You’ve finally booked your Dubai dream trip. Finally some time off where you get to relax, unwind, laze around by the pool, and complete the Dubai landmarks circuit that will no doubt leave you needing another vacation just to recuperate. You start doing some Dubai trip planning homework to find out where you should go, what you should see, and where to go eat, and you find that most guides recommend blowing a big chunk of your vacay time and dirhams on observation decks, Michelin star restaurants and boozy brunches. I’ve had many guests follow the same yellow brick road to these establishments, and come back with ‘it was nice butttt….(enter a barrage of reasons including long lines, small portions, astronomical prices). Don’t get me wrong, some of these places deserve the hype and can be very entertaining to witness for a night or 2, but I often have visitors looking for places ‘where locals go’ and seeking interactions with a broader sample of people who live here. Luckily, there are alternatives.

One that I’ve decided to reveal that pertains to the ‘where to eat’ first-world dilemma. Enter….drum-rolls…supper clubs. A mystery intimate dinner that chefs host in their own homes for a small group of people, where the table talk is spontaneous and has little to do with your 9 to 5. A real home where the menu is an authentic reflection of the chef’s personality, the food is unveiled paired with a story behind it, and the music is dictated by the chef’s curated (and hopefully ad-free) Spotify list. This is where you get to spend time around locals and people who you otherwise would never cross paths with.

I visited my first supper club back in 2021, not really knowing what to expect. Didn’t know if I should show up with a bouquet of flowers as a thank you gesture, or quickly brush up on my food intellect on the UBER ride over. I knocked on the apartment door of Chef Haya from Haya’s Kitchen whose Palestinian cuisine and teta (grandma) vibes had me sold from the get-go. She opened the door with a smile so wide, it would melt hearts including mine. I sat on her sufra (dinner) table with about 6 other people including her mom and pops who were visiting from out-of-town. We went from being total strangers to ‘omg, you know this person too?!’ in a matter of a few courses. The only sales pitch was ‘you don’t look full enough, here’s another mountain-ful of rolled vine leaves that you can surely finish’. While we sat down slowly eating her teta’s inspired meals and savoring each bite and story, we jammed to this awesome playlist in the background put together by her other half, Shadi, the DJ wizard of Flipside DXB, a vinyl record shop in Dubai. I couldn’t help but think, this is by far the coolest dinner party I had been to in ages. The icing (or in this case, laban) on her musakhan was the incredibly kind gift she also handed out at the end of our 3 hour feast, a mini bottle of Palestinian zeit zaytoun (olive oil) that I would proceed to dab with my Arabic bread and zaatar in the weeks to come. This was truly an unforgettable dinner evening, made of all things loved. It was also just the beginning of my supper club journey.

Fast forward to 2024, I can tell you that the supper club scene here is thriving and I’m often in the black market for seats (black market = messaging any friends who know the chefs to squeeze me in, even promising to bring my own chair). Also, thriving and not in a commercial, branded billboard kind of way. It’s still kind of hush-hush and there’s a much longer list of different experiences to explore partly because I think that many aspiring hosts have finally come to believe that they don’t need to be Michelin starred or have the perfect home/recipes to start sharing their passion with strangers.

In no time flat, I found myself booked for Kuv’s Secret Supper Club, a 5 course dinner experience offered by Chef Kuv – the OG of hosts. I eagerly awaited the 24 hours notification telling me where I had to go. The chef gave us a fun little challenge: bring an object that tells a personal story. And oh, we were also banned from asking the 3 most classic Dubai small talk questions: “Where are you from?, What do you do? How long have you been in Dubai”. I didn’t realize just how nerve-wracking it would be until I was forbidden to ask them! It’s pretty tough to avoid these questions, especially when you’re meeting strangers for the first time. Luckily, being a tour guide means I’ve got a million stories up my sleeve.

The dinner was set for 7:30pm, and my overly punctual tour guide self got there early – plenty of time to stand in front of this twinkling, light-adorned door that gave absolutely no clue about the mysteries waiting inside. I was the first through the door, and was greeted by Chef Kuv, who welcomed me like an old friend with the warmest smile, making me feel like family while he continued prepping for dinner. He handed me a welcome drink, offered to all guests upon arrival. As I wandered around, I scoped out his impressive collection of culinary books and even spotted Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic – a favorite on my own bookshelf. Soon enough, other guests started trickling in, the doorbell ringing non-stop like a never-ending parade. The strangers were here and there was no turning back now.

We kicked things off in the living room with a bit of small talk to break the ice before getting into the deeper stuff later. It was a good chance to size each other up and ease into the evening. Everyone was buzzing with excitement and pretty much done talking about rush-hour traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road, new TV shows, and our COVID hobbies.

About half an hour in, the chef called us to the outdoor dining area, which was beautifully set up all cozy and communal, as per his monthly theme which was London inspired. There was this mysterious sheet of paper at each place setting, and we were told not to turn it over until the final course. It felt like being a kid at Christmas, trying not to sneak a peek at the presents. We were tempted, but the first course quickly took our minds off it, followed by four more dishes that were exquisitely presented. Each plate told its own delicious story, with flavors that were absolutely divine and locally sourced.

As the night went on, we each pulled out our objects and shared the personal stories behind them. The stories were all over the place—epic travel tales, silent yoga retreats, hilarious anecdotes. It was eye-opening and led to some deep, lively conversations. The vibe was perfect for opening up and talking about the things we were passionate about, having shared more than we expected. By the time the night wrapped up, our bellies were stuffed, spirits were soaring, and everyone was swapping numbers to keep in touch. We snapped a Polaroid to capture the huge smiles on our faces, thanked the host profusely for his incredible hospitality and made the classic Arab exit, lingering by the door and engaging in endless thank you chat before heading out.

All in all, Supper Clubs are the absolute best thing since extra toasted bread. If you’re visiting Dubai, make sure you nab a seat.