DUBAI: The biennial, multi-artform Shubbak Festival is returning to London this week for its another edition from June 23-July 9 with a program of Arab art, film, music, theater, dance and literature. Read on for just a few of the events to look forward to.

Taroo 

When? June 23, 30, July 1, 2 and 8 

Taroo is a parkour and circus comedy show that tells stories from streets all over the world. The show has a fusion of acrobatics, Chinese pole and urban street moves. It is performed and created by Moroccan circus artist Said Mouhssine – a free runner, stage director, actor and stuntman. 

The London edition of Taroo has been developed in partnership with the Babylon Project and will be performed in multiple public squares and neighborhoods.

Sound & Silence 

When? June 23 to July 9 

This immersive and interactive exhibition explores the practice of Arabic calligraphy. In Sound & Silence, internationally renowned calligrapher Soraya Syed dives into the essence of her practice, the geometry of Arabic letters and their connection to the human form. 

Through a display of photographic images and a series of artworks and sculptures, Syed draws an unprecedented connection between the human body in contortion and calligraphic form. Her sculptures are formed from white Carrara marble dust from the same quarries that provided Italian sculptor Michelangelo his single block of stone for his sculpture “La Pietà.” To coincide with her show, Soraya is delivering two hands-on Arabic Calligraphy Workshops on June 23 and 24 at Cromwell Place. 

Sonic Frontiers Night 01

When? June 23 

Palestinian singer, songwriter and composer Haya Zaatry will bring her debut album “Rahwan” to audiences in the UK for the first time. The album consists of songs transcending the complicated threads of history, time and geography to pay tribute to generations of mothers and matriarchs from the Levant. 

Acclaimed Tunisian singer, composer and musician Badiaa Bouhrizi – who sings in standard Arabic – will present her distinctive vocal style and committed lyrics in her latest album “Kahru Musiqa.” The night will end with a DJ set by Lebanese DJ and producer Sam Karam. 

Art & Disability Under Siege 

When? June 24 

For this event four participants will engage in a virtual conversation on disabled artists and cultural practitioners from Jordan and Palestine as they discuss the challenges and opportunities of living with a disability and working with geo-political instability.

Bahiyya 

When? June 25 

Egyptian band Bahiyya revive Arabic heritage and folk music, taking both a sarcastic and philosophical approach to their re-arrangements and interpretations. 

Layered with musical arrangements distinguished by the oud, violin, electric guitar, bass guitar and percussion, Bahiyya’s performances are peppered with jazz and funk flavors. 

The Power (of) The Fragile 

When? June 27-29 

This dance show is about what the relationship between a mother and a son can look like. Tunisian Brussels-based dancer Mohamed Toukabri presents this performance with his mother Latifa.  

DUBAI: Celebrity favorite Japanese chef Hisato Hamada has not one, not two, but three restaurants opening in Saudi Arabia this month, including the high-end, members-only Wagyumafia — a concept that started out as a pop-up in Tokyo and Hong Kong, created by Hamada and entrepreneur Takafumi Horie. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by HISATO HAMADA (@wagyumafia)

While the Saudi branches of Wagyumafia and wagyu barbecue joint Yakinikumafia are housed in trendy new Via Riyadh, his wagyu ramen and gyoza bar, Mashi No Mashi, is based in Jeddah, where Hamada is excited to debut the brand new dish, wagyu shawarma.   

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by HISATO HAMADA (@wagyumafia)

Here, he talks to Arab News about his cooking style and Wagyumafia’s motto.  

Q: When you started out as a professional, what was the most-common mistake you made?  

A: I don’t make mistakes. I just enjoy cooking. I'm a self-taught chef, right? When you have a master, the master will say, “This is wrong.” Since I'm the master, I don't (have that) coming down. Everything comes from my own inspiration. I think cooking should be freestyle. So, for my concept, there are no mistakes. 

  What’s your top tip for amateur chefs cooking at home?  

Just enjoy cooking. There’s no textbook. Again, I think cooking must be freestyle. Nowadays, you can learn anything from the internet. Pretty much all the information is available already. You can get started on YouTube or social media. It’s totally different from how people learnt back in the Eighties and Nineties. All of the secrets and special techniques are all there online. So just, you know, be in the kitchen every day. That's probably the best way to become a chef. 

 What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?   

Salt. A lot of people don’t know how to adjust salt properly. Even experienced chefs struggle with it. But when done right, it can elevate your food.  

When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food? What’s the most-common mistake that you find in other restaurants?   

I try not to go to high-end gastronomy, those sit-down or omakase places. For me, that’s boring. I go out for street food, and street food you don’t judge. You either like it or don’t like it and there’s no point in criticizing.   

What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?  

Depends on my mood. In Tokyo, we can get pretty much everything from every country. It’s a very universal, diversified food culture. I make a lot of noodles and rice. I make tortillas by myself. I like making something that you can cherish and enjoy the ingredients. I try not to cook too much. Because as long as you can find the right ingredients, I try to let the ingredients speak for themselves. Cooking at home is probably the best way to understand the value of the ingredients and the quality of the ingredients with your family and friends. I think home is the best kitchen.  

 What request or behavior by customers most annoys you?  

All my guests are very, very nice people. I believe that good food comes from good producers, good farmers, good fishermen, good cooks… and all of that will lead to good guests. So, it's all harmonized. We have a motto: “Come as strangers, leave as family.” Literally, if you’ve had one experience with one of my restaurants, you’ve become family, because I started my cooking journey at home with house parties and there you don't have nasty people. If you're not good people, you’re not invited to my house. That's my whole mentality with Wagyumafia. I only want to see happy people. You’ll never break up my restaurant. We’re very music driven and very noisy. No business meetings. We’re too busy to be bad people.  

 As a head chef, what are you like?  

I think the thing that differentiate me from other chefs is that I create everything — I do the interior design, I create graphics for the menus, I create the recipes. So, basically, anything creative, when it comes to the restaurants, I do. So it's not like I’m in the kitchen 24/7. I try to spend 10-12 days a month in the kitchen. The rest of the time, I travel, I experiment with recipes. When I’m in the restaurants, I like to go to the kitchen, check the conditions and also meet my guests. I think being yourself is very important.