The Dubai Rugby 7s is one of the biggest weekends in the calendar, especially popular among expats. I remember first visiting in 1995 when you could stroll along the open sided main pitch and find your place in the sparsely filled stands. The side pitches were all sand and the teams mainly local and from around the region. These days it’s a huge event with international teams as well as local, women’s tournaments and school teams battling it out. It used to be all about the rugby, the dressing up and the drinking. Food was an afterthought with huge queues for a cheap burger or greasy fish and chips – except for in corporate hospitality where everything is a bit too fancy (although we’d sneak in for the shawarma stand). Now, thank heavens, food has improved a lot even in the cheap seats – OK it’s not Masterchef but there are some reasonable choices and even healthier nosh. I did a good trawl round of the eating and drinking options last time and have snaffled a sneak peek of what’s coming up this year. Whoever is the ultimate tournament winner, 2014 looks like the best yet for grub.
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The Dubai Rugby 7s is one of the biggest weekends in the calendar, especially popular among expats. I remember first visiting in 1995 when you could stroll along the open sided main pitch and find your place in the sparsely filled stands. The side pitches were all sand and the teams mainly local and from around the region. These days it’s a huge event with international teams as well as local, women’s tournaments and school teams battling it out. It used to be all about the rugby, the dressing up and the drinking. Food was an afterthought with huge queues for a cheap burger or greasy fish and chips – except for in corporate hospitality where everything is a bit too fancy (although we’d sneak in for the shawarma stand). Now, thank heavens, food has improved a lot even in the cheap seats – OK it’s not Masterchef but there are some reasonable choices and even healthier nosh. I did a good trawl round of the eating and drinking options last time and have snaffled a sneak peek of what’s coming up this year. Whoever is the ultimate tournament winner, 2014 looks like the best yet for grub.
