For the final touches, the chef adds bigger morel mushrooms baked with cheese,

00:41:36a touch of mint, a helping of fried onions,

00:41:38even more saffron and green chilies to finish it off.

00:41:41And that is how you make the most expensive biryani in Dubai.

00:41:44For $272, the biryani comes with a side of Kashmiri dishes,

00:41:48including raita, or Indian yogurt,

00:41:51gustaba, mutton curry, Joe Rogan Josh curry,

00:41:54bone marrow curry, biryani curry, and crispy lotus chips.

00:41:58All right, folks, we have our full meal right here behind me.

00:42:01The only problem now is we have to get it to the table,

00:42:03carrying it like a casket.

00:42:04But the only thing that died today will be my cholesterol score.

00:42:14All right, folks, everything we've done today has built up to this moment.

00:42:22The most epic biryani that exists in all the land.

00:42:25This is something that I think you could really only find in a place like Dubai.

00:42:28This is a place where people really appreciate fine dining.

00:42:32So this morning, we started with a biryani that cost less than a dollar.

00:42:35On top of it, a piece of fried fish that didn't cover up the biryani.

00:42:38Here, you need to penetrate a good amount of meat before you even get to the rice,

00:42:43which is a challenge I will happily accept.

00:42:45So let's start with this right here.

00:42:46I'm eating with my hands,

00:42:47and I can feel that delicious minced meat full of fat.

00:42:51Let's go for it.

00:42:52Oh, man.

00:42:56It's like a low-carb slider.

00:42:57It's got a ton of spices, and it's super juicy, incredibly fatty.

00:43:01I can squeeze the kebab, and then you will see the juices pouring out.

00:43:04Oh, my God.

00:43:06Do you see my point?

00:43:06Absolutely delicious.

00:43:07From there, I really want to dig in and find some ladous.

00:43:10This is a ball made from lamb.

00:43:13Oh, wow.

00:43:13Look at that texture.

00:43:14You can just see the seasonings on the inside,

00:43:17turning it clay red color.

00:43:18Toss it back.

00:43:19Try it out.

00:43:22It's so much spice.

00:43:25It's so much flavor.

00:43:26This is the type of bite that makes me crave for some yogurt or some lassi.

00:43:29Luckily, we have some yogurt right here.

00:43:34That's nice.

00:43:34The yogurt really cools you down after some intense masala like that.

00:43:38Moving on here, we have the sheet kebab.

00:43:40I'm going to snap it in half.

00:43:41Now, you thought we were eating all red meat, but no.

00:43:43This kebab is actually made from chicken.

00:43:48Oh, wow.

00:43:49I can't believe how juicy it is.

00:43:51It's got to be mixed with fat from some other animal.

00:43:53This is incredible.

00:43:54Meanwhile, right here, we have what they're calling biryani sauce.

00:44:00Oh, man.

00:44:00Flavor overload.

00:44:01Super savory.

00:44:02This is like creamy, buttery, and full of flavor.

00:44:05Meanwhile, I need to cleanse the palate.

00:44:06And there's no better way to do that than with a Coke Zero.

00:44:11See Coke?

00:44:12That could be us.

00:44:13Next, I want to get into the biryani.

00:44:14As you can see, the biryani is glistening.

00:44:17It's literally glowing from the ghee and the other animal fat that's been put on top.

00:44:20Let's give it a shot.

00:44:25Oh, God.

00:44:26It's really good.

00:44:27It's warm.

00:44:27I can taste the cream that he put into the rice.

00:44:30What I think is interesting here is that the biryani is like a canvas.

00:44:33It's delicious.

00:44:34It's pleasant.

00:44:35And it's a gentle flavor that pairs perfectly with all this meat that's on top of it.

00:44:39Now, one of the things making this platter so expensive are the morel mushrooms that were put inside.

00:44:43This is the most expensive mushroom in the world.

00:44:45Let's give it a shot.

00:44:50They have their own kind of unique meaty texture.

00:44:53It's not like a big, wet mushroom.

00:44:54It's like this shrunken down, slightly chewy, more meaty mushroom experience.

00:44:59From here, we're building up to the A5 Wagyu.

00:45:02Right here, we have a beef flour made up of strips of beef like this.

00:45:06I'm going to put that on top of the rice.

00:45:07Right here, we have a Gustaba gravy.

00:45:09I'm going to pour that on top, get a little bit of rice, some meat, and get some of that delicious gravy.

00:45:13This is the King of Bites.

00:45:14Let's give it a shot.

00:45:28It's like fireworks.

00:45:29It's so much going on at once.

00:45:31It's overwhelming.

00:45:32It's like taking ecstasy, but in food form.

00:45:34It makes me want to put change in a homeless guy's tip cup.

00:45:36It's powerful.

00:45:37The beef is soft, buttery, and rich.

00:45:39You have that amazing base of the biryani rice and, of course, the gravy.

00:45:43Incredibly rich and super flavorful.

00:45:45Ooh, and there's some saffron, too.

00:45:48Tastes like a beach ball.

00:45:49That biryani was extravagant.

00:45:50But what if I told you I found a food that for most of time has only touched the lips of royalty?

00:45:57I'm talking about a whole roasted camel.

00:45:59Oh.

00:46:01Next, we're following the roasting journey of a baby camel.

00:46:04This thing is massive.

00:46:05That weighs over 100 pounds and costs over $1,000.

00:46:09Let's see how they do it.

00:46:10I can see the opening to the kitchen here.

00:46:13Hello, gentlemen.

00:46:13How are you doing?

00:46:14I spotted the camel out of the corner of my eye.

00:46:17You can kind of see it from here.

00:46:18It's that.

00:46:20But we're going to need a little bit closer look than that,

00:46:22so we're going to have to find a different door to get into this kitchen.

00:46:24Let's go.

00:46:24Oh.

00:46:27Take a look at this.

00:46:28Right here, you can see everything all laid out.

00:46:31It's wild to see this.

00:46:33Right before your eyes is over 120 pounds of raw camel meat,

00:46:37enough to feed a small village or one of this guy.

00:46:41What's more amazing is that soon we'll discover exactly how they cook this camel whole

00:46:45in one giant solid piece.

00:46:47But first, a quick tour of the camel.

00:46:49We've got a heart.

00:46:50We've got liver.

00:46:51Maybe spleen.

00:46:51As we move forward, you can see all the musculature of its back legs moving into this giant chest.

00:46:57But obviously, the most notable part of the camel right here, a baby hump coming off its back like the hunchback of Notre Dame.

00:47:04That is going to be a prized part of the camel right here.

00:47:07That is the long camel neck.

00:47:09And finally, in front, the camel head.

00:47:11Cooking an entire camel isn't exactly an everyday activity here in Dubai.

00:47:15It's usually reserved for grand gatherings or special occasions.

00:47:18So even for folks here, this is out of the ordinary.

00:47:21That's why I brought my local trusted friend, Kiani.

00:47:24Kiani, my guy.

00:47:27So, one more time.

00:47:28Yeah, dude, that sucks.

00:47:29To give me insight into the process of cooking a massive thousand dollar camel.

00:47:33Let's talk about why a baby camel.

00:47:35Baby camel has more protein and less crucial and have healthier for body.

00:47:39And the meat is more tender than big camel.

00:47:41So it's a veal of the Middle East.

00:47:43This makes sense.

00:47:44Here's why.

00:47:44Because as adults, we build bad habits over time.

00:47:47And it leads to high cholesterol, high blood pressure.

00:47:50This camel had almost no time to develop any habits at all.

00:47:53It might be a suckling camel.

00:47:55Wait.

00:47:56In Asia, they have something that they love.

00:47:58It's called suckling pig.

00:47:59But it's a pig that's just only been nursing from its mother.

00:48:02It's never eaten solid food.

00:48:03Do you think this camel was drinking milk or was it eating solid food?

00:48:07It's solid food.

00:48:08Normal, just grass.

00:48:09It's grass-fed.

00:48:10That's still something very unique.

00:48:11So, we're going to cook the entire camel, but the head and the neck will be discarded.

00:48:15Why are you not eating the head and the neck of the camel?

00:48:19Back then, when they bring whole camel, they just serve for the higher level of people.

00:48:24And the leg and the head and the neck goes for the lower people.

00:48:27So from here, I'm going to show you where we're actually going to be cooking the camel today.

00:48:31Right here, we have our giant oven.

00:48:33Let's take a look inside because this is going to have to fit the entire camel.

00:48:36Here we go.

00:48:41Wow.

00:48:42I think I could curl up in there in the fetal position and fit inside the oven myself.

00:48:45This is a giant convection oven.

00:48:48Somehow, all of that is going to fit into here.

00:48:52But that's where it's going to cook.

00:48:53But what about the time?

00:48:54Now, I've cooked other animals whole before, especially pigs.

00:48:57It takes time.

00:48:58This thing is 121 pounds.

00:49:00It's like me when I was nine.

00:49:02It's going to take some time.

00:49:03First, the camel's legs are chopped off.

00:49:06Because traditionally, it's a weight.

00:49:08No, actually, it's just so that it'll fit in the oven.

00:49:10Now the camel is about that wide.

00:49:14Yeah, it's going to be perfect.

00:49:16Next, a secret blend of dry spices is generously rubbed all over its body.

00:49:20Arabian art.

00:49:24Followed by a marinade made from saffron, salt, turmeric, and water.

00:49:28Giving the camel a beautifully vibrant orange hue.

00:49:31We need to put this to a spa when we can massage.

00:49:33Black soap.

00:49:34Make it ready.

00:49:34This is not Thai massage.

00:49:35This is a Marathi massage.

00:49:37Yeah, I feel like it's probably a bit tense in the shoulder still.

00:49:39The chef taking the liquid and putting it inside the camel's cavity.

00:49:42Oh, now he's brought out a knife.

00:49:45Oh, dude.

00:49:47My guy.

00:49:48Hey, it's already dead.

00:49:50Yes.

00:49:51As it turns out, the stabbing isn't just for dramatic effect.

00:49:58It helps the marinade soak deep into the meat and ensures the camel cooks through evenly.

00:50:03He stamps the camel hump, too.

00:50:05I don't know if you can see from here, but inside the hump, it is just pure fat inside.

00:50:09The process is repeated on the other side.

00:50:13Just like that, our camel is ready to roast.

00:50:16So now that the camel is marinated, we need to get it onto a giant camel tray.

00:50:20Let's see how that works.

00:50:21My guy here has the tray.

00:50:22He slides it under.

00:50:23That is very clever.

00:50:24They put the camel down.

00:50:26They cover the camel with parchment paper.

00:50:28Next up, they prepare aluminum foil to tie it all down.

00:50:31In the end, it looks like one giant camel-shaped titanium ball, ready to face some serious heat.

00:50:36I hope it fits.

00:50:39They open the door all the way, making sure it can fit as much as possible.

00:50:44Over here, the camel.

00:50:45Two men ripping it and ripping it.

00:50:47Here we go.

00:50:48The big moment.

00:50:49They slide it in.

00:50:52Oh, like butter.

00:50:54Big thumbs up over here.

00:50:55My gosh, look at that thing.

00:50:57Perfectly suited to the oven.

00:50:58I think I figured out another reason they're eating baby camel and not adult camels.

00:51:02It's a perfect fit.

00:51:04From here, he has a water hose.

00:51:05He's adding water to the bottom.

00:51:07If you can see, the water below the camel is also seasoned and spiced, giving the camel even more flavors.

00:51:12Finally, it is time to close the oven door.

00:51:15Very slowly and dramatically.

00:51:16Our camel will be slow roasting in the oven for about four hours.

00:51:20That means low and slow, Dubai style.

00:51:23So now that cooking is underway for our expensive camel, it's time to reveal today's cheap camel option.

00:51:28You'll find it here, across town in a Pakistani restaurant, where they're serving a unique camel kebab.

00:51:34For me, when I think kebab, I think meat on a skewer, like a sheet kebab.

00:51:37Here, what they're preparing, it is meat, it is camel, but it doesn't look like any kebab I've ever seen before.

00:51:43Let's go inside and I'll show you.

00:51:44All right, folks, we have come inside of the kitchen.

00:51:47I've got Ishvan behind me, and he is the kebab king.

00:51:50Behind him, we've got the meat.

00:51:52So that is the camel meat.

00:51:53This is a minced meat, and it is full of spices, too.

00:51:56Now, here's the fun part.

00:51:57He's going to put that meat in that cauldron.

00:52:00I mean, this is like a giant oil bath.

00:52:02We're going to take a shower over here.

00:52:05All right, take it away.

00:52:06He starts by grabbing a ball of camel meat.

00:52:09Inside the meat, he's putting some beef marrow.

00:52:12That looks like a spiky kebab.

00:52:13From here, he slaps it onto the steel.

00:52:16He flattens it out like a pancake.

00:52:18Oh, and slowly, it descends into that pool of oil.

00:52:21Oh, my God.

00:52:22Now, it is completely submerged, and he is making a second one.

00:52:26I've never seen anything like this before.

00:52:28I have to ask Keani, what kind of kebab is this?

00:52:31Oh, this is actually Peshawar kebab.

00:52:33Very famous in Peshawar.

00:52:34Now, what they're doing here in Dubai.

00:52:35So, yeah, this is very special, actually.

00:52:37Meanwhile, we have some healthy vegetables here.

00:52:39Oh, look at that color.

00:52:40Nice, brown, and toasty.

00:52:41Oh, is he making a third one?

00:52:43Even more bone marrow.

00:52:44And he sends it off with the others.

00:52:46Wow, take a look at the final product.

00:52:48That looks wild.

00:52:49Super crispy camel meat.

00:52:51We've got those chunks of bone marrow here.

00:52:53He throws it onto a plate.

00:52:55He gives me a little slice of egg.

00:52:56He hits the plate with a couple of tomatoes,

00:52:58and then some hot green chilies, too.

00:53:00And that is how you make a Pakistani camel kebab.

00:53:02But first, our Pakistani meat will require some Afghan bread.

00:53:06All right, folks, the perfect thing to pair with a Pakistani kebab is an Afghani bread.

00:53:10Let's go inside and see how they make it.

00:53:12Hello.

00:53:13Right here, we can see there's a huge, like, pallet of dough.

00:53:16He removes one dough piece.

00:53:18He throws some flour down on the table,

00:53:20and then he gets to rolling.

00:53:21That's it.

00:53:21A couple of rolls.

00:53:22He hands it over to this guy,

00:53:23and this guy tosses it onto a rack and throws it into the oven,

00:53:27turning it onto high heat.

00:53:28Right there, you can see our bread baking perfectly under that gassy fire.

00:53:32And just like that, in no time, he removes the bread and brings it right here.

00:53:36So this is an exotic Afghani bread known as roti.

00:53:39So we've got our bread.

00:53:40Let's head on over to the restaurant and try that kebab.

00:53:43All right, folks, we are finally eating today, and I am famished.

00:53:46It is noon, and I've got my lunch right here.

00:53:48Our cheap camel experience today is coming in at $6.81.

00:53:52I think that's a tremendous value because this is a lot of meat.

00:53:55Right here, the camel is looking extra crispy.

00:53:57Let's give it a shot.

00:53:58That's very nice.

00:54:03It's such a heavy meat.

00:54:05But the spices somehow make it feel a little bit more light.

00:54:08It's very fresh.

00:54:09There's other herbs inside.

00:54:10Next, we've got to get into that bone marrow.

00:54:12Right here, I have that bread we saw being made earlier.

00:54:14Let's tear off a piece.

00:54:15Like a paleontologist, let me carve this out to show you.

00:54:18Mommy, jeez.

00:54:20That's just pure fat right there, unlike my midsection.

00:54:23I also want to hit it with a little bit of tomato.

00:54:26Do I?

00:54:26And then I change my mind.

00:54:27Let's fold it up, grip it, and rip it.

00:54:33Oh, my Lord.

00:54:34That beef is absolutely buttery.

00:54:36It's very heavy.

00:54:36It's like eating butter and bread right here on the side.

00:54:39To break up a little bit of that heaviness, we have the milky dairy lassi.

00:54:44Perfect.

00:54:45From here, I'm going to make the ultimate bite, starting with a little fried egg.

00:54:48Some camel patty with bone marrow.

00:54:50To balance out the flavors, a hit of lemon.

00:54:52Let's throw it back.

00:54:59For the price, that is unbeatable.

00:55:01But this is the cheap version of camel.

00:55:03What happens when you spend over $1,000 on a full baby camel experience?

00:55:07Well, we're going to find out.

00:55:08Because enough time has finally gone by for us to unveil.

00:55:11Unveil.

00:55:12Unveil and reveal in one word.

00:55:15Because enough time has gone by for us to reveal the results of this fully cooked baby camel.

00:55:19Let's head back to that restaurant now and take a look.

00:55:22Four and a half hours have passed since we put the camel into the oven.

00:55:25Now it's time to move on to the next step.

00:55:27My guy, let's do it.

00:55:28So we are unlatching the oven and revealing.

00:55:34It looks like the camel has kind of collapsed on itself.

00:55:37All of that cooking and braising has really like turned it into a giant pile of meat.

00:55:42So from here, he's pulling out all the parchment paper and all of the tinfoil.

00:55:45Right now, he's pulling off a chunk of meat.

00:55:47And he's handing me, ooh, a piece of meat.

00:55:50Take a look at that.

00:55:50A nice chunk of camel meat.

00:55:52The veal of camel.

00:55:58Oh, that's good.

00:55:59It tastes like roast beef from a crock pot.

00:56:00Right now, the next step is to move the camel.

00:56:02Whoa.

00:56:03I can see some ribs poking through.

00:56:05They're bringing it onto this table here.

00:56:07They're removing the parchment paper and revealing the final product.

00:56:10It looks wild.

00:56:12I've never seen anything like this.

00:56:13Let's take a little tour of the camel.

00:56:15First of all, this is the front.

00:56:16That's where the neck hole was.

00:56:18These are the front legs.

00:56:19That's like the elbow right here.

00:56:21This, the hump is still pristine.

00:56:23Like, it is still perfectly shaped.

00:56:25I cannot wait to cut into that later.

00:56:27Right here, my man, the owner here, he's just pulled off a piece of camel meat.

00:56:30Please, try it, Habibi.

00:56:33He likes it.

00:56:35The tour continues right here.

00:56:36The ribs have been exposed.

00:56:38The loin of the camel, it looks delicate and juicy.

00:56:41Right here, the back legs, the butt, the tail.

00:56:44This thing is massive.

00:56:45Next step, plating.

00:56:46Or should I say, plattering?

00:56:48Start by filling a gigantic platter with a base of biryani rice.

00:56:54Now for the most challenging step, transferring the camel onto the platter.

00:56:58It's just like moving a fat person from one stretcher to a hospital bed.

00:57:01It's just like that.

00:57:02By this point, the meat is incredibly tender, meaning there's a real risk of it falling apart as we lift it.

00:57:08Might I remind you, this camel is worth $1,000, and we did not prepare any backups.

00:57:13One, two, three.

00:57:16Oh, perfect execution.

00:57:19It has landed safely and soundly on that rice.

00:57:22For the final touch, some garnishes, tomatoes, bell peppers, red onions, fried onions, and finally, some cashews and raisins.

00:57:29This is a royal feast indeed.

00:57:31Now that the camel is finished, it's time to take it to the dining room, but there is still plenty that can go wrong, including dropping it, which we're not going to do.

00:57:39Careful.

00:57:39We got about 100 meters to go until we're home free.

00:57:42Come on, guys, keep it up.

00:57:43You're doing great.

00:57:44Just a little further, guys.

00:57:45Oh, there's obstacles.

00:57:47There's stuff in the way.

00:57:48These two tables here.

00:57:49And there you have it.

00:57:50The final product, my guy.

00:57:52Good work.

00:57:53Good work.

00:57:54Oh, okay.

00:57:56Kiani, this is the moment I've been waiting for since my plane touched down here in Dubai.

00:58:01An entire baby camel sitting before us.

00:58:03When they took it out, is this what you thought it would look like?

00:58:05To be honest, no, but it looks absolutely beautiful.

00:58:08I love the way that the meat has just kind of softened up so much.

00:58:12It's like someone told the camel to take a load off, and it took it quite literally.

00:58:14It's like, very comfortable.

00:58:16This whole camel right here, $1,800.

00:58:19It makes sense.

00:58:20It's an entire animal.

00:58:21It's over 120 pounds of meat, and it's something that takes a lot of time to prepare.

00:58:25Especially, this doesn't come directly in Dubai.

00:58:27It has to come from outside of Dubai, where the farm is.

00:58:30That's the reason it's very expensive.

00:58:31I think we should build up to this right here.

00:58:33This is the camel hump.

00:58:35This is the most prized part of the camel.

00:58:36The skin on the outside is coarse and almost crispy.

00:58:39This part right here is more fatty.

00:58:42Oh, my gosh.

00:58:43You can kind of peel back that layer, and you can see it's like camel butter.

00:58:47More on that later.

00:58:48We've got a big hind leg back here.

00:58:50Yeah.

00:58:50And we've got a big knife right here.

00:58:52Could I see that?

00:58:56Careful.

00:58:58Oh, gosh.

00:58:59I don't think you necessarily even need a knife.

00:59:01Let me try to do this manually.

00:59:02We've got basically a whole quadricep back here.

00:59:05I'm going to stick my fingers into it.

00:59:07I mean, look at this.

00:59:08I can just peel the meat away.

00:59:09My friend, I swear I washed my hands.

00:59:12Let me grab some, too.

00:59:14You ready?

00:59:14I'm ready.

00:59:15Let's go for it.

00:59:21Camel's amazing.

00:59:21They're beefy without being gamey.

00:59:25I'm chewing.

00:59:26You don't talk.

00:59:26For me, I'd say my hierarchy of red meat animals, it would go horse is my favorite,

00:59:30and then I think baby camel, and then I think beef after that.

00:59:33The only way to know for sure is if I can try some camel ribs.

00:59:36Oh, you can see the color from the marination they originally put on there,

00:59:39and it has a little bit different texture.

00:59:41I would say it's more fatty.

00:59:48Ginger, more oily.

00:59:50Super oily.

00:59:51It looks like I dipped my hands in baby oil at a P. Diddy party.

00:59:53It's good.

00:59:54It's a little bit more chewy than a beef rib.

00:59:56I've got to say, we should keep cows around after all.

00:59:58In the front here, you can see we've got the biryani.

01:00:00We've got fried onions, and we have these nuts right here.

01:00:03The move is to take some delicious morsels of meat, put it on top of that biryani, mix

01:00:08it all together.

01:00:09Right here, we have what I call a Middle Eastern pico de gallo.

01:00:19It's so much flavor all at one time.

01:00:21It makes a difference not just having that rich meat, but having some nice carbohydrate biryani

01:00:25underneath.

01:00:26There's crunchy nuts, and then this sauce, it's refreshing.

01:00:28It's an incredible combination.

01:00:29The shoulder here is actually a lot of juice, because it's very close to this fat here.

01:00:34All the juice comes inside their shoulder.

01:00:35So if you see here, there is a juice coming out.

01:00:37Let me give you this.

01:00:38Oh, this is incredibly soft.

01:00:41Now, I've got one more sauce here.

01:00:42This is yogurt, chili, and parsley.

01:00:44Cheers.

01:00:45Careful, spicy.

01:00:45Juicier, tender.

01:00:51Every part of the body has a little bit different texture, a different fat ratio, and fat distribution.

01:00:55That said, there is one thing very unique about the camel, and that is the camel hump.

01:00:59This is a pretty big hump, especially for a baby.

01:01:02Oh, I can hear the crispy hump skin.

01:01:05This is the very top of the hump.

01:01:07All right, time to reveal what it looks like inside.

01:01:09Come take a look at this.

01:01:11That is the pure hump fat on the inside.

01:01:14It's really weird.

01:01:15Do you want to have a bite from this corner?

01:01:17Yes.

01:01:18I'm going to give us both a piece of this.

01:01:19We have some crispy skin on one side, and then that fatty camel hump on the inside.

01:01:23There you go.

01:01:24Thank you, my friend.

01:01:29Come on.

01:01:30That tastes are amazing.

01:01:31Salty, crispy, oily.

01:01:33It just melts in your mouth.

01:01:34This is the only experience you're going to have if you cook the camel this way.

01:01:37This is Dubai chicharron.

01:01:38Do you think this is cheap or expensive?

01:01:40Oh, that's a good question.

01:01:41Of course, $1,800 is expensive, but it's a lot of food.

01:01:44A lot of food.

01:01:45If you put this in your fridge, you'd be eating it for a month or two.

01:01:47So it is still on the expensive side, that's for sure.

01:01:50If you thought a baby camel that costs over $1,000 was Dubai's biggest flex, well, think

01:01:56again.

01:01:57This city doesn't just stop at luxury.

01:01:59It invents new levels of luxury.

01:02:02Meet Burj Al Arab, the only hotel in the world claiming to have seven stars.

01:02:06Today, I'm living the life of a Middle Eastern prince, spending $3,000 on a roof and trying

01:02:12all the food I can to see what I'm missing out on.

01:02:16But first, breakfast.

01:02:18All right, right now we are walking to the hotel, which is situated on its own island.

01:02:22Right here, this is the mainland, and then ocean, and then the island.

01:02:26This island, it's been built by having tons and tons of sand shipped and brought in so

01:02:31they could build the hotel on top of it.

01:02:33It's a modern marvel.

01:02:34Hey, look, a bunch of people on a tour.

01:02:35Hi, guys.

01:02:38As you approach outside, you can see people with their very, very fancy cars.

01:02:41Actually, I think it might be illegal to drive with that on the windshield.

01:02:44I don't think you can do that.

01:02:45Oh, now it makes sense.

01:02:46I didn't know they're...

01:02:47Oh, okay.

01:02:47It's that kind of a person.

01:02:49Right now, we're going inside the hotel to get our first look at the lobby.

01:02:52Let's move.

01:02:54Can I tell you something?

01:02:55At this hotel, there are no rooms.

01:02:57It's only suites.

01:02:58Usually a suite is very expensive.

01:03:00That's right.

01:03:00And so the whole point of this hotel, it's all about the lavish, opulent, very luxurious

01:03:04experience.

01:03:05Oh, there's an aquarium right there.

01:03:06Come over here.

01:03:07Now, if we were in Vietnam, you could choose what fish you want to eat here.

01:03:10I think it's just for the visual.

01:03:11Anyways, on to the buffet.

01:03:13Right here, we've come to the back of the building in search of the breakfast buffet.

01:03:16The back of the hotel has a completely different vibe.

01:03:18This is all ocean-facing.

01:03:20In fact, you can see a beautiful view of the skyline over there.

01:03:22You can see somebody jet skiing.

01:03:25That looks expensive.

01:03:26I have high hopes for this breakfast buffet.

01:03:28There is no suite in this hotel that costs under $1,000.

01:03:32And so they should have something to bring it to the next level.

01:03:35If they don't, that's going to be a tough start to the day.

01:03:37So right now, I'm going to head into the buffet and take my first look.

01:03:39How are you doing, my guy?

01:03:40Good.

01:03:41Good balance.

01:03:41Don't drop that.

01:03:42As you walk in, it looks very modern, sleek.

01:03:44The first thing you see when you walk in is fish.

01:03:46Kind of not what I'm in the mood for at this moment.

01:03:48Here, they have an assortment of pickled items.

01:03:50As we move down, we're heading into the chilled meats and cheeses section.

01:03:53You'll see there's one noticeable omission from the meat selection here, which is pork.

01:03:59I don't care how much money you have.

01:04:00Good luck ordering bacon here.

01:04:01Here, we have a variety of delicious cheeses, including this right here.

01:04:05This is super fun.

01:04:05You push down and rotate this wheel until you get a delicious bundle of cheese.

01:04:12Over here, we have muesli, pudding, some different things like that.

01:04:15From there, we moved into the dairy section.

01:04:16They have cottage cheese yogurts.

01:04:18The fruit is very nicely organized.

01:04:20All right, right here, I got blackberries and I got raspberries.

01:04:22And I'm going to combine that with full fat yogurts.

01:04:25Mmm, I'm such a chef.

01:04:26This is probably the most standout feature of this breakfast buffet.

01:04:29An effing chocolate fondue station.

01:04:31With plenty of things right here that you can actually dip into the chocolate.

01:04:34We'll be coming back to that later.

01:04:36Here we are in the bread section.

01:04:38We have fresh loaves of bread, muffins, croissants.

01:04:41Here, an assortment of tiny breakfast baguettes.

01:04:44Right here, we have some European-looking bread.

01:04:46That bread looks like it'll last two days.

01:04:47Whereas American bread could last up to five years.

01:04:50Pretty good stuff.

01:04:52Right here, we have some delicious pastries.

01:04:54This is a chocolate hazelnut.

01:04:56Financier.

01:04:56Finance.

01:04:58Financier.

01:04:58I'm going to need some of the finances.

01:05:00Goddamn trim.

01:05:01Right here, this section is beautiful.

01:05:02It makes me feel healthy.

01:05:03There's fruit laid out perfectly.

01:05:05And then there's this right here.

01:05:06Different concoctions of their own making.

01:05:08Green apple, cucumber, celery, ginger.

01:05:11Gross.

01:05:11Right here, they have a milkshake.

01:05:13Banana, peanut butter, almond milk.

01:05:15I'm 100% going to try one of these.

01:05:16Then we've come upon the salad bar.

01:05:18I understand why it has to exist, but I wish it didn't.

01:05:21But what I do like about the salad bar is this type of vegetable right here.

01:05:23Cheese balls.

01:05:24This is called labneh.

01:05:25We have enough for our first round.

01:05:26Let's go sit down and try it out.

01:05:27First of all, milkshake.

01:05:29What I'm scared about is trying to drink this and having it all end up on my face and shirt.

01:05:32I'm not trying to do that kind of a scene here at breakfast.

01:05:35Oh yeah, that's good.

01:05:57Peanut, banana, almond milk.

01:05:59How do you milk an almond?

01:06:01It's pretty good.

01:06:02Moving on.

01:06:03Here, two cheeses.

01:06:04First of all, this right here, it looks like a beautiful type of coral plant under the ocean.

01:06:11Dry and sharp.

01:06:12Kind of like a parmesan, but a little bit more mild, but it's good.

01:06:15Now we're moving on to our next cheese, the labneh.

01:06:20Why did I get five of those?

01:06:24It's kind of like a feta.

01:06:25It's super thick and creamy and just coats your entire mouth immediately.

01:06:28I hate it.

01:06:31I love that at the same time.

01:06:32Right here, we have raspberry and full-fat yogurt.

01:06:36It's not necessarily expensive ingredients, but it tastes great.

01:06:39Lastly, it's time to try the dessert of Course 1.

01:06:41The financier.

01:06:42Oh, wow.

01:06:43I didn't even notice this.

01:06:44Flip it over.

01:06:45It's a cupcake or a muffin with chocolate chips inside.

01:06:47Oh, my God.

01:06:51Decadent sweet.

01:06:54This is delicious.

01:06:55And it's got nuts inside.

01:06:56So that is Course 1.

01:06:57Let's head back in for Course 2.

01:06:58Hello, good sir.

01:06:59Could I order a whole cheese pire?

01:07:01Yes.

01:07:01Just for me?

01:07:02Really?

01:07:04You'll make it?

01:07:04Yes.

01:07:05Moving along on our tour.

01:07:06Right here, we have turkey and ham emmental cheese croissants.

01:07:09We have cream cheese pesto danishes.

01:07:11Ooh.

01:07:12And a Russian pancake with cherry compote.

01:07:14I've never heard of this before.

01:07:15I'm definitely going to be trying that.

01:07:17Right here, we have the cherry compote.

01:07:18Moving along to the hot foods over here.

01:07:20We've got fried rice.

01:07:22We've got fried noodles.

01:07:23All right.

01:07:23So our Asian folks are covered.

01:07:25They don't really need anything else.

01:07:26Oh, wait.

01:07:27We've got more for them.

01:07:27We've got some steamed chicken barbecue bun.

01:07:29See, that's a problem.

01:07:30There needs to be in there.

01:07:33Who makes a chicken steamed bun?

01:07:35Okay.

01:07:35You know what?

01:07:35It's making me curious.

01:07:36Let me try it out and see if they're somehow doing something magical with it.

01:07:39Right here, we have some vegetable dim sum.

01:07:41Right here, we have crystal frawn hakao.

01:07:44Our Asian fun continues here with congee.

01:07:46Right here, we have miso soup, which looks like it needs a little bit of a mix.

01:07:50There we go.

01:07:51That's the miso.

01:07:51I know.

01:07:52Oh, how many poor Dubai people are just eating that top layer of miso without mixing it up?

01:07:56To wrap up the buffet right here, we have a couple of Indian options.

01:07:59Looks pretty good, but not for me.

01:08:01Let's go check on that pide.

01:08:02All right, folks.

01:08:02My pide is right here.

01:08:03It's looking cheesy and delicious.

01:08:05He hits it with a little bit of oil.

01:08:06Next, he takes the knife to it, cutting it into triangular pieces.

01:08:09All of that goes onto a plate.

01:08:10We have a buffet food.

01:08:11We have a pide.

01:08:12Let's go eat.

01:08:13All right, folks.

01:08:13Check it out.

01:08:13Course number two, starting with this.

01:08:15One of my favorite Turkish foods, cheese, oil.

01:08:18They put what looks to be some black sesame seeds on there and some herbs as well.

01:08:22Mmm.

01:08:24Cheesy.

01:08:25There's a nice crackery, crispy, thin dough on the bottom.

01:08:28There's nothing to not like about that.

01:08:30And then here we have the Asian invasion.

01:08:32And I'm including Russia here because like half of Russia is Asian.

01:08:35I have no chopsticks.

01:08:36Let's start with the...

01:08:37That's not going to work.

01:08:40All right, this is going to be my first time eating dim sum with a fork.

01:08:42So here we have the hapau.

01:08:46Mmm.

01:08:46Yummy.

01:08:46Nice wrapper.

01:08:47There's a real shrimp in there.

01:08:48Overall, tastes pretty good.

01:08:50Moving on.

01:08:50This is a steamed bun with chicken.

01:08:52Interesting.

01:08:53It looks like it's got potential.

01:08:58Mmm.

01:08:58It is meaty.

01:08:59What they lack in animal fat, they make up for with sugar.

01:09:02It is a very sweet steamed bun.

01:09:04But overall, I would say passable.

01:09:05Right here, we have our Russian pancake.

01:09:10Mmm.

01:09:10The cherry compote.

01:09:12Delicious.

01:09:13And underneath the pancake, kind of just tastes like bread.

01:09:15It falls apart pretty easily.

01:09:16Super unique.

01:09:17I bet that would taste amazing if it was fresh off the griddle.

01:09:19Seeing how much I'm enjoying the food here, the restaurant staff actually prepared a surprise

01:09:24course for me.

01:09:25Featuring two of their best breakfast dessert offerings.

01:09:27First, a mixed fruit dessert with a stunning presentation.

01:09:32Mmm.

01:09:32A fancy, sweet little fruit salad.

01:09:34I like it.

01:09:34And a special French toast soaked in coconut milk for 24 hours.

01:09:38The top here just feels really crispy, like a creme brulee.

01:09:41Let's see what happens.

01:09:42Uh-huh.

01:09:42Look at that.

01:09:43Like a gorgeous piece of cake.

01:09:48Mmm.

01:09:49Oh, that's delicious.

01:09:49It's super soft.

01:09:51The dough is slightly saturated.

01:09:52The top definitely receives some sugar and some flame to give it this crispy exterior.

01:09:56That is French toast fit for a French king.

01:09:58I just saw the wildest thing.

01:09:59There's a guy walking around breakfast holding a giant blackbird.

01:10:02I'm so used to homeless people in the USA.

01:10:04I was like, how did he get through security?

01:10:05But I think he's being paid to be here.

01:10:06I waved him over.

01:10:07Whoa.

01:10:08Hello, bird man.

01:10:08Hi.

01:10:09So you brought a bird to breakfast?

01:10:11Ah, yes.

01:10:11It's a hawk.

01:10:12I use it for pest control.

01:10:14It chases away pigeons.

01:10:15What?

01:10:16What does this bird do to the pigeons?

01:10:18It just kills them, huh?

01:10:19Yeah, once it catches one, you'll kill it.

01:10:21They're so badass.

01:10:22This breakfast just went up a whole new level.

01:10:24Uh, well, good luck with all your pigeon killing.

01:10:26All right.

01:10:28All right.

01:10:28Breakfast is almost over, but there is one more food I must try, and that is the chocolate fondue.

01:10:33It looks like they have some kind of a bear-shaped cookie.

01:10:35They have a waffle.

01:10:36They have a tiny pancake, and they have a marshmallow.

01:10:38Once you see something you like, you just stick it in the chocolate, I guess.

01:10:41Oh, beautifully coated.

01:10:43Let's try some waffle.

01:10:44Uh, excuse me, sir.

01:10:45Could I have a stick, please?

01:10:46What I'm going to do next is completely unprecedented and has never been attempted before in this buffet.

01:10:51Thank you so much.

01:10:52Right here, a chocolate donut.

01:10:53You might think, oh, there's already enough chocolate on it.

01:10:56Incorrect.

01:10:56You take this stick, you put it through the donut, and now it's time to really get chocolatey.

01:11:00Oh, a chocolate chocolate donut.

01:11:02At last, a vanilla donut.

01:11:04Oh, yeah.

01:11:05That's nice.

01:11:06Our final plate is complete.

01:11:07Let's go.

01:11:08Let's start with this.

01:11:09The marshmallow.

01:11:14Hmm.

01:11:15The marshmallow, okay.

01:11:16The quality of chocolate, a little bit bitter.

01:11:18I don't know.

01:11:18They should put milk chocolate in there.

01:11:19But here we have a delicious waffle.

01:11:24Waffles are a little old and dry.

01:11:25I think this is a food that's more for, you know, it's like the Titanic when it's going down.

01:11:29Women and children.

01:11:29That's who's eating this.

01:11:30That said, I did chocolatify my chocolate donut.

01:11:37Nice.

01:11:38That's the best one by far.

01:11:39So this is what a seven-star buffet looks like.

01:11:41But next, we're going to see a seven-star suite.

01:11:43I'm talking a room with two fours that cost $3,000 per day.

01:11:46Let's head there now and take a look.

01:11:48From the elevator, I'm going to show you how to get to the room.

01:11:50Now, usually in a hotel, you would just walk down a hallway.

01:11:53That would be boring.

01:11:54Here, they do something much more epic.

01:11:56Let's check it out.

01:11:56Here, this huge open space is what leads you to your bedroom.

01:12:00And as you look up, you can see the amazing and unique architecture here for all the different entrances to all the different suites.

01:12:06Now, today, I'm in a very special suite.

01:12:08Actually, there's only three of these suites in the entire hotel.

01:12:12And it's on the end for a special reason.

01:12:13That's because it has one hell of a view.

01:12:15From the 19th floor, let's take a look at this view.

01:12:22Welcome to the Club Suite C view with Butler Service.

01:12:26It is 330 meters squared.

01:12:28Can I be honest with you?

01:12:29I've not looked around yet.

01:12:30I've just checked in, and I'm excited to see how it looks.

01:12:32First, art.

01:12:33Now, this hotel room has so many places to sit.

01:12:36Here is the first of many places where you could sit down and think about life.

01:12:40And not think about your finances.

01:12:41Here, they have some welcome food.

01:12:43The furniture.

01:12:44Everything looks like it comes from a different planet.

01:12:46This couch here looks like it was made from the genie in Aladdin.

01:12:49I mean, there is gold everywhere.

01:12:51Maybe even the toilet.

01:12:52I'm not sure.

01:12:52So, leaving this lounging area, I'm moving on to the next section, which is a bar.

01:12:57With still water and sparkling.

01:12:58What else do they have here?

01:12:59Oh!

01:13:01Jackpot.

01:13:01Right here, they do have a refrigerated bar.

01:13:04And come take a look.

01:13:05Coke, Sprite, Red Bull.

01:13:07Down here, they have some champagne and some different wines.

01:13:09Moving on to the next section over here.

01:13:12Like I said, another seating area.

01:13:14This is different from the other place because right there, flat screen TV.

01:13:18I love it.

01:13:19Moving on.

01:13:19Over here, we have more food and more high-end alcohol.

01:13:23We've got McAllen, 12-year-old whiskey.

01:13:25We've got Classy Azul, one of the most expensive top-of-the-shelf tequilas in the world.

01:13:30Down here, we have an assortment of different snacks.

01:13:32So, we've got gummy bears.

01:13:33We've got M&Ms.

01:13:34On this side, almonds.

01:13:35Salted smoked almonds.

01:13:37We've got cashews.

01:13:38And we've got mixed nuts.

01:13:40If you get the truffle cashew nuts, that costs $17.

01:13:44Should I do it?

01:13:44My wife is upstairs and she just whispered, don't do it.

01:13:52Tastes like truffle.

01:13:53Lovely.

01:13:53Next, this way.

01:13:54Here we have a circular dining room.

01:13:57The dining room leads to this area over here.

01:14:01All right, that's basically nothing.

01:14:02And then right here, we have a guest bathroom.

01:14:05The reverb in here, excellent.

01:14:06Koreans who sing karaoke would absolutely love this.

01:14:09Also, there's a bathtub for your butthole.

01:14:10Moving on.

01:14:11Oh, my God.

01:14:12What the heck?

01:14:13There's a whole ass billiards table.

01:14:16It's bigger than a pool table.

01:14:17Then on this side of the room, the view of the ocean is pretty amazing.

01:14:20Here we have an entire full kitchen.

01:14:23We have a coffee machine that's plated in gold.

01:14:25But if you want to steam water, that's just regular ass plastic.

01:14:28There's a microwave.

01:14:29There's an oven.

01:14:32Oh, and there's an exit.

01:14:40Welcome back.

01:14:41So, that is the main level.

01:14:42But actually, the bedroom is upstairs.

01:14:44Let's go take a look.

01:14:46This is wild.

01:14:47As you enter the top floor here, it's like your bedroom has a lobby.

01:14:50I'm surprised there's not a secretary there taking appointments for nap time.

01:14:54Another seating area right here.

01:14:55This is a good place to sleep, like, if you get in a fight with your wife.

01:14:58Oh, wow.

01:14:58I really do feel like Aladdin in here.

01:15:01This is, like, a little over the top.

01:15:03It's something that would take a little bit of getting used to.

01:15:04Now, if I could live here for free, no problemo.

01:15:07As we head over here, it looks like they have a hidden TV.

01:15:10Oh, check it out.

01:15:1212 seconds later.

01:15:15Oh, there it is.

01:15:16Oh.

01:15:17No YouTube?

01:15:18All right.

01:15:18No problem.

01:15:18Bye.

01:15:212,000 years later.

01:15:24Moving on.

01:15:25So, that is the bedroom.

01:15:26Let's check out what's over here.

01:15:27This is kind of a closet.

01:15:29First of all, the vanity.

01:15:30This is for the ladies.

01:15:32They even have a Dyson hair dryer?

01:15:34Moving on.

01:15:34In the event of fire, break tube.

01:15:37So, here, another mysterious locked door.

01:15:39Down here, a closet.

01:15:40As we head back, we move to the master bathroom.

01:15:43Wow.

01:15:43Purple everywhere.

01:15:44Starting off with the sink.

01:15:46A sink for him and her.

01:15:48Wow, look at this soap.

01:15:48I'm definitely taking this home.

01:15:50Taking this home.

01:15:51Taking this home.

01:15:52I'm taking this home.

01:15:53I'm taking...

01:15:54Damn it, that's attached.

01:15:55Moving on.

01:15:55Here, another toilet.

01:15:56Can I say?

01:15:57A little bit of gold on the toilet, but I would like to see more gold.

01:16:00And then, perhaps, the highlight of the bedroom area, this right here.

01:16:03Not a bathtub, but a jacuzzi with several jacuzzi jets.

01:16:07That looks awesome.

01:16:08I'm not going to show you how it works.

01:16:09That is for the OnlyFan.

01:16:15Why do you show yourself as the OnlyFan?

01:16:17I don't know.

01:16:18So far, we've experienced the breakfast buffet, and we've taken a tour of a $3,000 room.

01:16:22Coming up next, lunch.

01:16:24Here at the Burj Al Arab, you can find a range of dining options.

01:16:28From beach clubs and bars to the Skyview Lounge and Michelin-rated restaurants.

01:16:32Since the breakfast buffet was solid, I've decided to give the lunch buffet a try, too.

01:16:36At a restaurant known as Al Iwan.

01:16:38The biggest difference?

01:16:39I have to pay for the lunch buffet.

01:16:41And let me tell you, it's not cheap.

01:16:43It's $140 per person for one buffet.

01:16:46Already, I took a quick glance inside.

01:16:47It's not hundreds of foods.

01:16:49It's like 60 foods.

01:16:50Let's take a look.

01:16:52So let's do a super fast tour, just so you guys can see, like, the diminutive size of

01:16:56the buffet.

01:16:57It starts right here with Arabic salad.

01:16:58Right here is something special that I'm going to show you later.

01:17:00Right here is the center area with all the desserts.

01:17:03Right here, there's bread and some main courses.

01:17:05Hello?

01:17:07Hot food items over here.

01:17:09Fruit right here.

01:17:10And then some seafood options right here.

01:17:12That's the whole thing.

01:17:13I think perhaps what they're focusing on is the quality.

01:17:15Let's get into it.

01:17:16These are Arabic salads.

01:17:17And this is something I like about going to any new country, is trying the local food.

01:17:22Or do I?

01:17:23Right here, we have what looks to be a beet dish.

01:17:25It has a strange pink hue.

01:17:27It looks almost like a dessert.

01:17:29Down here, Montevideo.

01:17:30I feel like I need a guide just for this buffet.

01:17:32I don't know what anything is.

01:17:33Over here, we have hashgay badinjan.

01:17:36It's got a nice color to it.

01:17:37Right here, we have something interesting.

01:17:38This is what they're saying is their specialty.

01:17:40So what is this?

01:17:42Well, I mean, look at how soft and juicy that is.

01:17:45Right on top of the rice place.

01:17:46Beautiful.

01:17:46Meanwhile, I would like some yogurt, but I like to keep my sauces separated, if you know what I mean.

01:17:51Let's head to the table.

01:17:51All right, folks, we are going to do a speed run of this buffet, and here's why.

01:17:54It's only open another hour and five minutes.

01:17:56I'm going to take some of this Prussian salad, and I'm going to put it right here in this pocket.

01:18:03Cold, onion-y, a little sweet, like caramelized onions, and maybe some saffron, too.

01:18:08And also pomegranate.

01:18:09But I like it.

01:18:09It's got personality.

01:18:10Meanwhile, right here, we have either jello cubes or a beet salad.

01:18:13Mmm, that's good.

01:18:17There's some kind of a cream around the beets, so it's creamy.

01:18:20The beets have that great, sweet, earthy flavor.

01:18:22Next food, right here.

01:18:23This is their specialty here.

01:18:24First, I'm going to hit a little bit of rice.

01:18:27Mmm, delicious.

01:18:28It tastes of cumin and also cinnamon.

01:18:30Meanwhile, on top here, we've got that meat.

01:18:34Juicy, soft, tender lamb.

01:18:38It's perfectly balanced, but I'm going to add some yogurt on.

01:18:42This is the perfect appetizer, but we have limited time.

01:18:44I've got to see more.

01:18:45Let's go back up there and justify this $140.

01:18:48Take a look at this.

01:18:49That looks like a tagine.

01:18:50Right here, we have a couscous.

01:18:51Right here, we have prawns with hara sauce.

01:18:53Definitely going to be getting that.

01:18:54Here, lady fish fingers.

01:18:56Something I've never heard of before.

01:18:57It does look like whole fried fish.

01:18:59Here, we have lamb burgui.

01:19:01Smells very Middle Eastern.

01:19:03Ah, and then here, we have olives with beef.

01:19:04This one is shish burak.

01:19:07I've not heard of most of these.

01:19:08Over here, we have some fried specialties.

01:19:10A lot of this looks like Turkish mezze.

01:19:13What is this?

01:19:13Is that a fortune cookie?

01:19:14Oh, it's a lemon.

01:19:15Why not?

01:19:15Look how freaking sweet this guy looks.

01:19:18Dude, look at me.

01:19:19I look like a schlub.

01:19:20I'm putting off a lot of poor people vibes.

01:19:22That guy.

01:19:22Next, we have some chukum and another type of chukum.

01:19:25Here, I believe we have mixed kebab.

01:19:26This looks like the best thing I've seen so far.

01:19:28And then this is my favorite thing in the world.

01:19:30This is something I had in Lebanon called toum.

01:19:32It's like a white garlic sauce.

01:19:34Right here, we have some shrimp.

01:19:35These look gorgeous.

01:19:36This is good enough for this round.

01:19:38Let's go try it out.

01:19:39All right, folks.

01:19:39Course two.

01:19:40And I might just have time for only one more after this.

01:19:42So let's get to it.

01:19:43Here, we have some delicious shrimpies.

01:19:45That's not very good.

01:19:52I would expect a shrimp to be more, like, bouncy.

01:19:54Somehow, they made a shrimp that's, like, old and dry.

01:19:59That shrimp, not for human consumption.

01:20:00Well, let's see over here.

01:20:01This might be something more to the strength of this hotel.

01:20:03The kebab.

01:20:04We have the chic kebab.

01:20:05And we have the chicken.

01:20:06Now, I'm worried about the dryness factor here, too.

01:20:08But luckily, we have this right here.

01:20:10God's glorious, creamy garlic sauce.

01:20:15Mm-hmm.

01:20:16Mm-hmm.

01:20:17So the shrimp and this chicken, they're in the desert, right?

01:20:19No, it's just also very dry.

01:20:21I'm not sure what's going on here.

01:20:22But this toum sauce, that's, like, 10 out of 10.

01:20:24It's creamy.

01:20:25It's like a mayonnaise with, like, 100x garlic flavor.

01:20:28This should be more juicy.

01:20:29It has more animal fat.

01:20:33Mm-hmm.

01:20:34Juicy.

01:20:34It's a little rubbery, too.

01:20:35I would say pretty passable, though.

01:20:36Here's the thing.

01:20:36I don't come here to trash this place.

01:20:38I'm rooting for chefs.

01:20:39I'm rooting for restaurants.

01:20:40This is not easy work.

01:20:41But if you have a buffet that costs $140 and something's not good, I'm going to tell you.

01:20:45That said, we're moving on to this.

01:20:46It's a whole fried fish.

01:20:47I'm going to try to pop.

01:20:49Oh, there we go.

01:20:50It comes apart so easily.

01:20:51You can see the ribs and spine right there.

01:20:53We've got this crunchy breaded side.

01:20:55And then that fish kind of filet on the inside.

01:20:57Now, I'm going to give it a little bit of a dip in the toum and toss it back.

01:21:03Mm-hmm.

01:21:04That's really good.

01:21:05The outside is breaded.

01:21:06It's seasoned.

01:21:06It's got a nice crunch and a nice flavor.

01:21:08The fish itself, pretty soft, pretty flaky.

01:21:10But it pairs perfectly with this garlic creamy sauce.

01:21:14Mm-hmm.

01:21:14This is a big win for me.

01:21:15So that is course number two.

01:21:16I got time for one more.

01:21:18Let's move.

01:21:18This is the seafood section.

01:21:20First seafood, olives.

01:21:22Second seafood.

01:21:25What are you?

01:21:26These are very small crab clusters.

01:21:28Here we're moving into the mussel territory.

01:21:30Beyond that, we have shrimp.

01:21:32This is the redemption arc of the shrimp.

01:21:33This is a cold shrimp this time.

01:21:35So at least it's not been sitting in some kind of heater box for the last four hours.

01:21:38Let's take a look at the desserts.

01:21:40Right here we have a pistachio baklava.

01:21:42And then there's fruit.

01:21:43If you paid $140 to come here and eat fruit, then you have a lot of disposable income and

01:21:46I want to hang out with you.

01:21:47Because you make poor decisions.

01:21:48This is kanafeng.

01:21:49This one is for me off camera, guys.

01:21:53Let's go eat.

01:21:53First, crab.

01:21:54Not very big.

01:21:57Oh, is that something?

01:21:59Can I be honest?

01:22:01It doesn't smell good and it looks kind of black, so I'm not going to eat it.

01:22:03Instead, I'll risk my life with this.

01:22:05A mussel.

01:22:05Right here, we have lemon.

01:22:06Hmm.

01:22:07They put it securely in a little bag.

01:22:10And you're meant to squeeze it through the bag.

01:22:12Oh, you squeeze it through?

01:22:14Oh my god.

01:22:16Cool.

01:22:17Let's try it out.

01:22:19It's a cold mussel.

01:22:22I don't know.

01:22:22I don't think they really did anything to it.

01:22:24There's some herbs on there, but not especially tasty and perhaps a little bit risky.

01:22:29Here's what I really care about right here.

01:22:30A chance at redemption.

01:22:31These are little cold shrimpies.

01:22:37Better.

01:22:38It's basically a cocktail shrimp.

01:22:39They put some sauce on it.

01:22:40The sauce doesn't really have flavor.

01:22:42It's bouncier this time.

01:22:43That's good.

01:22:43But I got to say, there's nothing special happening here.

01:22:45With each bite I take, my heart is breaking.

01:22:47And my wallet is breaking even more.

01:22:50The last thing I have here is some kanafe.

01:22:51It's a Turkish dessert made from cheese.

01:22:53Yep.

01:22:54That's it.

01:22:54That is a kanafe.

01:22:55And that's a nice cheese pull that's in Turkey.

01:22:57Let's give it a shot and see if it's any good.

01:23:05What's it?

01:23:05It's like cream cheese or something inside?

01:23:07Um, I give up.

01:23:08I've been to buffets that cost a couple of dollars that are better than this.

01:23:11And if somebody sees this video, it's not personal, but you gotta do something to make

01:23:14it worth that money, right?

01:23:16This is one of the worst buffets I've ever been to.

01:23:18Why am I eating it?

01:23:19So lunch turned out to be a bit of a disaster.

01:23:22But I can't let that kill my enthusiasm for the rest of my stay.

01:23:25So here's my plan.

01:23:26For dinner, instead of dining out and eating one meal, I'm dining in and ordering half

01:23:31the menu.

01:23:31A strategy that's bound to land me with something delicious.

01:23:34All right, folks, we have our room service selection right here.

01:23:42Come take a look.

01:23:43All the way from here.

01:23:44Salt, pepper, butter, condiments, free bread, not free bread, Arab food, seafood, all the

01:23:49way to something American over here.

01:23:51We're going to go through all of these one by one, and I'm going to tell you the ridiculous

01:23:54prices that I'm paying for this.

01:23:56Let's start with this right here.

01:23:57In front of me, these are oysters, Gilardou.

01:24:00No.

01:24:00Duh.

01:24:01E-ah-u.

01:24:02Half dozen mignonette with vinegar, Tabasco, lemon, and brown bread.

01:24:08Basically, you put the oyster on a piece of rye bread, and you eat it like that.

01:24:12Nice.

01:24:13Hit it with a little bit of vinegar, and toss it back.

01:24:19Mmm.

01:24:19Sour from the vinegar.

01:24:20Very briny, but fresh and crunchy.

01:24:22I like it.

01:24:24So let's talk about the price of the oysters.

01:24:27$104.

01:24:28That means, per oyster, I'm paying.

01:24:32It's roughly $17 per oyster.

01:24:34I can see it both ways.

01:24:35On one hand, that is very expensive.

01:24:37On the other hand, these oysters probably grew up in France, then they had to get a visa

01:24:41to come to Dubai.

01:24:42They came here.

01:24:42They came up the elevator.

01:24:43They came into my room.

01:24:44They got eaten.

01:24:45Maybe that's worth $17.

01:24:46The next food, this is chicken wings coming in at $36.

01:24:50It looks like a chicken McNugget on a bone.

01:24:52Here we have a sweet chili sauce.

01:24:53I'm going to get a little bit of a dip.

01:24:58I would say the breading is okay.

01:25:00It's kind of like a light dusting of panko or something, but the chicken is pretty juicy,

01:25:04and I love the way you can just slide it right off the bone.

01:25:09Moving on to our next food right here, the burger.

01:25:11This is the Burj Al Arab Burger.

01:25:14First of all, this burger is 100% wagyu.

01:25:16Now, it doesn't necessarily make sense to have a wagyu beef patty, since it's ground

01:25:19up meat anyways, and you can already decide how much fat and protein you want to mix together

01:25:23in the beef patty, but moving on.

01:25:24It also has a brioche bun, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tomato.

01:25:27All standard stuff.

01:25:29There's no foie gras.

01:25:30There's no gold.

01:25:30The price is $58.

01:25:34Take a look at it.

01:25:35To be fair, that does include French fries.

01:25:37The French fries are pretty decent.

01:25:39The burger is pretty huge, although it is sliding off the bun.

01:25:42Let's give it a shot.

01:25:46It's not bad.

01:25:50The construction could use a little bit of work.

01:25:51They have a lot of watery ingredients on the bottom, and so the bun has already broken.

01:25:56That is a soggy $58 burger bun.

01:25:58Here's what you have to do.

01:25:59Either you put the vegetables on the side, or you put lettuce on the bottom.

01:26:03Lettuce creates a perfect buffer.

01:26:04Then all the wet stuff on top, that keeps that bottom bun dry.

01:26:07Moving on, we have one food remaining right here.

01:26:09This is the Arabic Seafood Mixed Grill.

01:26:11It has sea bass, lobster, squid, prawns, and even charmoula sauce.

01:26:16This is the most expensive thing that I ordered.

01:26:19This plate right here is $114.

01:26:21I want to start with some fish.

01:26:25That's good.

01:26:26Juicy.

01:26:26A great seasoning.

01:26:27A little bit of oil.

01:26:28I got to say, that's one of the best bites I've had all day so far.

01:26:31From there, we have squid.

01:26:32It's like a little squid popat.

01:26:35It tastes delicious.

01:26:36It's got just the right amount of chili powder, spices, and heavy oil.

01:26:40Next, we've got shrimp.

01:26:42That's a good shrimp.

01:26:43Last of all, we have half a lobster right here.

01:26:45It looks glorious.

01:26:47This is the pinnacle of this meal.

01:26:48Let's give it a shot.

01:26:53Perfectly cooked.

01:26:53Everything has the same seasoning, oil, spice on it.

01:26:57But they're all bringing their own flavor personality to the party.

01:26:59So, those are four random dishes that you can get for in-room dining here at the Burj Al Arab.

01:27:04The total price that I spent for everything is this.

01:27:07Yeah, that sucks.

01:27:08Overall, I found the room service to be good.

01:27:10That burger really missed the mark though.

01:27:12I mean, look at it.

01:27:13It looks like it lost a street fight.

01:27:14This concludes our dining experience at one of the world's most opulent hotels.

01:27:19A place that asserts it has risen above the norm, earning itself an extra two stars.

01:27:23But how many stars would you give it?

01:27:25Four.

01:27:26Not out of five.

01:27:27Four out of seven.

01:27:27Even though I don't think it was the best food experience, I do think this was an experience worth having.

01:27:32I mean, just look at this modern marble.

01:27:34It looks amazing.

01:27:35It's amazing that human beings are able to construct something like this.

01:27:38But then you realize those human beings that inspired you are the same ones charging you $320 for a small bottle of Classe Azul tequila.

01:27:44That's right.

01:27:45That bottle, that's how much it costs.

01:27:46Isn't that wild?

01:27:47Today, I experienced the breakfast buffet.

01:27:49A pretty good one, actually.

01:27:50But then came the lunch buffet.

01:27:52For $140, I was hoping for much more.

01:27:55Like fresh food stations, live cooking.

01:27:57To me, that buffet should have cost no more than $30.

01:28:01Finally, the in-room dining dinner.

01:28:03It was okay.

01:28:04But my main issue, a $60 burger that was soggy.

01:28:08That one really broke my heart.

01:28:09So those are just my thoughts.

01:28:11I know for a lot of you watching, $3,000 a night is not much money.

01:28:14So for you, probably worth it.

01:28:15But let me know what you think.

01:28:16Is this an experience you would like to have if it was, you know, free dollars?

01:28:19Otherwise, that is it for this video.

01:28:21This is our final moment and our final video here in Dubai.

01:28:24I had a great time.

01:28:25This is my first time coming to the United Arab Emirates.

01:28:27And I've never felt so united and so Arab.

01:28:30I hope you enjoyed this video and this series.

01:28:32Let me know where else I should go in the Middle East next.

01:28:34Otherwise, that is it for this one.

01:28:35Thank you so much for watching.

01:28:36I will see you next time.

01:28:37Peace.

01:28:39Peace.

01:28:40Peace.

01:28:41Peace.

01:28:42Peace.

01:28:43Peace.

01:28:44Peace.

01:28:45Peace.

01:28:46Peace.

01:28:47Peace.

01:28:48Peace.

01:28:49Peace.

01:28:50Peace.

01:28:51Peace.

01:28:52Peace.

01:28:53Peace.

01:28:54Peace.

01:28:55Peace.

01:28:56Peace.

01:28:57Peace.

01:28:58Peace.

01:28:59Peace.

01:29:00Peace.

01:29:01Peace.

01:29:02Peace.

01:29:03Peace.

01:29:04Peace.

01:29:05Peace.

01:29:06Peace.

01:29:07Peace.

01:29:08Peace.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended