Amid Dubai’s legions of newly built high-rises, Sharon Eckman meets a few pioneers who champion all things organic, free trade and carefully sourced
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Organic’ and ‘eco-aware’ are not concepts that immediately spring to mind when describing Dubai. ‘Shopping’ and ‘construction’ are much more likely to feature on the list, along with questions such as, ‘what’s that ski slope doing in the middle of a desert?’
In Dubai, the answer might be ‘because we can’. The emirate is a fantasy playground for the rich and consumer-happy, and seemingly there is nothing you cannot buy, sell or build here. If it is a challenge, Dubai is up for it – biggest, tallest, most expensive, the list is long.
One challenge that Dubai has appeared reluctant to engage with so far is that of climate change, though there are signs that this might be changing slowly, with the establishment of organisations such as the Federal Environmental Agency and the Emirates Green Building Council.
However, the bravest, some would say quixotic, entry into ethical living has been made by Nils El Accad, the owner of Organic Foods and Café. ‘I am the only organic retailer and distributor now operating in Dubai, and the first in the UAE to use biodegradable trays for meat – maybe the first in the world,’ he says. He also claims to be the only purveyor of recycled paper in Dubai, supplying Barclays Bank and Sabban Property Investments, a Saudi-owned property company currently building on the Pearl Qatar that receives his nod of approval. ‘They are looking at the environmental aspect of what they do. They’re trying.’
El Accad is German, but his father’s family is Syrian, hence the surname. He is fearless in his views in a country that does not always welcome criticism. ‘I’ve tried to get the food industry to be less chemical based, but they’re only into money and sales figures – they don’t really care,’ he says. ‘Yes, it might be bad for you, but you know what? It’s legal. It may be legal, but I don’t think it’s ethical.’
El Accad’s mother died of cancer when he was 21 and he himself became ill a couple of years later. His health improved dramatically, he believes, through using homeopathic remedies and eating 100 per cent organic food. He is painfully honest about how hard it is to make his business work. ‘I am losing money, and I cannot sustain this forever,’ he says. ‘If I have to close, if there is no market for organic, I will leave Dubai.’
All his produce is sourced from outside the UAE, much of it in Africa, with 95 per cent coming from family businesses. El Accad finds producers by travelling round the world and seeking them out. So, for example, he gets his pineapples, bananas and passion fruit from a co-op in Uganda that he discovered at a BioFach exhibition in Nuremberg. ‘I went to exhibitions, to farmers’ markets and visited all the farms,’ he says. ‘I found there is a lot in organics that one should avoid and certain standards that do not suit me at all.’
The store in Dubai is packed full of goodies, mainly food but also body-care products. The café is relaxed and friendly, quite spare in its design, but with many plants brightening it up. The food is absolutely delicious and remarkably cheap and the bread – walnut on the day I was there – is made fresh in-store and is some of the best I’ve tasted anywhere.
I had already discovered the delightful Lime Tree Café in Jumeirah and the equally lovely Basta Art Café in Bastakiya, one of the few areas in Dubai to provide a sense of history. Both places serve excellent, carefully sourced food, but neither is organic, largely for reasons of cost.
‘There just isn’t enough on the market for quantity, and price-wise it’s just not practical,’ says Lime Tree’s co-owner. ‘It can be frustrating to try and source good-quality products in Dubai, though. We use meat from Australia and New Zealand, so there’s a higher cost, but at least we know where it’s from. We’re looking to introduce free-range eggs – it’s difficult to get supplies and we’ll have to raise the prices a little, but we did a customer survey and everyone wants them.’ The café also uses recycled paper for its letterhead and takeaway boxes.
The Lime Tree is a tranquil haven away from the bustle of Dubai. With its shady courtyard and trickling water features, plus a roof terrace where you can feast on roast mushroom cheesecake and sip mint coolers while letting the call to prayer wash over you from the neighbouring Jumeirah Mosque, it is little wonder that the place has become a favourite.
‘We wanted to create something for families and also women, who can happily read the paper and have a coffee without being hassled,’ says one employee. Many of the staff are women – including the head chef – and everything is made fresh every day, except for the bread.
The six-year-old Basta Art Café, with its beautiful courtyard under an 80-year-old Nar tree, is also extremely popular and has many regular customers. It is Arab-owned and run, with everything bought locally from the markets.
‘We don’t use organic food,’ says one partner. ‘I don’t actually believe in it 100 per cent, but we don’t use white flour or sugar. All our flour is whole wheat and we cook our brown sugar from syrup.’ She is also dismissive of the penchant for skinny, no-taste coffee. ‘One hundred years ago our grandparents lived longer than we do and they drank full-fat milk. If people ask for a skinny latte, I say there are no skinny cows. But our menu is all fresh – vegetables, halloumi cheese, lots of salads and only fresh juices, no syrup.
Despite the lack of organic produce, the Basta, like the Lime Tree, is environmentally conscious. ‘Our menus and brown bags are from recycled paper,’ the partner adds. ‘I recycle but most people look at me as though I’m from another planet.’ The Basta supports the World Wildlife Fund by selling cups, mugs and pictures, and its owners agree with El Accad and Lime Tree’s owners that education is vital and the key to Dubai’s future.
‘We need more discussion, more seminars.
It won’t be ignored – sooner or later it’ll happen, but it’s meant to be sooner rather than later.’
Back at the Organic Café, people tell El Accad, ‘You can’t just change in one day.’ He disagrees: ‘You can, I tell them. It starts with your decision.’
WHERE TO STAY
PARK HYATT DUBAI
PO Box 2822 Dubai Tel: (+971) 4 602 1234 www.dubai.park.hyatt.com
LE MÉRIDIEN MINA SEYAHI BEACH RESORT & MARINA
The Beach Road c/o Dubai International Marine Club Tel: (971) 4 399 3333 www.starwoodhotels.com
HYATT REGENCY DUBAI
PO Box 5588 Dubai Tel: (+971) 4 209 1234 www.dubai.regency.hyatt.com
ORGANIC FOODS AND CAFÉ
Mankhool Road, near Satwa Roundabout, Satwa Tel: (+971) 4 398 9410 www.organicfoodsandcafe.com
GREENS
Near the Jebel Ali Racecourse Tel: (+971) 4 361 7974 www.organicfoodsandcafe.com The store’s extensive menu includes Malaysian fish curry and Laksa soup, as well as quiches, pizzas and main courses such as salmon and mushroom risotto and chicken stir-fry. Salads include roast pumpkin and chicken and pineapple. Try the organic ice cream, and the fresh fruit juices and drinks are fabulous. Teas such as jasmine green, green Moroccan mint and iced orange tea are favourites.
LIME TREE CAFÉ
Jumeirah Beach Road Tel: (+971) 4 349 8498 Ibn Battuta Mall, Sheikh Zayed Road Tel: (+971) 4 362 1900 Its varied menu currently includes smoked salmon and dill frittata, lamb tagine, couscous salad, sweet and sour chicken soup and a large selection of paninis, sandwiches and focaccia. Don’t forget the cakes – they offer triple chocolate brownie, pistachio and Sicilian apple.
BASTA ART CAFÉ
Al Fahidi Street, next to the Majlis Gallery Tel: (+971) 4 353 5071 Salads include grilled halloumi and asparagus, chickpea and souk salad (cashew, tomato, chicken strips and couscous), plus wraps and sandwiches. Cakes include cheesecake, date and walnut with yoghurt dressing plus traditional puddings such as Turkish delight and dates.
Drinks include full-fat latte, obviously, but also the Basta lime and mint, Flamingo (watermelon, lime and strawberry) and Berry Berry (five different berries with green apple juice) smoothies. All of the above are recommended.
