A Dubai supper club serving Palestinian food for a good cause – The National

A Dubai supper club serving Palestinian food for a good cause – The National

A group of 16 diners are sitting around a table set with crystal candleholders and patterned plates. Evocative Arabic tunes — from Ya Zaman by Mike Massy to Magic Marrakech Lounge Music by Hobbi Lak — play in the background as they prepare for the Palestinian feast ahead.

However, guests are first served a story — one of many shared this evening. “When I was a child, my dad used to force us to pick olives,” says chef Ahmed Halawa, who hails from Nablus, Palestine.

“At the time, we didn’t appreciate it because we would rather have spent our time playing. But he would make us do it, then take us to the pressing house to see the olives being cold-pressed right in front of us.