Dubai Eye 103.8 radio star Stef Burgon walks us through her favourite ‘hood, Karama…

I may live in Downtown, but truth be told, there’s another part of Dubai that I love more: Karama… 

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Stef in her favourite Dubai ‘burb, Karama.

As a foodie, it’s hard not to. Where else can you find a breakfast spot so lively and so delicious, people are prepared to queue for food there – and this in the city where no one waits. At Raju Omlet I queue with them, happily, to place my order for a masala half fry, an egg lazeez and an adrak chai, aka ginger tea.

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Raju Omlet

After eating more than I should, I roll into Karama Park to people watch. This is one of my favourite parks in the city. It’s full of groups of kids playing football and cricket together, mums and dads chatting on park benches, mates playing badminton with makeshift nets tied to lampposts, and cats happily hanging out in the sunshine.

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Karama Park

As the sun sets, Karama turns into a hive of activity, and there are a plethora of restaurants to have dinner at. One of my favourites is Royal Panoor: their speciality is bamboo biryani, so named because it’s served in a big chunk of bamboo.

royal-panoor

Meanwhile, friendly Manvaar serves Rajasthani fare with service that rivals any five-star hotel. You’ll leave feeling more like a friend than a customer.

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Manvaar

But it’s restaurant Calicut Paragon that has truly stolen my heart: it got me with the bite of my first appam, a soft and fluffy rice flour pancake (which is much healthier than a butter naan). If you can handle spice order yourself a green fire. It’s the only drink I’ve ever had with green chillies in it. Sounds odd, totally works!

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Calicut Paragon

Whichever of these fine establishments you choose, the best surprise at the end of the night is the two digit bill. Now, that’s something I would struggle to find in Downtown.

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